Ace of Spades HQ

August 22, 2008

Bad Comedy: This is Gonna Hurt Me Worse Than it Hurts You (genghis)
— Open Blog

While youre waiting breathlessly for the Secret Service to arrive at Sen. Bidens residence to arrest his hair plugs for making terroristic threats against the presumptive Democrat(ic) nominee for the U.S. Presidency, you might as well read this story.

(Point of record: I have no actual knowledge of Sen. Bidens hair plugs making any actual threat against the nominee, just a rumour that they were threatening to shed, whatever that means.)

According to a story reported online today by an anonymous source telling a bad joke can get your ass kicked. Or get you punched in the arm. Or worse, a glare, and possibly not being invited to after-work drinks.

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) - There's a reason comedians call it "dying on stage."
Research by a Washington State University linguist found that people who tell bad jokes often endure an astonishing outpouring of hostility from the listeners.
"These were basically attacks intended to result in the social exclusion or humiliation of the speaker, punctuated on occasion with profanity, a nasty glare or even a solid punch to the arm," said researcher Nancy Bell.
"The predominant verbal reaction to failed humor in our study was oriented exclusively toward attacking the speaker," Bell said.

That theres some grim shit. And I bruise easily. But what are the reasons for this violent reaction?

First, such canned humor often disrupts the natural flow of conversation. And jokes that fail to deliver humor are a violation of a social contract, so punishing the teller can discourage similar behavior in the future.
Finally, a stupid joke insults the listener by suggesting that he or she might actually find it funny, Bell said.

But theres hope for the droolers who actually read this blog and find themselves insulted (assuming they can actually read). Be assured that The American Humor Studies Association is working on it.

Humor is a serious topic with a rich academic tradition. The American Humor Studies Association publishes a journal and accepts papers on topics like "Colonial Humor" and "Dark Historical Issues made Light," according to its web site.

You can learn more about the AHSA here. Feel free to submit a paper of your own. As the famous Greek comedian Bluto once saidIt dont cost nuthin Of course, the rabble outside of the academy have their own take on things.:

Somewhat less academically oriented, Maxim magazine recently rated the worst professional comedians of all time, with Sinbad rated No. 1, followed by Margaret Cho.

You can find that list here.

Theres no truth whatsoever to the rumour that Dave in Texas is #13 on the list. (more like #11)

Also, If you dont agree that this man is the funniest comedian ever, theres a high probability that your comments will be edited and/or deleted. (but not by me)

Posted by: Open Blog at 10:06 PM | Comments (46)
Post contains 491 words, total size 3 kb.

1 Few things suck harder than dying on stage.

Five years grinding away in mountain state "comedy clubs" for free drinks and bus fare cured me of that ambition.

Posted by: sulla at August 22, 2008 10:19 PM (tlFbX)

Also, If you dont agree that this man is the funniest comedian ever, theres a high probability that your comments will be edited and/or deleted. (but not by me)

Funny? Yes. Funniest? No. Wright's act was unique, but too one dimensional to last.

Don Rickles (especially in his prime) was better. I almost died when he repeatedly referred to a black guy in the audience as "spearchucker" and not offending a soul.

Posted by: Hollowpoint at August 22, 2008 10:28 PM (v8vVW)

3 How the hell did Sinbad beat out semi-literate Margaret Cho as the worst ever?

Posted by: Ace's liver at August 22, 2008 11:01 PM (xDwoq)

4 Sinbad will have made John McCain President.

Whether that moves him up or down the "worst" list...

Posted by: someone at August 22, 2008 11:04 PM (2z2WN)

How the hell did Sinbad beat out semi-literate Margaret Cho as the worst ever?

Coin flip. Sinbad was pretty fucking horrible; Cho was carried by the Korean jokes. And by "carried", I mean "not beaten to death by the entire audience".

Posted by: Hollowpoint at August 22, 2008 11:05 PM (v8vVW)

6 OK. Lets do a happy dance that Biden is the pick. Slow Joe wins!

Posted by: Mike at August 23, 2008 12:20 AM (BnC0p)

7 BIDEN? Could Obama have looked far and wide and not found a better clown? What is with this? Is he trying to lose the nomination? I'll bet the super delegates are having apolectic fits. They all know what an idiot Biden is? Biden outdoes Obama in the gaffe department. Maybe that's it. Obama wants this clown to take the heat off him. Fox calls Biden an expert on foreign policy which just shjows what direction Fox is goin. I didn't think Biden was an expert on anything except how to mouth off. Is this a smoothly contrived action that will give the nomination to Hillary and make her more palatable as well. Antthing but Obama.

Posted by: BarbaraS at August 23, 2008 01:15 AM (dExI5)

8 Hmmmm.

Biden?

It feels like millions of assholes across the universe crying out in shame.

Posted by: memomachine at August 23, 2008 02:27 AM (3PLow)

9 Hmmm.

Whoops. Wrong thread.

...

Bad jokes? Ok perhaps the right thread after all.

Posted by: memomachine at August 23, 2008 02:28 AM (3PLow)

10 Why does this shit need to be studied? Bad jokes piss me off & I get hostile. What else needs to be said?

Posted by: Quaking Conservative at August 23, 2008 02:36 AM (GcRtE)

11 Hmmm.

"Coin flip. Sinbad was pretty fucking horrible; Cho was carried by the Korean jokes. And by "carried", I mean "not beaten to death by the entire audience"."

Frankly I was born in South Korea and I find Cho to be a complete and utter tool.

Who the fuck finds her routine funny I have no idea. I've dragged my ass to listen to her on several occasions just to try and figure out the appeal. And there isn't any there.

IMO my theory is that her "fans" are made up entirely of people who think she's total crap but so incredibly bad crap that they can't believe it and have to see for themselves.

Posted by: memomachine at August 23, 2008 02:44 AM (3PLow)

12 I am funny because of way I tell Joke.

You not nuanced enough to understand humor.

I make fun of the way people make fun of Korean people.

Yes....I know it is limit in material. I don't know any Korean jokes...except the ones about eating dogs.

Posted by: Margaret Cho at August 23, 2008 02:53 AM (Am6n/)

Don Rickles (especially in his prime) was better. I almost died when he repeatedly referred to a black guy in the audience as "spearchucker" and not offending a soul.

HP,

I'll agree Rickles could be damn funny, but he was one-dimensional in his own way as an "insult" comic. Wright always threw out absurd paradoxes but never tried to pull the bullshit that Kaufman did by "challenging" his audiences (by challenging I mean being incredibly unfunny at first then reeling them back in with actually unfunny material, but it was supposed to be hilarious by comparison)

Posted by: genghis at August 23, 2008 02:58 AM (HwY1l)

14 Typical 21st Century academia scholarship.
Stuck on stupid research.
Force feed students stupidity.
Write a book that doesn't sell.
Be a "published" author.
Gain tenure.
Continue as ever with your "contribution" to society.

Posted by: maverick muse at August 23, 2008 03:14 AM (F1b/5)

15 Sinbad's a hockey puck!

Posted by: scrood at August 23, 2008 03:24 AM (1dOyI)

16 Korean joke?

What happens to Koreans when Korea is unified?

Depends which direction you take the 38th parallel that day.

Posted by: maverick muse at August 23, 2008 03:26 AM (F1b/5)

17 No fucking Carrot Top?Or is he not, technically, a comedian?

Posted by: joe at August 23, 2008 03:27 AM (TOly9)

18 What am I chopped liver?

Posted by: Pauly Shore at August 23, 2008 03:29 AM (Am6n/)

19 Washington State University. My alma mater. I'm so proud I could shit.

Posted by: XBradTC at August 23, 2008 03:29 AM (pSXbN)

20 Serioso Obama, the hilarious "decision maker"!

He always submits his plagiarized dissertations late, as though the late submission covers for lack of originality, cogent thought, content and effort.

CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN (NOT):
He never could make a firm decision and stick with it.
So it's Biden after all.

What "forced" the delay in his "promised" announcement due yesterday? Obama can pay personal penance today for his guilt of irresolute decision with further dropping points.

DNC POTUS Elitist Hymn to Americans:
"Be thankful you got something, because I have more intelligence than you do, and you're just bitter bigots, anyway, undeserving of a damned thing! Go Chicom, piss ants!"
Obama/Biden '08

Posted by: maverick muse at August 23, 2008 03:44 AM (F1b/5)

No word of a lie. I was flying from Boston to Honolulu in 2984 (before television in the seats) and was blessed with a channel on the headphones of Steven Wright jokes. Loved him ever since.

And yeah, Biden answers our prayers... even though I was sure it'd be Kaine.

Best Regards

Posted by: ATNorth at August 23, 2008 04:04 AM (VAF/F)

22 Comedy is the only profession where no matter how badly you screw up, nobody laughs when you make a mistake.

Posted by: Potosi Joel at August 23, 2008 04:14 AM (TPRbZ)

23 Bobby Slayton is the best. He's the one guy that consistently prompts groups to boycott wherever he is performing.

Posted by: CDR M at August 23, 2008 04:25 AM (TJoU6)

24 Margaret Cho is a comedian? Who knew.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at August 23, 2008 04:41 AM (6L459)

25 ATNorth, What else can you tell us about the future? I would think that they could beam music directly to your brain by then and you wouldn't need headphones. I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Posted by: DSkinner at August 23, 2008 04:43 AM (tyTPa)

26 Bah, this was a safe pick for #1. I mean, Sinbad was getting trashed on Freakazoid for his bad standup and flat delivery. And DaveinTexas isn't that bad, I actually laugh at some of his posts, which is better than most (nearly all) of those comedians.

Steven Wright is still awesome. He was also great in Reservoir Dogs; you could actually hear his terminally agonizing DJ pray for death while playing bad Seventies music.

Posted by: exdem13 at August 23, 2008 04:54 AM (fenBi)

27 I have a friend who finds Cho funny. When he repeats some of her act, I'll admit that I laugh at it. So maybe it's the horrible person behind the act. I've seen parts of one of her shows and it's not funny.

Posted by: DSkinner at August 23, 2008 05:07 AM (tyTPa)

28 I used to like Cho back before she got all political. I thought her routine about her mother reading gay porn was pretty funny.

Posted by: Farmer Joe at August 23, 2008 05:44 AM (nYv/9)

29 Monty Python, of course, explained the history of humor better than anyone else.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn-rXMo41_E

One of my favorite scenes of theirs from "Live at the Hollywood Bowl."

Posted by: atheistica at August 23, 2008 05:45 AM (UTZK6)

30 Like the constipated buzzard said; I couldn't give a flying crap!

Posted by: flan at August 23, 2008 06:34 AM (4omxE)

31 Wrights great. So are many comics and I couldn't pick one. Certainly Rodney Dangerfield was in the top.

Posted by: TomJW at August 23, 2008 06:43 AM (ppKNT)

32 Delete if you must, but Kinison is the best.

Posted by: mikey at August 23, 2008 07:03 AM (E3WmO)

33 Cosby.

Newhart.

Berman.

Posted by: Stinky Esposito at August 23, 2008 07:47 AM (MMC8r)

34 Interesting study.

Is this why you guys keep dumping garbage on my front porch?

Posted by: Warden at August 23, 2008 07:48 AM (KXbGD)

35 (Oh, those above are for my 'best' list, not worst.)

Worst? Has to be John Kerry.

Posted by: Stinky Esposito at August 23, 2008 07:49 AM (MMC8r)

36 Humor goes to the heart of creativity, taking two or more concepts that have not previously been joined and mixing them into a new perception of life on this mortal coil.A new truth can be spoken, but there are risks For example, rumor has it that this joke was a turning point for Alan Alda , he told it early on and got his ass so kicked that he became what he is known for today, a wuss: Why do women wear make-up and perfume. Because they're ugly and they stink

Posted by: bob2 at August 23, 2008 08:34 AM (h/5U0)

37 I'm surprised Men-stealia didn't make higher than Sinbad. (Hey, Sinbad beat Dennis Miller in the "Star Search" competition...)

And I had almost gotten the ice pick deep enough into my ear to forget Judy Tenuta until now, so thanks for that!

And my wife is - for God only knows what reason - addicted to "The View" so I have to listen to #3's blatherings on everything from how evil Republicans are to doing Kegel exercises in front of the studio audience.

I put my earplugs in and listen to an audiobook.

Posted by: Drumwaster at August 23, 2008 09:29 AM (8oH1E)

38 My personal favorite comedian is Brian Regan.

No matter how many times I see his stuff, he always makes me laugh out loud. I went to one of his live shows in Houston once with my siblings and their spouses and just about peed my pants I laughed so hard.

Posted by: Redhead Infidel at August 23, 2008 09:43 AM (M2upF)

I went to see Margaret Cho with a friend when she came to Seattle (don't ask me why ). She's about as funny as a malignant brain tumor. The worse thing about her "act"was that she explicitly talked her sex life (she's bisexual presumably) and you can imagine how disgusting and unfunny that was (quite sickening). The audience consisted mainly of gays guys and lesbians who she blatantly panders too. I think she just found a crowd, that shares the same monolithic views on politics and will pay to see her. I doubt that she takes her act anywhere but the West Coast, maybe NYC. It was awful.

I have to admit too that I have laughed at some of Sinbad's stuff (the bit about the "house negros" and the "outside negroes" was pretty funny , and I think Judy Tenuta is pretty funny too but to each thier own.

Posted by: joan at August 23, 2008 11:02 AM (bMSAE)

40 Sinbad beat out Cho because Sinbad had the chutzpah to remember flying into the Balkans with Hilary's High Risk Entertainment, Morale, and Photo-Op Team, but forgetting the "High Risk" part.

Posted by: Potosi Joel at August 23, 2008 11:11 AM (TPRbZ)

I've never seen any of those folks' acts, so I'm taking your words for how terrible they are. Or if I did see them, my brain has repressed the memory.

But what an annoying website (Maxim). Why couldn't they just have a list with pictures instead of that irritating (and slow as hell) slide-show thing. What a waste of time.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at August 23, 2008 01:18 PM (fnoZ9)

42 I opened for Cho about 15 years ago in Provo, Utah.

I've seen funnier bypass surgeries.

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