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So, You Want To Be Funny, Eh?

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Author: Jerry Aragon

I've been in the humor business for over 40 years, and I never get tired of it. Humor and making people laugh has been my life! Whether it be by telling a joke; writing an anecdote; carving a piece of wood or building my website, it has been humor over the years, that has brought me so much pleasure and has been so gratifying.

Laughter is really the best medicine, and it has been humor that has helped me cope through my darkest days, and there have been many! The healing power of humor cannot be measured. Over the years, people have asked me questions about humor, and I'll share a few of those questions and answers with you.

QUESTION: What is the most important thing I should know about getting into humor or wanting to be a funnier person?

ANSWER: Be honest with yourself! I can't emphasize this enough. Take an inventory of yourself...your abilities; your capabilities; and limitations and ask yourself, if you have what it takes to get into comedy. At some point in time, you're going to get embarrassed; you will fail; you will embarrass others; you're going to say the wrong thing at the wrong time; you're going to eat a little "crow"; your're going to get a little "egg on your face": your timing and delivery will be off; and you might even get slapped in the face if you are not careful, etc.

Humor is quite subjective! What one person thinks is funny, is an insult to somebody else! Care has to be taken about what you say; what you do; where you say it; who you say it to, etc. Ask yourself: "Can I embarrass myself and then make a comeback?" If you can't, find something else to do. If you embarrass somebody else, can you apologize for it? If you get into humor, it's just a matter of time, when you do this. All of us in humor do this...it comes with the territory. A slip of the tongue here...a slip of the tongue there. I can assure you, judgement day will come very quickly if you get into humor. Your 15 minutes of fame...could turn into your 15 seconds of SHAME if you're not careful. I don't want discourage anyone from getting into humor, but you must know the honest facts and be prepared to deal with them. That's why you MUST be honest with yourself.

QUESTION: Can anybody get into humor/comedy and be successful?

ANSWER: NO...NO...and three times NO! There are people who have crossed my path who should stay away from humor all together. The first thing a person needs to successful in humor is a personality. I've known people in the past who have a personality of a rock; chopped liver on a cutting board; an orange traffic barrel, etc. The person in humor has to be a little out-going; an extrovert or someplace in the middle. The person has to be able to enjoy people and communicate well. I've worked with many technical people like engineers for over 12 years, and many of these people are brilliant. They can do the math and engineering to put somebody on the moon! But, when it comes to having a personality...sometimes it's difficult to get even a sentence out of them. Some of these people are so introverted, that it would be a disaster if they tried their hand in comedy! The answer is NO...not everyone can get into humor and be successful.

QUESTION: What other qualities should a person have who wants to get into comedy?

ANSWER: That person should have high self-esteem and confidence of himself or herself. This is terribly important, because, as I said earlier, the person is going to put "thy foot into thy mouth" a few times. And, that person is going to get up and dust thyself off if that person wants to stay in comedy. If you decide to get into comedy all you have to do is to exercise common sense.

QUESTION: Are comedians/humorists different from ordinary people?

ANSWER: YES! Comedians are different because they see the world differently. They are always looking for something funny. They stop and smell the roses, while everybody else walks by. They pay attention to detail, to find something humorous. If there is not something funny, they will try to make it funny, using the tools of the trade like exaggeration; irony, etc. Stop; Look; and Listen! That's what people in humor do...and, others just walk by and pay no attention.

QUESTION; How is the best way to break into comedy/humor?

ANSWER: The K.I.S.S. Principle...keep it simple, stupid! Start with short material...short jokes; short anecdotes; short stories; short everything! Don't start blabbing about your vacation that's going to take about 7 hours to tell. (YAWN) If you do this, you will get your 15 seconds of fame very quickly! Memorize the short pieces for smooth delivery, etc.

QUESTION: What is the single most important thing about comedy?

ANSWER: DELIVERY...without a doubt! I don't care if you have the best joke or story to tell...if you stumble on delivery...YOU'RE FINISHED! You MUST have a smooth delivery to be successful in humor! Breaks in your delivery and forgetting the punch line, will get you to the Hall of Shame in a hurry!

QUESTION: What is a no-no in comedy?

ANSWER: Telling the same joke over and over and over and over until you find yourself on a stage and heading out of Dodge City! DO NOT DO THIS with your humor! Jokes get old and tired very quickly! If you can't come up with new and fresh material, don't get into comedy. That's why comedians are always looking for new material...to keep everything fresh!

QUESTION: How important is style?

ANSWER: If you can't tell a joke without screwing it up, you can cancel your world tour, and forget about style! Style is only important if you CAN tell a funny story, and you plan to get your world tour back on track! (don't count on it) Everyone should develop their own style, and do what's comfortable for you. And, you should NEVER copy anyone else! There is only one Lucy; one Bob Hope; one Norton the sewer guy; one Robin Williams; one Erma Bombeck, etc. Like Uncle Milty says, "Never steal material from other comedians...but, you can borrow it forever if you want!"

QUESTION: What else is important about getting into comedy?

ANSWER; PATIENCE! After you've told your first joke successfully, put your world tour on hold for a few months! Trust me...you're not ready! You're not going to be funny overnight! Like anything else, there will be a long learning process. Engineers; medical people; entertainers; athletes take a long time to be good at what they do. There is no such thing as an "overnight success" unless you are a "coat-tailer" in Washington, D.C.

QUESTION: Is there a way I can get a laugh right away?

ANSWER: But, of course! Why don't you show everybody you know you're paycheck...that ought to get you a few laughs, don't you think? How about showing everyone you know a few of your baby pictures when you were potty-training...WOW!

QUESTION: Jerry, who are a few of your all-time comedians?

ANSWER: MMMMM...there's so many! I would have to say, Henry Kissinger; Al Gore; Hillary Clinton; and George W. Bush, not to be confused with plain old George Bush.

QUESTION: Tell the truth to the world, Jerry...do you really thing you're a funny person?

ANSWER: Does a porcupine cross his legs carefully?

I certainly hope a few of these tips have helped you. There is nothing like humor to brighten up your day and brighten someone elses day. I encourage everyone to get into humor...start slowly...be careful...use common sense as you go along...and, you'll be glad you did!

Jerry Aragon's Last Articles :

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