Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with humour

What are some great joke books?

surenoproblem — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:03:27 -0800

What are some great joke books, written with attention to the craft of how a joke or story is told? Most joke books I see in bookshops look like someone has just found a huge amount of jokes online, then cut, pasted and paginated--many don't even bother to credit an author.

When I was young, I owned a joke book called Leo Rosten's Book of Laughter. It was obvious that Rosten was the sort of person you meet at parties who captivates an entire room with his stories.

Even though the book included some old jokes we've all heard, it was fantastic to see how a great storyteller approached the structure, tensions, peaks and troughs of a joke.

Can you recommend any similar resources? I suppose I'm less interested in just a bunch of jokes, but more in a collection of well-crafted jokes.

I already like listening to the Moth podcast.

Help me, uh, go Dutch!

embrangled — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:22:16 -0800

I'm half Dutch, but I've never been to The Netherlands. On my first trip there, where should I go, and what should I do, to get a better understanding of contemporary Dutch culture and language? Second-generation-immigrant-filter: So, I grew up eating hagelslag and hutspot, but my knowledge of Dutch culture is limited; cobbled together from the stories of ageing relatives who left in the 1950s, and the clogs-and-windmills kitsch one sees in postcards. I can comprehend basic Dutch conversations, but I struggle to speak back unless strings of the conversation calls for strings of profanity or words for food.

If I visit the Netherlands in November, where should I go and what should I do to remedy some of this, and get a better understanding of what it's like to be Dutch today? How can I meet other young people, practise speaking Dutch, encounter Dutch multiculturalism, enjoy dry Dutch humour, and generally come away feeling a bit more Dutch than when I arrived?

Previously, but not quite the same: 1, 2, 3.

Hilarious Shakespeare?

5_13_23_42_69_666 — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:56:14 -0800

What is the funniest scene in a Shakespeare play? Inspired by a comment in a post about storyreading, I thought it would be fun to read out a scene from Shakespeare as a birthday present for a friend who is a big fan of his work. As much as I'd love to re-read them and pick one myself, I just don't have the time. Recommendations? Bonus points for sexy innuendo.

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?

Has anyone heard of a stand-up comic named David Jerusalem? The tricky part is that I might be misremembering the name.

Kattullus — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:57:35 -0800

Back in the late 90s, I think in the winter of 1997-8, I saw a stand-up comedian on Conan O'Brien that blew me away but I've never been able to track him down since. I think his name was David Jerusalem. He made jokes about the Olympics and having been a heroin addict. He didn't perform in front of a mic but was interviewed by Conan. I've been trying to find information about this guy for years without success, does my description ring any bells for you? It could have been later than 1998, possibly even as late as 2000. Here's what little I remember of his jokes (note: this isn't verbatim):

He didn't think much of olympic athletes, running around with poles and jumping over other poles. He compared them unfavorably to junkies who jogged down to the corner for their fix. He also said he missed one thing about being a junkie which was that back then all of his hobbies fit into a little box (at which point the comic did a "box-opening" mime).

Anyone know this comic?

Identify this photo

quantum eclecticist — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:13:43 -0800

Does anyone know who the photographer is, or which series this photo is from? I'm convinced it has to be part of a larger work, there are just too many perfect things going on with this photo: Socks with sandals, cat with a surgery cone, pinch-rolled jeans, the stuffed animals, mustache, prize ribbons, et cetera. I saved a copy of the photo (100866825_5c7f268348.jpg) ages ago from flickr, but when I do a filename search on it now comes up as a private photo - so no luck tracking down who posted it there. I found the above remiq.net URL for this image through tineye.com but I'm getting 0 results with any regular image searches. Thanks!

Funny like Jack Handey.

therubettes — Mon, 26 May 2008 08:49:47 -0800

If you saw two guys named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think liked dolphins the most? I'd say Flippy, wouldn't you? You'd be wrong, though. It's Hambone. I love the writings of Jack Handey. His Deep Thoughts (beware sound!) and his articles in the New Yorker. I would love to hear recommendations of similarly funny writings. I can re-read his writing without it's losing any of it's impact or ability to make me laugh.

I know humour is subjective (and doesn't dissect well), but a few of the things I love about his writing are:
The fact that its all punchline no filler (short attention span), not nasty just surreal and perhaps most of all it's his stupidity, petty concerns and dumb/skewed observations that get me.

David Sedaris has come up in searches for similar so I know about him. For those of you who haven't heard of Jack here are two of this thoughts and two articles:

Basically, there are three ways the skunk and I are a lot alike. The first is, we both like to spread our 'stink' around. The second is we both get hit by cars a lot. The third is stripes.

If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.

....there are hundreds of others.

Ideas for Paintings
Tatoo

Satisfaction brought it back

markovich — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:14:22 -0800

What are retorts for some common sayings? For example, when people say: "The early bird gets the worm", you could retort "The second mouse gets the cheese". Which other ones are out there?

Got any good short, silly one-liner jokes?

angryjellybean — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 09:51:12 -0800

Got any good short, silly one-liner jokes? I've already seen http://ask.metafilter.com/56592/Short-jokes <- that question, so I know this has already been discussed. I just wanted to see if there were any fresh ones, as I've picked the few I liked from there already.

An example of my current favourite is "What's red and invisible?" "No tomatoes."

Anything quick and simple like this is perfect - it's for SMS messages to send someone.
(I've already done extensive Google searches several times, also, and found a number of good ones, but that source quickly dries up.)

Help me find a suitable analogy

superfurry — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:26:21 -0800

Analogy-filter. I've been tasked with presenting a topic at a meeting which will involve me assessing the need to improve some processes. The thing is, I will be the one tasked with making these changes once I identify them and present them. I have to give this presentation about changing things we currently do. I'll be the one tasked with actually making these changes after I present them.

I know the answers, but I want to start my presentation with an analogy, explaining in a funny way that this is like being asked to 'dig my own grave' or something similar. Now this isn't life or death so the aforementioned analogy doesn't cut it.

I'd like something like "this is like asking a x [insert profession] to y [insert a task associated with said profession]' that aptly describes what I'm being asked to do - ie: create work for myself.

I'd be most grateful for any ideas !

I like poo!

uncanny hengeman — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 17:28:03 -0800

I'm looking for a poster drawing in the style of Where's Waldo? where everyone is shitting. I'm fairly sure it's European, probably French or Belgian. I've got a similar poster (possibly by the same artist) of people in a fun run, with a plethora of wacky things going on.

Basically, people are going about their daily business as per normal, except everyone's got one poking out the back. There is even a couple of motorcycle cops riding around mid-poo.

Artist or even a link to a pic would be great. I'm kicking myself I didn't buy it when I saw it all those years ago.

Sincerity is everything. If you can fake that, you've got it made

markovich — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 12:48:19 -0800

What are the most intellectual, but non speciality knowledge jokes that you know? I'm looking for jokes like you would expect two posh british gentlemen in the gentlemans club to tell to each other. Jokes in the style of the New Yorker which take like half a day and a lot of thought to get, but when you get it, it's actually funny.

Things like the cartoon of the begger on the street who goes to the passer by: "I would be more apathetic if I weren't so lethargic"

Or the "Last night, it was so cold, the flashers in New York were only describing themselves"

Not geek jokes, math jokes, physics jokes or any of the jokes that need you to know who the characters are.

black comedy

god particle — Tue, 15 May 2007 17:43:51 -0800

Looking for some character-driven black comedy. I'm interested in characters that are cynical yet still manage to be somewhat optimistic - by that I mean, they view the world as a dark, twisted, and unjust place and laugh at it. They manage to be paradoxically cheerful, though maybe unnervingly so, in situations that seem hopeless or futile.
An example would be the Marvel character Deadpool. He had cancer, then underwent experimental treatment for it and ended up being horribly disfigured and a bit insane. He can never be with the one he loves and generally leads a tragic life. Still, he cracks jokes and seems to be having fun with what he does, which is kill for money.
Another example off the top of my head is Private Joker from Full Metal Jacket. He's in the Vietnam War where everything's going to hell but he goes around wearing a peace button.
In what books, films, comics, etc can I find more of these types of characters?

Help me find these weird Japanese T-Shirts again

bollockovnikov — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 07:20:10 -0800

A couple of years ago I bought two bizarre T-shirts from an obscure, Japanese website. See them here. Does anyone know where I can find this site again? I literally have no idea where or how I found this site. Any help much appreciated. See the t-shirts here.

Know any good Dalai Lama jokes?

timeistight — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:20:14 -0800

Know any good Dalai Lama jokes? I have to fill a minute with humour at my next Toastmasters meeting. Since the Dalai Lama was recently in town, I thought I'd tell these jokes, but it would be great to have a couple more. This is for an audience of work colleagues, so the jokes can't be at all offensive. (I'm assuming the gentle jokes I linked to won't offend anyone; please steer me right if you're an offended Buddhist.)

Who writes your favourite light verse?

Robot Johnny — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 08:19:17 -0800

Ogden Nash made quite a splash. And somewhat darker, Dottie Parker. Silverstein was near divine, And all revere old Edward Lear. But now I suffer from a curse: My thirst for rhyme has grown perverse! I need a doctor or a nurse; My problem is becoming worse. So lest I end up in a hearse, Please point me t'wards some more light verse!

Is there a word for the study of humour?

pompomtom — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 23:34:36 -0800

Is there a word for the study of humour? 'Gelotology' is apparently the word for the study of laughter, (from the Greek ghelos, they tell me) but it seems to refer mainly to the physiological effects of the act of laughing. Is there a separate word which refers to the study of humour itself, or should I just stretch the meaning of gelotolgy, which seems to be a very new word.

Ideally I'm after an English word, but other languages are good too.

Looking for advice on how to torment Sims

Johnny Assay — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 21:35:56 -0800

A few years ago I found an entertaining article online, where the author described playing Sims 2 to make life as difficult as possible for his main character. I seem to remember that he made the character colossally ugly, and that he made the house into a maze of twist little passages, all alike. I can't seem to find the article on the basis of these clues, though; does anyone remember this better than I do?

I want a daily updated jokes rss feed!

razzman — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 09:29:39 -0800

I'm looking to keep in tune with the funny side of life and even improve my sense of humour. Basically I find if I regularly read jokes I seem to enjoy life more and even start making ones up myself. I like using rss to keep up with my favourite sites and I really love the idea of a website where people submit new jokes everyday and they are put into a feed which I can easily access. Does anything like this exist?

Jokes re Ancient Egypt & Pyramids

pettins — Mon, 15 May 2006 06:05:06 -0800

Any jokes with the theme of Pyramids, Ancient Egypt or Joseph (Dreamcoat)? A friend of mine is helping to lead a kids (5-12) activity week in the summer where the theme is Ancient Egypt and the story of Joseph.

He is chairing the 5 day event so needs lots of one-liner type jokes to intersperse throughout the week.

Any suggestions?

How many Easter bonnet jokes can a person make?

orange swan — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 10:46:09 -0800

Attention MeFi smart asses! Here's your chance to make justifiable wisecracks on AskMe. I need an Easter-themed witticism. Every year I host my family's Easter luncheon. I'm starting to design the invitations now. In the past along with the requisite info concerning time and place, I have included some little semi-humourous tag line. Examples of past lines have been "For your egg-hunting convenience, the Easter chocolate will be placed in plain sight", and "The last person to arrive is elected to wear the bunny suit". But this is my fifth year of hosting the Easter luncheon and the well is running dry. I can't think of anything new for this year's invitations. So, help me out. Try to keep it short, i.e., under 15 words or so. Sacreligious and/or risqué won't fly with my family (though if it's truly inspired I'll enjoy it, so throw it in just for the hell of it, and perhaps I can spin something off it).

Full disclosure: This was posted to MetaChat, but I didn't get anything useable, so I'm trying again here where there's a larger peanut gallery.

Need a funny picture

Ritchie — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 18:23:31 -0800

I need a small (easily emailed) JPEG image to convey, in a humourous way, that I'm not interested in doing a favour for someone. I'm looking for something along the lines of the 'No, you can't have a pony', or 'Call a waaambulance', or 'Taht's not funni' images that crop up here from time to time. I've searched Google for images using the keywords 'absolutely not' or 'no way' with no success.

Jokes that involve the listener

Sharcho — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 06:33:45 -0800

Jokes that involve the listener and make fun of them? e.g.:
- Do you know the difference between toilet paper and a shower curtain?
- No.
- Aha! So it was you! You disgusting pig!

Your daily clicks?

Robot Johnny — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 12:50:54 -0800

What websites do you visit daily? Like many here, I vist MeFi several times a day What are some of the other sites you visit on a regular basis? News, information, blogs, messageboards, humour, whatever...

What sites list humorous metaphors?

wibbler — Thu, 29 Jul 2004 12:38:23 -0800

Is there a site that lists really good, humorous metaphors?