Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with humor

Honey, should we use a condiment?

caveat — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:00:31 -0800

Looking for a humorous t-shirt design. A couple is sitting at a table. A talk bubble says, "Honey, should we use a condiment?" Beneath that: "Safe snacks" I've googled my brains out and all I've come up with is "Practice safe lunch: use a condiment" merch, which, in my opinion, is not nearly as clever.

FWIW a recently deceased friend of mine owed this shirt and I'd really love to have the shirt graphic for memories. It always cracked me up when he wore it.

Any help is appreciated. I know this is really, really specific. TIA!

Tell me your favorite dark joke

phyrewerx — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:17:11 -0800

As a follow-up to my last question - what's your favorite dark, cynical, gallows-humour style joke? I'm still working on my ability to tell funny ice breakers. However, most of the stuff I see out there are funny simply because they're dirty. Can anyone suggest clean, but dark jokes? What sites or books do you guys recommend also?

What on earth happened to The Simpsons?

schmichael — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:58:32 -0800

What happened to The Simpsons? My family used to love The Simpsons. And I know that everyone says that, but we were nuts. My Dad was an American emigre, and I think The Simpsons helped him to connect in a small, sad way with his lost country. In the days before DVDs with HDD recorders and TiVo, he used to tape every single episode on (severely limited) NZ TV. Over time he managed to get an almost-complete collection of grimy old VHS tapes (current to the current season, at the time about 14). And I used to watch them relentlessly, over and over.

But then I grew up - and, it seemed to me, Simpsons grew down. I grew increasingly bored with the new episodes, and by season 15, I stopped watching. Now, whenever I watch a new episode - which is not often - I usually give up after a couple of minutes. The sense of humour is wrong, the characters are all wrong, the plots are gasping for air... it feels like the show's heart is gone.

When I go back and watch episodes in the vicinity of season 6, I still love it. Episodes like Homie the Clown are just, it seems to me, on a completely different level than current efforts.

How much of this feeling is really coming from the decline in show quality? And can someone explain what exactly has changed in the nature of the show? I saw a recent episode with a slick new intro, and it just felt wrong. It was like they've had to sex the show up, make everything shiny and spotless, increase the tempo to breaking point, to continue to grab people's attention as the competition between media becomes more and more vicious, and TV gets louder, faster, and gaudier.

And am I paying to much creedence to the mementoes of my childhood? Maybe my nostalgia covers up for weaker jokes in the old stuff. Maybe the new episodes are perfectly good without this inbuilt assumption of how the show should work and how the characters should act. And I'm just turning into an old codger sniffing distrustfully at the new-fangled.

Or maybe The Simpsons really has jumped the shark - maybe it's jumped it more than once.

Teach me, Askmefi!

Why is it / When you / Try to pass / The guy in front / Goes twice as fast?

MsMolly — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:32:24 -0800

Burma Shave jingles for marathon runners. I got such a kick out of the Burma Shave-style jingles that MeFites wrote for this question that I'd like to do something similar for a friend who's running the Chicago marathon this weekend. So help me out with your best marathon or running related couplets.

If you say someone's funny are they doomed to failure?

Navelgazer — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:06:20 -0800

Are there any examples of stories where a character is depicted as super-funny, and that actually comes through in practice? Oftentimes, in movies and plays and tv shows, the story will involve one character's skills being trumpeted. Now, if this skill is something like ass-kicking or hacking or janitorial equation-solving, that's easy enough to show off when the script requires it. Sometimes, though, the story will require the creator to summon the same degree of artistic skill that is ascribed to the character, which is where this gets dicey and obviously, quite risky.

Sometimes the risk pays off. In Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, the song "Good Thing Going" is endlessly promoted as just the best thing you've ever heard, but Sondheim backs it up with an actually achingly beautiful song. In The West Wing, Toby and Sam are frequently touted as amazing writers, but Sorkin actually shows us the soaring, idealistic speeches they make, and they are, indeed, pretty awesome.

Where this always seems to fail, however, is with comedy. When Sorkin tried to do the same thing on Studio 60 with comedy writers, for instance, it became the primary reason for the show's quick demise, because none of the viewers agreed. The same is true for such misbegotten projects as Man of the Year and Mr. Saturday Night. I haven't yet seen Funny People, so maybe that's the exception to this, but my question is: are there any examples of fictional movies about supposedly great comedians/comediennes where the character in question is actually, you know, funny with their act? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

Westboro: what the radical christian right logically leads to

history is a weapon — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:58:14 -0800

The homophobic looney tunes are protesting this weekend. What's the funniest sign I could possible have? The Westboro church, those of the God Hates Gay People signs, are coming to protest down the street from my house. In the past, I've seen hilarious signs that people have mocked them with. What is the funniest possible sign I could carry? Links to previous signs encouraged.

Note: I am not interested in ignoring them or trying to reason with them. I totally want to mock them.

Abbie Hoffman

dearleader — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 06:38:29 -0800

I'm trying to track down a quote, I think from Abbie Hoffman or one of the other Yippies. It was a dark humor sort of joke about how on an upcoming holiday weekend, a certain number of people were going to kill themselves on the roads in protest of the Vietnam War... ring any bells for anyone?

What are good examples of jokes with long set-ups?

phyrewerx — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 09:08:58 -0800

What are good examples of jokes with long story-telling set-ups? I like setting up stories with a short punch-line. Sometimes it's a pretty good icebreaker. Can anyone give more examples of this type of joke, or what they're called?

Not so fast.

StopMakingSense — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:44:50 -0800

Everybody who knows the origin of this gag, take one step forward... Not so fast, internet. Where has this gag been used/what are it's origins?

I remember initially hearing it (seeing it?) as something like a military setting where the general(?) says , "Everybody whose mother is still alive, take one step forward...Not so fast, [name of soldier]."

Or alternately, "Everyone who's still a member of [organization], step over the line...Not so fast, [ousted member]."

Have any good jokes about your rival town or school district?

BirdD0g — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:24:33 -0800

Jokefilter: Rival towns and school districts often have some really funny one-liners at one another's expense. Know any good ones? Some examples after the jump. Why wasn't Jesus born in [your town]? They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin.

Why do birds fly upside down over [your town]? There's nothing worth sh*tting on.

Did you hear [my town] is getting a new zoo? They're putting a fence up around [your town].

Do you know retorts similar to "that's what she said?"

Kattullus — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:23:14 -0800

I'm looking for retorts similar to "that's what she said." Phrases that turn a sentence someone else has uttered into a double entendre. The one's I know are "as the actress said to the bishop," "I hardly know her" and "twenty bucks, same as in town."

God as a jerk boss

hypersloth — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:08:06 -0800

Please help me remember these office humor videos where God was the boss who carried a staff and ducked responsibility.. It was a series of videos; in one, God clogs the toilet, denies it, and a girl gets blamed.. My google-fu has failed.

Wherein Whelk Wants Wonderful Words

The Whelk — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:06:07 -0800

Name My Blog! After years of creating things and then casually tossing them aside, I've decided to create a blog to put them all in. Cartoons, short fiction, audio clips, short video, etc. A bit like Lore's Bad Gods. The only problem is, I've got no idea what to call it. I'm torn between something direct like "John Did That" or something that just sounds cool, "Automatic Inspiration" was a leading contender for a while. Want to avoid anything suggesting random, junk, or trash (Even though that's what it is, the whole theme is overused). Shower me with your minds, Mefites!

Looking for recommendations for mystery and thriller books

creepygirl — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:39:37 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for some books for my dad, who likes Tony Hillerman, Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard, and John LeCarre. My dad really likes mysteries and thrillers, as well as crime stories with a touch of humor. He's devoured everything by Tony Hillerman and Elmore Leonard, and I think most of the stuff by John LeCarre. He also liked several Carl Hiassen books (Nature Girl is one title I remember).

I'm looking for books by other authors that he might enjoy.

He's also enjoyed Fatherland by Robert Harris, and Poppy Brite's book Liquor (about opening a restaurant in New Orleans, not horror.) In general, he likes stuff that has very detailed explanations about history, or the way the world works, or some clever plan that the protagonists come up with.

He's not been interested in older English mysteries like Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, but I think detective stories in some other setting, modern or not (he did like The Name of the Rose) would be fine.

Help me entertain my boyfriend while he's across the ocean.

DulcineaX — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:21:20 -0800

My boyfriend will be in Ireland for 3 weeks. He's taking my laptop, and I'd like to record some short videos for him. Help me think of some ideas! Well, besides the obvious.

My darling boyfriend is going to Sligo, Ireland for a study tour with his college from June 5 to 26. He'll be studying Irish literature and history, especially Keats. He'll also be taking my laptop with him, and I'd recording 21 silly little videos for him - one to watch each day. But, I'm running out of ideas!

These are the ideas I've come up with so far:
- general "hi, welcome to ireland!"
- strip show (obvious)
- poem reading (not sure what poem yet, though)
- guest appearance by his little sister (who thinks the world of him)
- guest appearance by our cat and dog
- sock puppet show

A little background:
Craig and I have been together for 9 years. We started dating very young (16 and 18, I'm the older one) and we still each think the other is just the cat's pajamas. This is the longest time we'll have ever been apart, and it's his first time travelling by himself (we've travelled together and with our families/friends, though). He also has pretty bad social anxiety, so we're both a little bit nervous - but very excited. We're complete nerds (we play Dungeons and Dragons and World of Warcraft, religiously followed Battletar Galactica, and have 4 floor to ceiling bookshelves full of books in our 600sq ft apartment) although I'm somewhat nerdier than him. He's a total literature geek, an amazing writer, an obsessive Red Sox fan, a video game junkie, very much an introvert, and we both have the very dark/off-beat sense of humor common to people in their mid-20's (ie Arrested Development, early Simpsons...terribly wrong jokes are hilarious).

I apologize for the length, I probably didn't need to write a novel in order to ask for video ideas, but I wanted to include some extra info just in case. I'd really appreciate any other inspiration. Thank you mefites!

I want to share the laughs

NoraCharles — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:59:09 -0800

Please help me find this cartoon where a son changed his grade. I saw it somewhere on the internet, I can't remember where and my google-fu is failing me.

It was a son and a mother. She was looking at his report card. I don't remember what she was saying, but the inset was a picture of said report card where he changed the "F" grade into "Fucking awesome" (or something like that).

I know some teacher friends that would appreciate it and would like to share it.

Can you help me find it?

Comic Relief

natalie b — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:21:34 -0800

[BookRecommendationFilter] Looking for funny, happy books. My job has me stressed, and reading the news is depressing me. Now that it is finally spring, I'd just like to sit outside and read something that puts a smile on my face.

I read mostly sci-fi/fantasy, and my favorite laugh-out-loud authors are Terry Pratchett and Connie Willis. I even admit to enjoying the Chicks in Chainmail series edited by Esther Friesner.

Also good are books not necessarily thought of as comic novels but that are written with a wry sense of humor (See Martha Wells' The Wheel of the Infinite)

So, I am looking books aimed at adults that are amusing/funny. Non-genre fiction is fine, too.

Pun-ishment?

Navelgazer — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:23:40 -0800

An odd question about puns as a form of torturous humor. So, being an obsessive fan of dissecting humor until the patient is dead, I've been working for a while on a theory about puns. Puns, as far as I can tell, are not intrinsically funny to any but a select few. Most others seem to view them not only as bad jokes, which would be one thing, but on some degree actually painful. As someone who appreciates well-crafted wordplay (though one who has rarely, if ever, laughed at it) I can now recognize my reaction to be less " hey, clever!" and more, "ouch, damn, well played, god sir," as if the pun had struck me with an epee despite all of my best defenses.

In further support of this, I've noticed that the only times I've ever LAUGHED at puns were in the prescence of one or more people I've known who seem particularly averse to them - otherwise normal, capable members of society for whom puns don't just make them groan, but bring them to the point of near-fitful anger. In these cases, of course, use of puns increases exponentially, because everyone present knows that they're just being used to piss off the victim, which adds the element that actually makes them laugh-worthy.

So my question(s), I guess:

1. Am I crazy? Do others simply view puns as bad jokes, and not have this other painful reaction to them?

2. How common is this "uncommon" angry reaction?

3. What the hell would cause wordplay to differentiate itself from other bad jokes as far as the reaction one could expect?

Picture Books For A Super-Smart Kid

yankeefog — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:34:58 -0800

What are the cleverest, wittiest picture books you know? I'm looking for something you might recommend to a very smart kid who is still young enough to prefer picture books to chapter books. Another way of putting is, I'm looking for the picture book equivalent of McSweeney's. (I should mention that I know that McSweeney's actually does publishe some kids' books -- those are already on my list!)

Suggestions for comedy songs to sing at the piano

chrismear — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:20:33 -0800

I'd like to learn some more comedy songs to sing at the piano along the lines of Hugh Laurie's Mystery. Suggestions? I have a book of Tom Lehrer songs, but that's where my knowledge ends. Can you suggest any classics, gems, or just personal favourites that I should seek out?

Which Pianist Doesn't Like Daniel Albright?

jefficator — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:17:39 -0800

Does anyone know which pianist wrote this obscure piece? When I was in college, a young pianist came to perform in the Lower Common Room of Adams House at Harvard University. He played an absolutely hilarious song he'd written for his thesis adviser, Daniel Albright. Apparently, Mr. Albright had called the pianist's work absolutely dreck. Perhaps appropriately, then, the piece was entitled, "Fuck you, Daniel Albright".

I would like to hear this performer again, or at the least get a copy of that piece. Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about?

I can finally clean that lint out of my belly button

zainsubani — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:10:28 -0800

My firm has just announced one-week furloughs for most employees. What struck me as odd was that the email included an attachment labelled "Activities". When I opened it, it was a list: "Top 20 Things to do While on Furlough". Examples:

* Clean out your garage and other storage places and hold a garage sale.
* Go hiking with your pet.
* Renew your library card.

It's like management is just begging to be parodized. Alas, I have not the comedy chops to do it well. Anyone want to suggest some good parody "activities" I could pursue whilst on furlough?

Twitter humor

ilike — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:48:28 -0800

I am looking for the best in twitter comedy, twitters I can follow that are funny and will make me laugh. I appreciate satire but have a hard time enjoying most "fake celebrity" twitters.

How do I develop a sense of humor?

SocialArgonaut — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:14:45 -0800

I'm waaaay too serious (please excuse the irony in my even asking this question): What makes for good humor and how can I learn to get better at using it to improve my relationships with other people? I've learned that humor is how we prevent ourselves and others from taking things too seriously, from getting stuck in the mire of everyday drudgery. In a recession/depression, humor is more important than ever for keeping things in perspective. My problem is, I need to learn how to do this. I am often too serious and I need help to get in shape, to work off the weight of the world that weighs me down.

Presently, I'm trying to hang around funny people to learn from them and watch comedy programs like the Colbert Report and the Daily Show. I suspect there's more. What else can I do or what has been helpful for you in your experience?

Are there any specific guides or exercises for how to cultivate a better sense of humor? Do you have any experiences, tips, suggestions, advice, resources, web links, books, magazine articles, youtube clips, movies, and comedy programs that would be helpful in developing a better sense of humor?

Assuming I know nothing, what makes for good humor? Are there humor calisthenics I could practice? Clubs? Forums? Workout videos? User manuals? Habits?

Altruistically, I also know that my getting better with humor is not only good for my own state of mind, but also means better relationships with other people and a better quality of life for almost everyone I talk with throughout the course of a day.

Please excuse the lack of humor in this post. In tough times, can you help make the world a better place with your suggestion of something you've found helpful to change that?

Need RIght To Use Rush Limbaugh Photo

toucano — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:42:10 -0800

How/where do I obtain the right to LEGALLY use a photo of Rush Limbaugh? I don't have a particular photo in mind, but can not find an organization/individual to grant the right to use any photo. After the recent flap over the Obama photo...