Comedy Explained - Phrases That Stick

[Barry Admin]

This just came to me in the kitchen, and it stays with me so I thought it'd be a good thread. Just little phrases that succinctly sum up comedy, or explain how it actually works.

Anyway I remember it as Morecambe & Wise explaining things to Andre Previn:

We're the only ones who don't know this is funny.

Or as Mr Preview told Classic FM:

I wasn't a comedian and he said, 'If anyone thinks we're trying to be funny, we're finished. We must act as though it's very serious'.

And there you have it. That's why Noel Fielding is shit.

(Cheap dig, and of course someone like eg Kate McKinnon is great partly because she's so obviously having so much fun. Kenan Thompson has the charm to pull it off, too.)

[East of Eden]

I thought this was literally going to be comedy explained, as in what makes a joke or idea funny.

Don't get the Morecambe and Wise quote. Not sure the Mr Preview quote is that remarkable.

[All Surrogate]

I think that a goodly amount of comedy is covered by that phrase, but I think that I would generalise it to simply incongruity as the major grounding of comedy.  As you point out, sometimes the performer can be in on the joke, though it is a very tricky thing to pull off; I think standup operates in that area, by and large.

[biggytitbo]

This is why Billy connelly is so incredibly unfunny. Nobody finds Billy connelly funnier than Billy connelly does, half his sets are him laughing at his own shit material.

[Brundle-Fly]

"If it bends, it's funny..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-_Akm40RJQ

[St_Eddie]

'If anyone thinks we're trying to be funny, we're finished. We must act as though it's very serious'.

Quick, somebody tell the remaining members of Monty Python that they were shite, before they're all dead.

[drdad]

'Words with k in them are funny.' - The Sunshine Boys

[Kelvin]

Quick, somebody tell the remaining members of Monty Python that they were shite, before they're all dead.

Why? Characters behaving in an absurd way while acting very seriously was a huge part of their sketches (Silly Walks), as was placing mundane people in ridiculous locations/situations.

As for the first Morecambe and Wise quote:

We're the only ones who don't know this is funny.

At first glance, I actually took this to mean that, only a comedian is unsure (and nervous about) whether a scripted joke is going to be funny when they say it, whereas their audience immediately know it is. I think there's some truth in that, as well.

[petril]

I think that a goodly amount of comedy is covered by that phrase, but I think that I would generalise it to simply incongruity as the major grounding of comedy.  As you point out, sometimes the performer can be in on the joke, though it is a very tricky thing to pull off; I think standup operates in that area, by and large.

The most atomic element of stand up comedy is doing a sentence that ends a bit differently to what people expect, like, for example, Ronnie Biggs

[kalowski]

Why? Characters behaving in an absurd way while acting very seriously was a huge part of their sketches (Silly Walks), as was placing mundane people in ridiculous locations/situations.

As for the first Morecambe and Wise quote:

At first glance, I actually took this to mean that, only a comedian is unsure (and nervous about) whether a scripted joke is going to be funny when they say it, whereas their audience immediately know it is. I think there's some truth in that, as well.

No. I think they're describing how they play it. We play it totally straight. The audience will be laughing but we're totally serious (in character)

[Small Man Big Horse]

And there you have it. That's why Noel Fielding is shit.

I watched the first episode of The Mighty Boosh last night as I hadn't seen it since it aired, and because it was directed by Paul King, the man behind the magnificent Paddington 2. And I was trying to work out why I disliked Fielding so much, especially compared to Barrett who I have a lot of time for, and as horrible as it might sound for me it comes down to his face. It seems incapable of showing any other emotion other than smug (bar the occasional tepid attempt at being serious) and as an actor he's just fucking awful due to this. It's a shame really, if they'd cast a better actor then it might not be hated so much.

[Kelvin]

No. I think they're describing how they play it. We play it totally straight. The audience will be laughing but we're totally serious (in character)

Yes, I agree, I'm just saying what my initial (wrong) reading of the quote was.

I just thought there was some accidental truth in my initial interpretation, too. 

[Kelvin]

I watched the first episode of The Mighty Boosh last night as I hadn't seen it since it aired, and because it was directed by Paul King, the man behind the magnificent Paddington 2. And I was trying to work out why I disliked Fielding so much, especially compared to Barrett who I have a lot of time for, and as horrible as it might sound for me it comes down to his face. It seems incapable of showing any other emotion other than smug (bar the occasional tepid attempt at being serious) and as an actor he's just fucking awful due to this. It's a shame really, if they'd cast a better actor then it might not be hated so much.

He's woeful in Boosh for plenty of reasons. His utterly one note, wooden delivery first and foremost. The man is a black hole for charisma.

[kalowski]

Yes, I agree, I'm just saying what my initial (wrong) reading of the quote was.

I just thought there was some accidental truth in my initial interpretation, too.

Yes, I think you're right. That interpretation could make sense.

[sevendaughters]

not a huge Boosh fan but replace Noel Fielding and you have a show that doesn't work at all. aside from being idiosyncratic material that Fielding is closer to being able to sell 'correctly', he's the point of identification for the viewer by gently mocking Barratt's actorly pompous ridiculousness. it's a lightly post-modern touch for the New Young Pony Club generation. yeah it's smug and aloof but not entirely without charm. i might look up the Luxury Comedy thread though, bet you lot hated that (as did I).

[Misspent Boners]

I watched the first episode of The Mighty Boosh last night as I hadn't seen it since it aired, and because it was directed by Paul King, the man behind the magnificent Paddington 2. And I was trying to work out why I disliked Fielding so much, especially compared to Barrett who I have a lot of time for, and as horrible as it might sound for me it comes down to his face. It seems incapable of showing any other emotion other than smug (bar the occasional tepid attempt at being serious) and as an actor he's just fucking awful due to this. It's a shame really, if they'd cast a better actor then it might not be hated so much.

It's not really hated that much at all outside of this forum though.

[Serge]

New Young Pony Club

Christ! There's a name I haven't heard in a while.

My dad really hated the Boosh, but actually liked Luxury Comedy, which puzzled me.

This is why Billy connelly is so incredibly unfunny. Nobody finds Billy connelly funnier than Billy connelly does, half his sets are him laughing at his own shit material.

I think it's less of an issue for a stand-up to be laughing while onstage, I can't think of many who don't. Even Sean Lock laughs at his own stuff occasionally. And it can add to the charm of certain acts - Vic & Bob wouldn't be quite the same without their occasional corpsing.

I don't know if this strictly ties in with the idea of the thread, but one thing that came to mind was, especially back in the days of 'Father Ted', Linehan and Mathews would give interviews where they'd talk about the writing process, and how they'd be cracking up as they wrote scripts, and thought that that had to be an integral part of writing comedy - if it doesn't make the writer laugh, how can you hope it will make other people laugh?

I mean, this could go too far, and we've all got mates we can talk to and riff on certain ideas that send us into paroxysms of laughter, and any writer would have to be wary of getting too self-indulgent with any ideas they have, but if I imagine Vic & Bob or Palin & Jones sitting down to write material, you can just see them laughing their heads off when the right idea comes along.

[Brundle-Fly]

That's how Viz Comic used to work. If one person on the core team didn't find a new strip or article funny it wasn't going to get into that month's issue. I gather many an argument took place.

[mr. logic]

The Simpsons's writing room too.

[RenegadeScrew]

The most atomic element of stand up comedy is doing a sentence that ends a bit differently to what people expect, like, for example, Ronnie Biggs

There are ways around that, like being completely nonsensical from the start of a sentence.  But it does cover pretty much everything.

The more common modern way is to continually add overly elaborate detail or language to a punchline that effectively seems over. 

"And then I shit myself....and it flowed...like unwanted seeping sewage...down my legs which I'd just shaved...filling my new shoes (callback to part1), and I shouted damn you Ulcerative Collitis (callback to part 2)"

Unusual and interesting metaphor or analogy must be high up the list too.

[paruses]

I think it's less of an issue for a stand-up to be laughing while onstage, I can't think of many who don't. Even Sean Lock laughs at his own stuff occasionally. And it can add to the charm of certain acts - Vic & Bob wouldn't be quite the same without their occasional corpsing.

I think it works very well for a stand up who rarely laughs at their own stuff - Sean Lock being a very good example - as it makes the audience feel that they're suddenly in on the writing process and not just consumers of the finished product - you've just experienced a moment where the creator has realised how funny a particular thing is and it's not merely another bit of a script. A bit like when you see on Windows error messages  on timetable boards or ticket terminals.

I don't know if this strictly ties in with the idea of the thread, but one thing that came to mind was, especially back in the days of 'Father Ted', Linehan and Mathews would give interviews where they'd talk about the writing process, and how they'd be cracking up as they wrote scripts, and thought that that had to be an integral part of writing comedy - if it doesn't make the writer laugh, how can you hope it will make other people laugh?

Who is it who has the opposite view to this? If something makes them / the performer laugh when it's being rehearsed or written then the laugh is too easy and it gets redone - Amrando Iannucci?

[Autopsy Turvey]

I wasn't a comedian and he said, 'If anyone thinks we're trying to be funny, we're finished. We must act as though it's very serious'.

That wasn't a rule of thumb for Eric and Ernie though, often it's only Ernie acting as though it's very serious, while Eric is just mucking about for laffs and winding him up and grinning and winking to the audience.

I suppose the one explanatory phrase that sticks the most is Ted Bovis's "First rule of comedy: you must have reality." There's a scene in Saturday Night Fry that extends this, where Emma Thompson explains that if someone pretends to fall and fracture their pelvic girdle, it's not funny, but if they do it for real, then it is funny.

[Psmith]

It's on youtube somewhere.
Johnny Speight is having an argument with Marty Feldman.
Marty is saying you should write to make other people laugh but  Johnny insists it's best to write to make yourself laugh.Or something like that anyway.

[Jockice]

No. I think they're describing how they play it. We play it totally straight. The audience will be laughing but we're totally serious (in character)

Didn't someone on here recently say that they didn't like Airplane because the characters WEREN'T playing it straight? Which is one of the weirdest things I've ever read in my life.

[neveragain]

Yes, I don't get that at all. Said something like they fluctuate between playing straight and not but, as far as I can see, all reactions are deadpan.