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.
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.