I enjoy a dark sense of humor. Even before my post pubescent life came crashing down all about me, I was always attuned to the absurd, which of course, only grows ever darker and yet more absurd with the very passage of life itself. I still remember my instant delight upon first hearing "dead baby" jokes; purposely crude, but inexplicably hilarious (at least at the time), as if simultaneously realizing they somehow granted license to laugh at whatever inequities life would throw one's way.
 |
| Photo: © Stan Banos |
Like music, humor is marvelously varied and intensely personal; it can be incredibly complex and nuanced, or the most simple of juvenile releases! I can be highly critical as to humor and language aimed at certain groups of people- but it can be "all good," if the conversation is all inclusive. It's one precariously narrow road to traverse- and does take a certain amount of comic genius and sensitivity to navigate (safely and) successfully- but if you can't laugh at you and yours, don't laugh at others... simple enough.
Along similar waters, was never a big fan of your typical "dirty" joke, which also suffers from a hopelessly predictable rhythm/plot line- along with the most thoroughly misguided attempts at infusing childishly sophomoric "wit" into tired, second hand humor. After which, everyone is obliged to laugh- or risk being exposed for not having the intellectual prowess of your average twelve yr old... "nudge nudge, wink wink." And that said, "dirty" jokes are light years ahead of racist so called "jokes."
So, when I saw the writing on the wall, I didn't expect much, let alone humor; but being San Francisco (what good there's left), I made the effort to get closer, look down and actually read... and got sucker punched into... Absurdity!
I have no idea if this is a guy I'd wanna share the proverbial few beers with, but this I do know- he was genuinely funny, at least once in his life.
No comments:
Post a Comment