Funny for Everybody

One of my favorite quotes comes from comedian Daniel Tosh who, in my humble opinion, is a decent stand-up (he does far better as the host of his TV show, “Tosh.0”). He has a bit about someone getting their head kicked off at an amusement park (starts at the 1:06 mark of the video below).

It’s a good bit, and offers a funny take on what most would view as a horrific accident. But to me, the most important quote in that video is Tosh noting: “The first thing that went through my mind was ‘Wow... how am I gonna make this funny for everybody?’”

It’s a throwaway line that gets a solid laugh; essentially setting up a risqué joke with the caveat of “Listen, I’m just looking for a laugh; I can’t help how my mind works.” The underlying implication, however, is so important to comedians (and thus, the audience that’s not ingrained in the world of comedy) as a window into the minds of the people who are just trying to make you laugh. This sums up how comedians view the world: there is no such thing as too soon, too offensive, too taboo or too mean; there is only “funny” and “unfunny.”

People these days say, “everyone is offended by everything” and “you can’t joke about anything anymore.” We here at NO FILTR reject this notion. It’s not that you can’t joke about anything; it’s just that if you’re going to joke about something, it needs to be funny. There is a fine line between saying something controversial/mean and masquerading it as a “joke,” and making a funny joke or observation about a touchy subject. This grey area is where all the best comedians make their living. This is where we want to live.

Please stop saying "You can't joke about anything anymore". You can. You can joke about whatever the fuck you like. And some people won't like it and they will tell you they don't like it. And then it's up to you whether you give a fuck or not. And so on. It's a good system.

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) December 31, 2018

Inject this energy directly into my veins

Now, this is not to say that a lot of people out there aren’t offended by every little thing. This exists, to be sure. Resident roastmaster Barry Dougherty has an excellent write-up on this phenomenon. And while the loud, vocal minority may seem like a real threat on social media, you can reference Ricky Gervais’ tweet above as to how successfully deal with it.

Speaking of roastmasters… most will agree that nobody in history was better at roasting people than Don Rickles. Go back and watch old videos of him from Dean Martin’s “Man of the Hour” and other roasts. The man was untouchable. He would say the meanest things right to people’s faces, and they and the entire audience would cry from laughing so hard. No one was meaner. Makes you wonder how he got the nickname “Mr. Warmth” doesn’t it? Was it just a sarcastic play to say he was exactly the opposite of warm? Or did it have a deeper meaning?

Rickles always ended his roasts with an emotional, heartfelt message. No one ever had a bad thing to say about him; anyone who ever got to know him said he was the nicest, most genuine guy around. His life out from behind the podium was anything but mean. He didn’t really believe the racist/sexist/whatever things he said, he just knew that they were funny and would get a laugh. If he really believed it, people would know, and all those laughs would turn silent. His brain mastered “how am I gonna make this funny for everybody?”

It’s the opinion of this writer that putting all the blame on the audience only tells half the story. For every wannabe comedian trying to make a name for themselves by being “edgy,” there is an equally funny comedian who is making jokes about touchy subjects the right way. You can sit there and lambast the audience all you want for not “getting” your joke or being too “woke,” but the onus also has to fall on the joke-teller. It’s not enough to just be funny; you also have to prove that if you are saying inflammatory things, that they are indeed just jokes.

Constantly joking about touchy subjects, punching down, and taking the low road for a cheap laugh… the audience will snuff that out. Prove you’re actually just joking with how you live; how you treat people, interact with fans, talk about touchy subjects when you’re not on stage. If not, you’re not making controversial topics funny for everybody… you’re making them awkward.