“Why do you write a humor blog”, she asked. That wasn’t the stupid part. The stupid part was telling her. Sometimes when you just meet someone and there is a pause in the conversation you just say something at random. Most of us know not to talk about our blogs. And I generally don’t. But I did over the weekend.
There is nothing more important than humor, yet it is very hard to define. I use this example. If w
e were watching a movie, a drama let’s say, most people would either agree that the film was good or agree it was not. Now that doesn’t mean that Ebert & Roper agree on ever
y drama, but their opinions are closer. Comedy? In my Dad’s day there was no one he thought sucked more than Jerry Lewis. Why? My Dad doesn’t like slapstick. What he doesn’t understand is that lots of other people do enjoy slapstick. In this way however, I’m with my Dad. If Jim Carey or Adam Sandler is in a movie, I won’t watch it. It does not make me correct, it is just that humor is so much more an individual choice than drama, or action, or adventure or fill in the blank.
Today I de
cided to listen to a tape from 1967 for inspiration. First I heard Bouncing Billy sing a jingle for “Kanine Krunchies”. He had to explain it was a jingle from the Disney movie, “101 Dalmations”. The jingle isn’t nearly as good as Bill Savitt’s, but we have sung it for over 40 years. I did not remember the first time I heard it, and there it was, a Bouncing Billy “fill-in the dead air” thing that just stuck. Then on that same Tape Radio show Billy told me to answer all his stories with, “Why Don’t You Send Her to a Psychiatrist?” I was game and here is how it went way back on WTIT Tape 9, recorded in August of 1967.
Billy: You gotta help me, you gotta help me, my wife thinks she is a birthday card!
Bud: Why Don’t You Send Her to a Psychiatrist?
Billy: Why? He never sent me one.
Billy: You gotta help me, you gotta help me, my wife thinks she is a moose’s head!
Bud: Why Don’t You Send Her to a Psychiatrist?
Billy: But what will I hang over the mantle?
Billy: You gotta help me, you gotta help me, my wife thinks she is a broken clock!
Bud: Why Don’t You Send Her to a Psychiatrist?
Billy: She hasn’t got the time!
Billy: You gotta help me, you gotta help me, my wife thinks she is a pretzel!
Bud: Why Don’t You Send Her to a Psychiatrist?
Billy: Good idea. Maybe he can straighten her out.
Billy: You gotta help me, you gotta help me
Bud: I can’t help you. You need a better comedy writer…
I am glad I pulled out that old tape today. I still laughed at those corny jokes. But it is okay if you don’t find them that funny. Humor is a relative thing.
Some of today’s post was
