Comments on: Sunday Picture Post 34How To Be Funny: List of Joke Fodder

By: admin

admin — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:20:58 +0000

RNW — Welcome back! Nice title. Yes, definitely a documentary. Good choice. Really interesting pitch.

By: RNW

RNW — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:58:41 +0000

Behind the Rainbow Wig – a documentary on the strange world of young clowns in Mexico.

Washed Out

Arco Iris Convention – press session. Question and answer period for the pint sized entertainers.

The tears and drama of making others laugh, voiced by the children of Mexico, forced to entertain by their carny elders.

By: Jaden

Jaden — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:12:51 +0000

t.sterling — You got a few more laughs out of me with that story. Dying laughing is a pretty sweet way to go. Yes, sometimes you can laugh so hard your gut hurts and you can’t breath. I did that a lot in my youth over really silly nonsense, usually it was the late night giggle attack during a sleepover while making weird noises and absurd comments.

By: t.sterling

t.sterling — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:52:01 +0000

Well it reminded me of the Monty Python sketch involving the funniest joke in the world. Laughter is a lovely thing, but apparently it’s been documented that people have died from too much of a good thing. So if someone or a group of people were able to keep someone laughing for so long, it could prove to be fatal. My sources come from Snopes and Wikipedia (fatal hilarity), but my favorite story is this:

“On 24 March 1975, Alex Mitchell, a 50-year-old bricklayer from King’s Lynn, England, died laughing while watching the Kung Fu Kapers episode of The Goodies, featuring a Scotsman in a kilt battling a vicious black pudding with his bagpipes. After twenty-five minutes of continuous laughter Mitchell finally slumped on the sofa and expired from heart failure. His widow later sent the Goodies a letter thanking them for making Mitchell’s final moments so pleasant.”

So I don’t know if that’s the best way to go out, but at least he was happy. I prefer peacefully in my sleep. I’m not sure what my laughter limits are, but I’ve laughted for about 10-15 minutes with my cousin several times and can understand how one could die from hilarity when breathing becomes difficult. I wish I could explain what was so funny, but it ends up being a you-had-to-be-there event. What I do know is it started with a comment or a story someone (usually me) tells, and my cousin’s infectious laughter that follows.

By: admin

admin — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:27:05 +0000

t.sterling — A dangerous skill? Do elaborate.

Is there a better way to die than laughing? Elaborate on that too, how someone died laughing?

By: t.sterling

t.sterling — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:56:05 +0000

I’ve been told that comedy is hard to write. So far I’ve had the desired effect, other times it’s my delivery (when performing) that fails. For some I think humor comes very naturally, but I agree it can be learned and used as a dangerous skill.

Speaking of dangerous, I don’t mean to get morbid again, but I was reading on Wikipedia about real people who died laughing. It started to scare me a little because I was laughing so hard reading what they were laughing at, I didn’t want to be the first person who died laughing about people who died from laughing.

By: Jaden

Jaden — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:59:43 +0000

Melissa — Like anything, humor can be learned. Take any one of those things from my Joke Fodder list and make a joke situation. You can do it, I know you can.

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:29:24 +0000

Ack, humor is the hardest to write! For me, it either happens or it doesn’t and I feel like I have no control over it. Although, I have to say, now that I think about it, I don’t believe I’ve really made a conscious effort toward it. I’ll have to try to do it purposefully next time!

By: Jaden

Jaden — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:44:56 +0000

t.sterling — Laughing! Yes, I have had the bird turds too. So gross.

By: t. sterling

t. sterling — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:59:58 +0000

I substituted dog piss for bird crap, and instead of my leg it was my shoulder. At the time I was feeding birds with a friend, and I thought said friend threw bread at me when I had my back to her. I was mistaken as I heard a few birds in the corner of the park giggling and saw them pointing at me before flying off to tell their friends probably.

And at times I already feel Buster Keaton-esque in and out of the office, trying my best to look as emotionless as possible, I’m just missing the prokpie hat.