I feel like leaving a comment on a Jimmy Carr post is like heckling and somehow he’s going to turn, stop with a look of mild disgust and say “You know I can SEE you.”
You can say the most ridiculous shit in the world, and if its with a straight face, people will take it seriously. You take away tone and nonverbal cues, and the numbnuts take everything seriously.
Years ago, as a substitute teacher, I used to keep a printout of Steven Wright jokes in my briefcase for when I had a high school class with the dreaded "I've prepared nothing for my absence, please let them work on other classwork" note from the sick teacher.
Freud claimed that the pleasure derived from a joke comes from saving the psychic energy that would otherwise be used to repress a forbidden thought or impulse. The energy, once built up, is discharged in laughter.
This is why overtly left-wing comedians are seldom funny. They don’t deliver on the repressed thought or impulse. Their ‘humour’ is based around saying what everyone in the audience is already thinking, rather than anything forbidden. No matter how much you may hate Trump, another joke about him just isn’t funny.
So glad you mentioned Rita Rudner. My favourite line of hers: “My friend told me she was in labour for 32 hours. I don’t even want to do something that feels GOOD for 32 hours!”
This is a fantastic article. I have just come back from a gig where someone told me it's amazing I am a poet, author, and comedian. I don't think it is. I said "it's all words" and the deeper answer is that that very same pattern recognition which allows me to be quite good at building Lego things can also be applied to humour, stage plays, novels. Pattern recognition, if people don't have it, seems like a superpower. I've been able to predict my friend's doomed relationships before within about two weeks of accuracy. Turns out it's cheaper to break up with her BEFORE the anniversary.
I feel a little bit less alone as a writer tonight Jimmy. Thank you.
Couldn't agree more. As a CS teacher, this whole 'pattern recognition' as a superpower really resonates, especially the 'breaking codes' part. You've articuleted the mechanism of surprise and humor so brilliantly. It makes me wonder, how do you debug a joke that doesn't land? Is it just finding the wrong pattern to subvert, or a flaw in the initial setup's 'algorithm'?
Thanks for this Jimmy! I jumped off my tram Sunday night to check out the free comedy at the pub down my street, after just having done my first improv performance in the city, and all the guys were asking me if I was a comedian (something I had thought about for years, but every attempt to write produced intensely depressing work). I said no. The manager asked me to come back another night and do 1 or 2 minutes ... not sure why. Got home, realised I should do it, panicked, thought how the hell am I going write something actually funny, then opened up your post. You are a lifesaver :)
Writing fiction for 5 years, and I'm all intuition. Translation: my pattern recognition is all subconscious processes. Eventually, I just start getting things right. The problem with this is I need help in breaking down plot. I need to bust it down to core components and to figure out how it applies to the story I've been working on for 3 years. I pick up on details very quickly, but also get lost in them. I need to figure out a structure and slap this thing on that scaffold.
Any tips for conscious analyzation of complex concepts?
I feel like leaving a comment on a Jimmy Carr post is like heckling and somehow he’s going to turn, stop with a look of mild disgust and say “You know I can SEE you.”
Excellent insights Jimmy!
That’s why I quit social media. No one has a sense of humor.
You can say the most ridiculous shit in the world, and if its with a straight face, people will take it seriously. You take away tone and nonverbal cues, and the numbnuts take everything seriously.
Or, possibly, you're not funny.
Could be, for sure.
"I stayed up all night playing poker with tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died." - Steven Wright
Years ago, as a substitute teacher, I used to keep a printout of Steven Wright jokes in my briefcase for when I had a high school class with the dreaded "I've prepared nothing for my absence, please let them work on other classwork" note from the sick teacher.
Pattern recognition is indeed a superpower. And much more useful than flying. And funnier.
Freud claimed that the pleasure derived from a joke comes from saving the psychic energy that would otherwise be used to repress a forbidden thought or impulse. The energy, once built up, is discharged in laughter.
This is why overtly left-wing comedians are seldom funny. They don’t deliver on the repressed thought or impulse. Their ‘humour’ is based around saying what everyone in the audience is already thinking, rather than anything forbidden. No matter how much you may hate Trump, another joke about him just isn’t funny.
I feel sometimes jokes are just sarcasm wrapped in chocolate.
Reminded me of:
To understand is to perceive patterns. To make intelligible is to reveal the basic pattern. - Isiah Berlin
Hey son, you’re not poor. Poor is mentality. You’re broke- Dave Chappelle.
Same patterns and structure. But one must have a talent to present jokes in an interesting artistic way.
I came. I saw. I recognized the pattern.
I really enjoyed reading this. It’s short enough to read without losing focus and does leave you with some good food for thought. Thanks Jimmy.
So glad you mentioned Rita Rudner. My favourite line of hers: “My friend told me she was in labour for 32 hours. I don’t even want to do something that feels GOOD for 32 hours!”
This is a fantastic article. I have just come back from a gig where someone told me it's amazing I am a poet, author, and comedian. I don't think it is. I said "it's all words" and the deeper answer is that that very same pattern recognition which allows me to be quite good at building Lego things can also be applied to humour, stage plays, novels. Pattern recognition, if people don't have it, seems like a superpower. I've been able to predict my friend's doomed relationships before within about two weeks of accuracy. Turns out it's cheaper to break up with her BEFORE the anniversary.
I feel a little bit less alone as a writer tonight Jimmy. Thank you.
Couldn't agree more. As a CS teacher, this whole 'pattern recognition' as a superpower really resonates, especially the 'breaking codes' part. You've articuleted the mechanism of surprise and humor so brilliantly. It makes me wonder, how do you debug a joke that doesn't land? Is it just finding the wrong pattern to subvert, or a flaw in the initial setup's 'algorithm'?
Comedians are basically the cleverest of linguists
Thanks for this Jimmy! I jumped off my tram Sunday night to check out the free comedy at the pub down my street, after just having done my first improv performance in the city, and all the guys were asking me if I was a comedian (something I had thought about for years, but every attempt to write produced intensely depressing work). I said no. The manager asked me to come back another night and do 1 or 2 minutes ... not sure why. Got home, realised I should do it, panicked, thought how the hell am I going write something actually funny, then opened up your post. You are a lifesaver :)
Writing fiction for 5 years, and I'm all intuition. Translation: my pattern recognition is all subconscious processes. Eventually, I just start getting things right. The problem with this is I need help in breaking down plot. I need to bust it down to core components and to figure out how it applies to the story I've been working on for 3 years. I pick up on details very quickly, but also get lost in them. I need to figure out a structure and slap this thing on that scaffold.
Any tips for conscious analyzation of complex concepts?