What’s So Funny?

The comedian Trevor Noah has one of the best explanations of stand-up comedy I have ever heard. He says, “Comedy is very much like sex for me. If you think about it, the comedian has very much the role of the man and the audience has the role of the woman. It is my job to satisfy you, and you just have to sit there, and then just like sex my success or failure depends on how much noise you make during my performance!”

Many evenings before going to bed, I turn on YouTube and either listen to music or comedy, i.e., stand-up. In many of the clips of the latter, the people in the audience are laughing themselves sick, but I am ready to switch to a different comedian. When we have the chance to see some live comics, I may laugh occasionally, but the guy behind me in the audience is laughing so loud it hurts my ears. Then there are the times I am laughing so much that my insides start to hurt. Why?

It’s a question I ask myself all the time. I can’t speak for you, but I know that if I relate to the material through my own experience, the comedian already has the advantage. When comedians make fun of themselves or their families, we can often see ourselves in the same or similar situations. It also has a therapeutic effect in that we don’t feel alone in that circumstance.

Our age also plays into it; the older we get, the more we can identify with. Sometimes when I see the comedians of my youth, I enjoy them more today than I did then. "I'm younger than that now" comes from Bob Dylan's song "My Back Pages", which explores the passage of youthful ideology to humble wisdom. 

Of course, how the joke is told and timing play a role. If a joke is read without inflection and no pause before the punchline, it can fall flat. Sometimes the audience doesn’t even realize it was a joke. Some comedians crack a smile or something close to it to show they are joking. Comedians are also actors. Body language or facial expression can accentuate the story, such as the proverbial husband waiting for his wife.

I will try to give a few examples. Let’s compare Rita Rudner with Joan Rivers. Rudner is more personal, with punch lines you might not expect, looking mostly at her husband, herself, and situations you can relate to, like absurdities of life. Joan Rivers was more aggressive and confrontational. Example one is Rudner, and the second is Rivers. 

Trevor Noah, coming from South Africa, often compares how others live in contrast to those in the United States. Jeff Allen, on the other hand, looks at life in his family and home. First, let’s see what Noah has to say, and then Allen. 

I have picked some of my favorites, but if you enjoy stand-up comedy, you can find clips and full routines. Some streaming services have entire specials of the best-known comedians. I prefer shorter routines and even watching the late-night shows of yore with those comedians.

Find what tickles your funny bone, and you will go to sleep happy and shedding the cares of the world!