Howard - Questions Flashcards
Humor is Play
Likability - things tend to go better when audience likes the comic (relatability)
Interesting - things go better when the audience finds the comic interesting
Surprise - definitely related with funniness
humor is subjective - humor is unfair - performer selects target but must frame (align) target and issue relative to audience prejudices and hostilities - empathetic dance - man leads but woman decides if he’s going to get lucky
I’m going to be a great and unique comic because I need to construct it from nothing - just a pad of paper - salesman - just a set of balls and a dream and a goal - what kind of jerk do I need to become to make people laugh - how do I get in their head?
what’s with humor - are we just cruel and competitive and selfish and vain animals who turn a blind eye to the suffering we cause or are we that and so much more - capable of brilliant and amazing acts of creativity and extraordinary acts of empathetic kindness - are we a paradox
Audience / Target - psychology of the audience - talk about anything you want to but you have to make the audience feel superior and you have to surprise the audience into laughing - it’s like a guy wanting to get fucked - you say anything within reason loosely defined to get what you want (fuck / laugh) - it is a seduction - it is not about honesty - it’s about best foot forward - you just want that “laugh” - it’s not about ethics or right or wrong - my job is narrowly defined - my job is to put a bandage on anything that hurts - my job is to be the non-alcoholic alcohol
“make” them laugh - I don’t make anyone do anything - they are in control but I can own the room - I have control over what I say
art gallery metaphor - just because I don’t like some art doesn’t mean that I condemn it - it’s subjective - I respect the genre
surprise + superiority / affirmation of audience prejudices and hostilities - sorry - this is not church - this is just an emotional orgasm called laughter
