Which Goes First, Rules or Comedy?

We all know that no one can make fun of our mamas except us. Not that we’d want to, but this goes along with the idea that has been tossed around over the last couple weeks in Bark posts and comments: Many people seem to subscribe to the belief that it is in better taste to make fun of groups to which we belong than to make fun of those to which we do not. 

In her book, Stand-Up Comedy: The Book, Judy Carter suggests that the starting comic begin by making fun of him or herself. It seems like rich and considerate advice. But we don’t want everyone talking about themselves all the time, so we move the circle out to include family, profession (assuming you do something besides trying to make people laugh), sex, race, political party, country, those who agree with your views on globalism. I think it is becoming increasingly difficult to define which groups we “belong” to. We belong to many, have intimate involvement with many, and have good reason to criticize the corruption of many. Read more »

Sometimes Ugly Increases Funny

I’ve stolen few things in my life. One of them is a book called Stand-Up Comedy: The Book by Judy Carter. I discovered it on a shelf in Victrola, an idyllic coffee shop on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. It is one of those shelves that holds board games and books to help entertain the patrons who forgot their laptops, mole skins, GRE study guides, or novels. One day, I reached up and pulled down the comedy book. I passed the “funny test” and couldn’t resist. I slid the book into my bag.

I ended up giving the book to my friend, Fat, because he’s funny and I thought he should become a stand-up comedian. Five years later, he hasn’t yet, but he still might. I missed the book, though, so I bought myself a copy. Therefore, the hot copy is not in my possession. If you want to find it, I’ll give you Fat’s address.

It’s embarrassing to be seen with this book. I hide it in my sketch book. Maybe I’ll cover it with a brown paper bag. The book is unattractive, and it’s a ridiculous notion that a 36-year-old-failure-at-so-many-things would fancy herself a standup comedian. Yet, Judy Carter makes it seem possible. She offers step-by-step instructions for creating your own routine. She prompts you to list your negative personality traits, things you hate, worry about, and fear, and shows how each of these things really can be funny. Here are some examples for negative personality traits:

“I have low self-esteem. When we were in bed together, I would fantasize that I was someone else.” —Richard Lewis (Carter 25)

“I had to move to New York for health reasons. I’m extremely paranoid and New York is the only place my fears are justified.” –Anita Wise (Carter 25) Read more »