The only class I ever took that changed me was a comedy class in high school. Taught by a crazy teacher, we learned that there’s one easy to way to be funny: be wild. Well no, what she said was reverse expectations.
If someone thinks you’ll turn left, turn right. Being funny comes in two parts, first building the expectation you’ll do one thing, and then having the opposite occur.
Let’s take slapstick comedy as an example. Replace every time someone gets hit with a bat or punched, and imagine instead of bouncing back like a bobo the clown doll they just die. That’s not a comedy, that’s a horror movie, everyone knows clowns are scary.
Everyone watching expects it to be painful, but at the same time slapstick comedy has lost some of its charm because we’ve seen so much slapstick we also expect it to be harmless. Thus, the only funny slapstick comedy now mixes pain and not, putting the viewer in complete confusion about what they’re watching.
The most common western form of comedy is stand up, which is when someone stands and attempts to make people sitting make noises without thinking about it. Usually, it comes in the form of a story, which buids and builds, until a punchline, which kicks a listener’s expected outcome (see i.e. Trevor Noah, Dara O’Briain). Often I find that such comedy is a commentary on someone’s interaction with the world at large and why everything is shit (or not) and how they deal with said shit.
Another form of comedy is manzai, or japanese double-act comedy. The way I would characterize it is that there is an extremely rational person who will always make reasonable statements and provide normal views, and one insane guy (see example). Of course, this makes it seem obvious who will be spewing nonsense, but what makes 2 better than 1 is that we can look at our own interactions and contrast it with theirs. There’s so many wild, unexpected things someone else can say, compared to riffing off your own monologue, like the more common western style. Because it’s a double act, I’d describe it as a commentary on our interaction with others, and the craziness of people and not systems.
When thinking about British exports, it’s kinda bleak in’t? But I’ve been on watching the telly lately, and the lads from Britain are right fun. The only reason British Bake’s Off is a success is because they stuck the vampire off “What we do in the Shadows” in with the a scientist from one of the cold countries, and they’ve done a right proper job making it entertaining. Compared to American cookery shows, where it’s instead some angry bloke, yelling “Right, soups got shit in it, peas taste of piss, and the fish’s gone a bit sour. Next round, no knives for any of yous, we’re giving ya stone pits to cook on, and the loser from the last round is gonna have me knob in him the whole time. We’ll get the cameras round to show how shite you are later.” It’s a bucket of misery in the States! At least on the bake show they all have a proper go, and when someone’s nan go homes they’re all gutted and have a nice cry. A good laugh really does make the show. Even the commentary on America off the TV is British, John Oliver! I swear to god, when you hear them tell their stories, it’s like a whole separate universe across the pond, not got to worry about guns and crazies over there, just random wankers in parks scattered across the country. Now it does come with its share of problems, they’ve got good representation in Irish lads, Scottish chaps, North English chaps, London blokes, South London boys, British Indian men, but it is improving. QI, Totzvig’s got a good showing of the lasses, and it’s nice to see them crack filthy jokes with each other, rather than have a man do it, where it feels a bit icky. Even though it lacks a bit of the mix, there’s nothing better than turning on Dara O’Briain, and watching him take the piss out of all the shite that’s happening in the world.