Post: #1

I saw this mentioned in an earlier thread - as a possible idea for a thread.

I agree - great idea - let's discuss being funny...

I think a lot about comedy since it is one of those subjects which is hard to fully understand. There are a lot of traps and paradoxes when thinking about the subject.

For instance - I don't think you can learn to be funny. Yet - children are the most unfunny people on earth.

So - at what point does a person get to the age that they start being funny? And is this something they learn as they grow up?

Also - being funny is not just about the shit you say. It is also about your status in the group. If people don't think you are funny to begin with - they will rarely give you the laughter your comedy deserves.

This is a difficult area. If you try and be funny - and fail. You will not be rewarded for that one time in ten when you say something genuinely funny.

As such - the easiest way to be funny (for most people) is to try and not be funny. Instead - only say something funny - when a line hits you and you immediately know it will be hilarious.

Less is more. Also - by not searching for the funny - you let the truly funny seek you out instead. It is like being in a zen state of mind.

It has to look effortless. It is like 'game' in a sense. As soon as it looks like you are trying you have already failed.

As such - when you are being very serious with somebody - that is often when the funniest situations pop up. Since the audience is least expecting it.

Another important thing is your voice. All the funny people I know have great sounding voices - that have an extra kick to them. It is hard to explain - but there is a charisma in the voice which you can kinda' hear.

My younger brother has some funny lines - but he has a shit voice. As such - I refuse to ever laugh at anything he says. Since he sounds like an engineer (which he is). Sometimes I repeat what he says - and steal the laugh the he didn't get the first time round.

But my older brother is hilarious. One of the reasons is that he animates what he is saying in a way which is both funny - but also carefree. Like he is just too wrapped up in telling the story to care about being funny. And he has a weary sense of wanting to change the subject since he cant be bothered telling you the funny story he is in the middle of.

Strangely - I don't think my older brother has ever tried to be funny in his life - yet he is hilarious.

As for myself - it is weird. Comedy comes down to two things - speed and funny.

I am not that funny - but I am incredibly quick. As such - I can use the speed of my thinking to bamboozle people into thinking I am funnier than I am. I am not intelligent - but my brain can look up subjects like I am checking out wikipedia.

I don't consider myself funny - but because I have a quick mind which can quickly join together random facts, random shit and relate it back to the stupid thing somebody just said - it gives a good illusion of being funny.

But to me - I distinguish being quick with being truly funny.

Funny is funny forever.

Whereas being quick is only funny in that exact moment. And soon dies away (and is forgotten) once the moment has gone.

Most funny people are not truly funny. They are just quick. And everyone is 'quick' from time to time. But the funny guys tend to be a little quicker (and have more hits) than the regular guys.

Truly funny people are very rare. I have only known about 5 people in my life on that level. Luckily my older brother is one of them.

Another strange thing about being funny. Is that it is impossible for me (and most people) to laugh first thing in the morning. So - if you are around people in the morning - just don't try and be funny.

Ever.

I don't think anyone has ever being funny during the morning.

Seriously.

I will post back with some more thoughts - but I thought the above might make for a nice opening post to the thread.

Post: #2

You have to be careful around unfunny people.

They will laugh at things which are not funny.

And not laugh at things that are funny.

It you are killing it with the older women - you need to find a new crowd. Because old women have zero sense of what funny is. It will only fuck you up in the long run.

I feel dirty sometimes making the old women I work with laugh. Since they laugh at the most stupid shit. And my funny Hitler material gets zero play from them.

Post: #3

Learning how to be funny is like learning game. It's only by having many failed attempts that you learn how to do it right. In my early 20s I said a lot of awkward shit that I thought was hilarious, but people just thought I was weird. Now I am able to get a laugh out of most people. It's all in the delivery.

Post: #4

It´s not difficult to be funny in the morning at least for me but I am semi-retired minimalist so it makes things easier without having to go to work every morning.

I define being funny as being able to have a laugh which is not dependent on others.

Some month ago I realised that I did not have good laughs for a while. In the past I had some vids which made me laugh and I thought about organizing stuff to have a routine for that again.

1. Finding some funny clips which makes me laugh. For example my new favorite is Roosh´s link to: Jim Ross calls Jamaican Club Daggering (Wrestling). I have to laugh at it everytime.

2. Reading very funny jokes. I have found a very good website for it.

3. Doing loud reading and karaoke which is good for the voice. It makes easier to laugh because it prepares your laughing voice.

These things help to be in a funny mood and to be able to trigger some laughs. This is the basis to being able to make other people laugh. Most people are not in the mood to laugh and most times they are trained to laugh strategically which feels strange. Not being dependent on others to have a laugh is an important thing imho.

The problem with being in a laughing mode is that one might feel to relaxed and forgets about some obligations and projects. One needs a good balance.

Post: #5

Sorry - Bill. I love ya' - but I don't think jokes are funny.

Ever.

I should have mentioned that in my earlier post.

Jokes are to comedy what advertising jingles are to great music.

Only unfunny people think jokes are funny.

Post: #6

In my experience the funniest people I meet are always older than myself. They have more experience of what I'm currently going through and have already heard all of the jokes that go along with that experience. So one trick is to hang out with people who are older than you that are funny. Then you can emulate their style with the groups that you are in, and as a result be funny.

Another is to constantly watch standup comedy. I probably watch at least an hour per week. Late night shows are good too. It's like learning by osmosis. Who's going to be funnier-the guy who watches comedy every day for 30 minutes or the guy who watches news for 30 minutes? Really funny people that you hang out with likely have many of the funny things they say in their head before the opportunity arises to say them. This comes from watching standup, reading jokes, etc.

Facial expressions are good for cheap laughs. Sarcasm--from a quick wit, can sometimes be funny. Puns are quite funny too--but require prior preparation. For example: German sausage jokes are the worst.

I laughed at the above pun for several minutes. Funny people laugh a lot, too. Rarely will you encounter a funny person who doesn't laugh often.

Being funny is hard. You have to take a lot of risks. There will be times when you say things that are funny to you and then no one laughs. Just make a joke about how the joke bombed and then you get a laugh and move on.

I'm pretty funny in groups that I'm comfortable with. With my friends I'm very funny, with girls I'm comfortable with I'm funny.

One more thing.. The funniest person in a group is almost always the leader of the group. Funny requires confidence.

Post: #7

To add to what I said earlier - if you can't think of something straight away then let it past. If you spend too long trying to think of a funny line - it will not be funny.

Not just because your timing will be off. But because the best (and funniest) ideas are the ones that hit you instantly. You are already saying them as soon as you have thought of them. It is literally that fast.

For most people - they can be funnier by simply eliminating the occasions when they are not funny. One of the reasons bosses are not funny is because everyone laughs at their dumb jokes. As such - they have no internal filter - and spit out whatever comes into their head. Without ever considering if it is truly funny.

Silence is better than an unfunny line which gets polite laughter.

Post: #8

Taking risks is a big part of being funny. And the best way to do that - is to pick an aspect of your life and be totally honest about it.

If you are truly honest with people - it is actually funny a lot of the time. Because people are not used to hearing somebody speak about stuff that most people are too scared to talk about.

Often laughter comes from revealing what others were secretly thinking.

This is where hanging with guys is better - because women get freaked out when they hear men reveal what they are really thinking about.

Post: #9

Do I really need to say this?

I will anyway.

Puns are never funny either. They are like ten times worse than jokes.

Post: #10

(04-12-2014 04:08 PM)cardguy Wrote:  Do I really need to say this?

I will anyway.

Puns are never funny either. They are like ten times worse than jokes.

I disagree. Perhaps it is that I hang out with much younger and more immature people, but often when I'm laughing the most is after a succession of 4 or 5 good puns.

An easy way to be more funny is to have funny stories lined up for when you meet new people. This makes it much easier to make different quick witted jokes later on--because like you said before, they already think you're funny. Also if you have no moral objection, make fun of other people.

Additionally, using swear words adds shock value to what you are saying, thereby increasing the intensity of the funniness. (?). Just don't overuse them, or they will of course lose their value.

EDIT- The puns I'm talking about aren't ones that are rehearsed or anything-those are bad when used in conversation. They are a result of wit and the conversation being had. For example there was a story a while back where Putin asked to see someone's Superbowl ring, and ended up leaving the party with it, effectively stealing it. My friend said, "I guess he's just Putin it in his pocket..." That got a large laugh from a mixed crowd of people-and that's a pun. Saying puns are never funny is ridiculous.

Post: #11

I am against swearing in comedy.

None of the very funniest people I know ever resort to it.

Just because people laugh doesn't mean you are being funny.

I can be unfunny all day at work - and make dumb women laugh. And I feel sick afterwards.

Just my opinion here - I may be completely wrong. And I am sure if you guys met me you would say to yourself 'Why does THIS guy think he knows anything about being funny?' :-)

Post: #12

(04-12-2014 04:06 PM)cardguy Wrote:  Often laughter comes from revealing what others were secretly thinking.

This is where hanging with guys is better - because women get freaked out when they hear men reveal what they are really thinking about.

Very true.

Post: #13

(04-12-2014 04:20 PM)cardguy Wrote:  I am against swearing in comedy.

None of the very funniest people I know ever resort to it.

Just because people laugh doesn't mean you are being funny.

I can be unfunny all day at work - and make dumb women laugh. And I feel sick afterwards.

Just my opinion here - I may be completely wrong. And I am sure if you guys met me you would say to yourself 'Why does THIS guy think he knows anything about being funny?' :-)

As someone whose circumstances has put him in many situations around professional comedians, when they're just hanging out--not on stage, I disagree.

Blue comedians tend to be funnier than family friendly and that's because of one thing-shock value (and drunker audiences). But a good joke that's clean is A LOT better than an average joke humored up by vulgarity.

Post: #14

My brain is quick when it comes to being funny.

As such - I find if I throw out a random question or comment I can quickly follow it up with some funny shit.

Therefore - if I want to be funny - I just have to get people to change the subject and talk about something else (and maybe something slightly offbeat). The novelty of having a new subject to contemplate - gives my brain about a 2 second window to think of something funny. This pretty much works for me every time. But only because I am quick - not funny. But it still gets people laughing.

Often the funny thing I think of needs a line to set me up. So - I may ask a leading question which will allow me to follow up what the person says with the funny observation I thought of ten seconds earlier.

This is definitely a useful trick - and works well with anything that could be considered a running gag/observation between yourself and the person you are talking to.

I am not trying to claim I am particularly funny - it is just that this is a topic I can really only analyse from my own personal experiences.

Post: #15

Bill Burr is a funny stand up comedian.

But he is annoying as fuck on his podcast. He has a verbal tick which makes him swear every ten seconds.

I don't find it offensive - just annoying. A bit like somebody who uses the word 'like' every other sentence as a way of hooking up thoughts. To me that level of swearing is annoying in the same way that "vocal fry" is.

Also - most stand up comedians are unfunny hacks. So - unless you are hanging out with the top 0.1% - I wouldn't use them as a guide for what is funny. And besides - very few comedians are actually funny in real life. Louis CK is a great stand up and not that funny in real life. The same is true of Bill Burr. To give two quick examples.

Whereas somebody like Jim Norton is very funny 'in real life' but is shit as a stand-up comedian.

Weird - I know...

Post: #16

Another random thing.

Most people think they are funny.

Yet most people have never being truly funny. Even once - their entire life.

It is like singing with perfect pitch - it is not something that just happens randomly from time to time.

Post: #17

(04-12-2014 04:35 PM)cardguy Wrote:  Bill Burr is a funny stand up comedian.

But he is annoying as fuck on his podcast. He has a verbal tick which makes him swear every ten seconds.

I don't find it offensive - just annoying. A bit like somebody who uses the word 'like' every other sentence as a way of hooking up thoughts. To me that level of swearing is annoying in the same way that "vocal fry" is.

Also - most stand up comedians are unfunny hacks. So - unless you are hanging out with the top 0.1% - I wouldn't use them as a guide for what is funny. And besides - very few comedians are actually funny in real life. Louis CK is a great stand up and not that funny in real life. The same is true of Bill Burr. To give two quick examples.

Whereas somebody like Jim Norton is very funny 'in real life' but is shit as a stand-up comedian.

Weird - I know...

Not going to name names, but one hosts a show on an American cable channel and has a stand up special, another has a special, the rest haven't 'made' it yet. So they likely are a pretty good guide for what is funny. Next time I hang with them (it'll be a while haha) I'll take mental notes.

I don't know if you can say Louie CK isn't funny in real life, the same with Bill Burr, unless you've hung out with them in real life. There's just no way you can know. Odds are they are pretty funny in real life too. Unfunny people simply don't become famous comedians. It's that simple.

Just to put it out there, I totally believe that Louie CK might not be that funny in real life--you can only make so many jokes about being a parent. Bill Burr seems like he'd be a riot in real life.

Post: #18

Well - I have listened to Bill Burr and Louis CK for dozens of hours on the radio hanging out with their buddies Opie & Anthony. And this was before (and after) they became famous.

And you can check out Bill Burr's podcast as well.

In both cases - you will see enough evidence to show that these dudes are not that funny off stage. Even though they are brilliant on stage.

As for stand up specials. They are pretty bad these days. I have to turn off on most of them.

I think it is cool you hang with comedians. And successful ones at that. Sounds really interesting - certainly more interesting than the dumb fucks I spend time with. But - I am just saying that most comedy is pretty poor most of the time. Even amongst the guys who break out and become famous.

The above is just a general statement - I am sure it doesn't apply to your buddies since I like your posts and respect your judgment on how funny they are.

Post: #19

Haha don't overestimate me. I see this group of guys( usually the same five or So dudes) about once a year because someone I know used to own a comedy club.

Post: #20

And they certainly aren't inviting me to chill or vice versa.

Edit: although next time I see them I'll certainly try to set that up because having celebrity friends would definitely be dope. Even B-list celebs. I wonder what McQueen has to say about hanging with comedians.

Post: #21

Here are some suggestions:

1) Watching comedians

One thing that could help is watching comedians and noticing what they do that made something funny. Timing, misdirection, etc.
Some comedians I'd recommend are:

Jim Jeffries - edgy 'offensive' humour, really funny. Seen him live.
Bill Burr - red pill mindset, really funny
Louis CK - especially his older stuff is good. Seen him live.
Ricky Gervais - his stand-up has lots of great moments
Russel Peters - he's good at riffing with the audience
Frankie Boyle - super offensive style, really witty

I'm sure I'm missing a couple good ones. I also like the show 8 out of 10 cats with Jimmy Carr (and Sean and Jon). It's a comedy show in the UK. Not a big fan of Jimmy Carr's stand-up, too many one-liners for my taste. He's witty though, for example here he is destroying a heckler:




Another guy who's a lot less known is Rhod Gilbert. Welsh boy. He has a good ability to talk about seemingly boring topics (like buying a baked potato) and generating a lot of humour out of almost nothing. Here he is doing a bit about a luggage mishap:





2) Hanging out with funny guys

The biggest thing is probably hanging out with funny dudes regularly.



3) Improv comedy class.

This could help with quick thinking and linking different topics together as you'd have to respond to other people's input on the fly. I've taken one short course, was alright. Improv-comedy nights (with actual comedians) can be really fun too, some of those guys are super sharp.



4) Open-mic nights

Another suggestion is to go to open-mic comedy nights. I've been to a bunch lately. Some people suck and some are very good and it's easier to see what makes somebody funny when it's side by side.

Talking about open mic comedy nights - I was going to start a new thread about this but figure I'll just post it here. Does anybody have experience with going to open mic and doing your own stand-up?

I want to try it. Best place to start is probably at the lowest level where the crowd is going to be nice mostly consisting of amateur comics, and you'd only need to do a few-minute gig. If you live in a big city, there's probably one on somewhere every night of the week. Plus it's usually just good fun, shooting the shit with your buddy over a couple beers, and then watching a few acts. And it's usually free/cheap.

The guy:girl ratio at these places is usually very bad like you'd expect, and the quality is generally low. So it's not for gaming, just some good laughs. But if anyone has experience picking up at these places, would love to hear that too.


And then bitches be like:


And Ahmadinejad be like:


Everybody wins.

Post: #22

In terms of comedians, I agree with Cardguy, there are very few genuinely funny ones. That is, theyre funny off stage. The only one that comes to mind for me is Mitch Hedberg. I feel like his on-stage and real-life personas were nearly identical.

Post: #23

Mitch Hedburg is a my favorite comedian. RIP.

I find it hard to believe that most aren't funny off stage. Even the non famous comedians I've met are hilarious off stage. I just don't see how an unfunny comedian can become successful. Except Dane Cook. He sucks.

Post: #24

(04-12-2014 03:53 PM)cardguy Wrote:  Sorry - Bill. I love ya' - but I don't think jokes are funny.

Ever.

I should have mentioned that in my earlier post.

Jokes are to comedy what advertising jingles are to great music.

Only unfunny people think jokes are funny.

Curdguy no problem my friend.

Maybe you mean jokes are not funny for you but jokes are obviously funny for people in general.

As you like to read on that matter there is a lot of books written which deal with the topic. Maybe some time you read some of them and tell us more about it.

here are some interesting citations from wiki:

Quote:Jokes are typically for the entertainment of friends and onlookers. The desired response is generally laughter; when this does not happen the joke is said to have "fallen flat" or "bombed". However, jokes have other purposes and functions, common to comedy/humour/satire in general.


Antiquity of jokes[edit]
Jokes have been a part of human culture since at least 1900 BC. According to research conducted by Dr Paul McDonald of the University of Wolverhampton, a fart joke from ancient Sumer is currently believed to be the world's oldest known joke.[2] Britain's oldest joke, meanwhile, is a 1,000-year-old double-entendre that can be found in the Codex Exoniensis.[3]

Immanuel Kant, in Critique of Judgement (1790) states that "Laughter is an effect that arises if a tense expectation is transformed into nothing."

Freud's theory of humor[edit]
In Freud's view, jokes (the verbal and interpersonal form of humor) happened when the conscious allowed the expression of thoughts that society usually suppressed or forbade. The superego allowed the ego to generate humor.[1] A benevolent superego allowed a light and comforting type of humor, while a harsh superego created a biting and sarcastic type of humor.[3] A very harsh superego suppressed humor altogether.[2][3] Freud’s humor theory, like most of his ideas, was based on a dynamic among id, ego, and super-ego.[2] The commanding superego would impede the ego from seeking pleasure for the id, or to momentarily adapt itself to the demands of reality,[2] a mature coping method. Moreover, Freud (1960)[3] followed Herbert Spencer's ideas of energy being conserved, bottled up, and then released like so much steam venting to avoid an explosion. Freud was imagining psychic or emotional energy, and this idea is now thought of as the relief theory of laughter.

Later, Freud re-turned his attention to humor noting that not everyone is capable of formulating humor.

Edward de Bono in "The Mechanism of the Mind" (1969) and "I am Right, You are Wrong" (1990).
Edward de Bono suggests that the mind is a pattern-matching machine, and that it works by recognising stories and behaviour and putting them into familiar patterns. When a familiar connection is disrupted and an alternative unexpected new link is made in the brain via a different route than expected, then laughter occurs as the new connection is made. This theory explains a lot about jokes. For example:
Why jokes are only funny the first time they are told: once they are told the pattern is already there, so there can be no new connections, and so no laughter.
Why jokes have an elaborate and often repetitive set up: The repetition establishes the familiar pattern in the brain. A common method used in jokes is to tell almost the same story twice and then deliver the punch line the third time the story is told. The first two tellings of the story evoke a familiar pattern in the brain, thus priming the brain for the punch line.
Why jokes often rely on stereotypes: the use of a stereotype links to familiar expected behaviour, thus saving time in the set-up.
Why jokes are variants on well-known stories (e.g. the genie and a lamp and a man walks into a bar): This again saves time in the set up and establishes a familiar pattern.

Rules[edit]
The rules of humour are analogous to those of poetry. These common rules are mainly timing, precision, synthesis, and rhythm. French philosopher Henri Bergson has said in an essay: "In every wit there is something of a poet."[9] In this essay Bergson views the essence of humour as the encrustation of the mechanical upon the living. He used as an instance a book by an English humorist, in which an elderly woman who desired a reputation as a philanthropist provided "homes within easy hail of her mansion for the conversion of atheists who have been specially manufactured for her, so to speak, and for a number of honest folk who have been made into drunkards so that she may cure them of their failing, etc." This idea seems funny because a genuine impulse of charity as a living, vital impulse has become encrusted by a mechanical conception of how it should manifest itself.

I think laughter is a kind of mini-reset button so one can forget the worries and free from psychological tensions and begin something new. It has a refreshing effect.

It´s important to know which kind of humor one likes himself so one does not need to fake being funny.

Post: #25

(04-12-2014 04:16 PM)Switch Wrote:  

(04-12-2014 04:08 PM)cardguy Wrote:  Do I really need to say this?

I will anyway.

Puns are never funny either. They are like ten times worse than jokes.

I disagree. Perhaps it is that I hang out with much younger and more immature people, but often when I'm laughing the most is after a succession of 4 or 5 good puns.

An easy way to be more funny is to have funny stories lined up for when you meet new people. This makes it much easier to make different quick witted jokes later on--because like you said before, they already think you're funny. Also if you have no moral objection, make fun of other people.

Additionally, using swear words adds shock value to what you are saying, thereby increasing the intensity of the funniness. (?). Just don't overuse them, or they will of course lose their value.

EDIT- The puns I'm talking about aren't ones that are rehearsed or anything-those are bad when used in conversation. They are a result of wit and the conversation being had. For example there was a story a while back where Putin asked to see someone's Superbowl ring, and ended up leaving the party with it, effectively stealing it. My friend said, "I guess he's just Putin it in his pocket..." That got a large laugh from a mixed crowd of people-and that's a pun. Saying puns are never funny is ridiculous.

Co-sign. I took my boat out with half a dozen buddies yesterday, and every other line of otherwise normal conversation had a nautical pun slipped into it, from all members of the group. Haven't laughed so much in ages.