I thought I just approved a comment by Peter but I can’t find it.

Peter said, “I agree with Joe. I guess I should lick your hand now.”

No, Peter, you can’t lick my hand but can kiss my ….

Oops, I keep forgetting this is a family publication.

Joe, you have a very exacting sense of humor.

Each of the three comedians you mentioned took a huge chance.

Jim Kerry is a physical comedian, and that is as old as the hills. But he is just incredibly good at it.

Steve Martin is the pitiful comedian. That is also as old as the hills and it takes exacting skill to make the exact balance he makes, the one everybody tries and nobody can do as well as he does.

Chris Farley was the shouting comedian. His was the humor that every Jewish comedian tries and fails at. It has to be JUST right, and the Jews just make it obnoxious.

So, like the cat in the commercial, Joe’s tastes in humor are very simple. He wants the best there is.

My comedic specialty is, like that of the three above, as old as Cro-Magnon man.

It is called, “Injecting humor into serious subjects.”

If you don’t think a new twist on THAT is as hard as Farley’s making loud humor funny, ask any speech-writer.

But I do it GOOD.

In most speeches, you can tell when the “time to add a light touch” has been reached.

My humor is aimed at catching you off guard.

For my readers, reading what I say is like hearing somebody talk about something you had already been working out in your mind, but I have thought about it a lot and express it in a way you wish you had.

So there are you are, sharing my outrage and my disgust, getting right down to the guts of the matter. At that exact point I have the chance to inject the very essence of humor:

Surprise.

No joke is funny if you see the punch line coming.

But when someone is exposing the very thing that disgusts or offends you most, suddenly running into a punch line is like stepping on a land mine. I simply cannot resist an opportunity like that.

There is another element. There is a reason why professional speechwriters cannot take advantage of this opportunity the way I do here is because, for most people, humor on a serious subject is next door to heresy.

So you HAVE to signal your punch. You have to say, in effect, “Now this is a very serious subject, and I recognize that, but at this point I am going to lighten things up by making a joke so don’t take it as making light of this very serious issue that means so much to you.”

After an intro like that it’s a little hard to catch the crowd by surprise.

I need readers who trust me. That split second of surprise is precious. If you throw it away by asking yourself, “Should I laugh at this or is it heresy?” you lose it.

My humor is for people who can ride with the tide.

“I can’t believe it. Very few people can make me laugh. Jim Carrey, Steve Martin and Chris Farley. Now you. What are the chances? A guy that knows all the stuff that you know also turns out to be able to make me laugh. I think it’s the way you put things sometimes. I read you for a serious purpose. I never look to be entertained. And here it is. I can’t believe it. I’ll bet you’ve got a lot of friends. You should have. No, this is not sychophancy. Just plain straight talk.”

Comment by joe rorke — 10/18/2005 @