The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #97271   Message #1911624
Posted By: autolycus
17-Dec-06 - 07:05 AM
Thread Name: BS: What's funny?
Subject: RE: BS: What's funny?
The flaw in any question of this form is fingered by responding,"Who for?")


I think McGrath was spot on until you talked about not
being happy to leave it at that because of not finding
funny something that others do.


   I don't personally feel embarassed or angry or excluded
if I don't think it's funny (tho' I used to feel embarassed
when I was young). I just say (as the composer Boulez said
of people who don't like his music),"it's not my cuppa."
There's plenty for me,and I don't feel I (or anybody) have
to find everything funny.

   Recently I did a list which began as being of my favourite comedians. I was expecting to prefer US comedians. Two things happened. I discovered I liked an equal number of British
and American cemedians, a real surprise for me (I thought I
preferred American humour.)(I'm only sorry I know so little
about funny stuff from the rest of the world.) Secondly, i
had to subdivide the list into comedians, comedy actors, comedy writers, humourists, cartoonists, and musical comedians.

Writing as a Brit.,Hancock,Jackie Mason,Milligan,Phil
Silvers Show,Tom Sharpe, Johnny Hart, Scott Adams,Lenny
Henry, Larry and many others are funny for me.

(Yes,I think Borge was funny,and he went down well when
he came to England).

Les D., Seinfeld, Chris Rock,Jimmy Carr,Bob Monkhouse,
any comedian who thinks that swear words,toilets and sex
are inherently funny, (and many others I've forgotten) don't do
it for me.

And no amount of protesting, sneering,putting down will
really get to me (just thought I'd save you the bother).

it's a relief for me to have my 'own' views and not have
to have the crowd, reviewers, or box-office receipts as a crutch
to rely on to instruct me who I like. Still less do I need laughter tracks to tell me what to find funny - they put me off more than almost anything.

So you see,McGrath, that's why I thought your first post
up to the 'and yet..' bit was on the money.






       Ivor