  Comedy
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"I had thought — I had been told — that a 'funny' thing is a thing of a goodness. It isn't. Not ever is it funny to the person it happens to. Like that sheriff without his pants. The goodness is in the laughing itself. I grok it is a bravery... and a sharing... against pain and sorrow and defeat."
- Valentine Michael Smith
(Robert Heinlein,
Stranger in a Strange Land) |
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The year is passing swiftly, and October has snuck up on us like a psychopath with a knife and a gleaming eye. That's right, it's Horror/Scary Month here. Thus, this issue of the Comedy newsletter will be about
DARK COMEDY
(Muuhuhahahahaha!)
Dark comedy, also known as black comedy
| while it has nothing to do with African-American humorists like Eddie Murphy or Bill Cosby, some aspects of Richard Pryor's life might qualify for the subgenre |
| The expression "serious as a heart attack" pretty much defines heart attacks as "not funny" |
Dark comedy is not everyone's cup of blood: some find it sick, disturbing, or inappropriate - and it's true that it is often inappropriate.
For example, back in December of 1980, I was too busy listening to Pink Floyd's The Wall
| I was searching for hidden meanings |
"A who reunion?"
"No, not the Who; the Beatles."
"Oh. I dunno, what?"
"Three bullets."
And that's how I found out John Lennon had been shot.
Or how about the 1986 Space Shuttle explosion? Not funny, right? Wrong. Everything's funny if you want it to be. It only took a couple days for the jokes to start. "What were Christa McAuliffe's last words? 'What does this button do?'"
Real-life incidents may provide plenty of material, but be aware that many people will become angry or upset by jokes about disasters. This kind of comedy can hit close to home - which is the key to its success, I think; there are some things that are so horrible, so scary, so desperately serious that the only way we humans can make any sense out of them - once the initial shock, anger, grief and outrage is gone - is to laugh at them.
With laughter, even of the nervous, forced variety, we begin to confront our own mortality, realizing that if the universe is one big joke, we might well be the punch line. |
A collection of darkly funny stuff:
Think you're having a good day? Not as good as this one:
Maybe it's an overdose of Dickens, but there's something about London that just cries out for dark comedy:
Always a good topic: the things that go 'bump' in the night:
Sometimes, horror can't be faked:
Some things are just plain gross - and funny:
Dieting can be hell:
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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There wasn't a whole lot of feedback from my last issue, about birth and birthdays. Just this one note from a loyal reader:
Mavis Moog  Taxes is a good word for scrabble, but Tax is better because you might get the x on a triple-word-score-square.
Great letter this week. You would make a natural stand-up, Robert. The easy wit, gentle wryness, nonchalant demeanour.......Perfect.
But I'm not going to read even one of those comedy items about birth. Like you I have passed on the opportunity thanks, and I'm not keen to see what I missed  .
Thanks, Mavis! Flattery will get you everywhere! (and everyone, when you read Mavis' stuff, imagine it in a warm, feminine British accent. It makes her funny stuff funnier and her serious stuff more profound. )
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Comedy: October 03, 2007 Issue [#1986]
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