The Gag Reflex

I once overheard a comedian tell an inquiring, young and attractive female fan that comedy is like sex.  The comedian described the feeling of hearing a room full of people laugh at his material as orgasmic. I did not point out that you can also feel orgasmic by masturbating or that is his comedy like an orgasm because it makes you sleepy. Far be it from me to undermine his poor analogy (ha! anal) as the ultimate purpose of that Comedian’s discourse was to engage in sex, with an inquiring, young and attractive female fan. However, as I am neither trying to seduce or sex you, comedy is not like sex.

The objective of sex is not to amuse by creating laughter. If you use sex for the purpose of amusement and it produces laughter then perhaps you could conclude comedy is like sex, but who wants to mash their pink bits together because they find it amusing.

The aim of comedy however is to amuse people by creating laughter. If people are smiling, then it is not comedy. If people are thinking, then it is not comedy. If people are expressing shock and horror, then it is not comedy. You can make people smile, think or shock/horror them in an manner that is amusing, funny and even comical, but if people are not laughing, then it is not comedy. This is a point that often missed by both comedians and audiences.

Creating laughter for the purpose of amusement, is a process. For people to laugh, they must be happy, for people to be happy, they must feel at ease. This is why a racist joke shared among friends gets a laugh but makes headlines when told at a press conference (note to any Queensland LNP Ministerial Advisors).

People also laugh for all sorts of reasons and not just to express amusement. For example, I am moved to laugh when something terrible happens. Once a very senior and important partner in a business I worked in heavily collided with a spotlessly clean glass door while talking on his mobile phone. The man broke his nose, phone and the noise of his face colliding with the door made a horrendously loud bang. It happened right in front of me and I laughed so hard I had to sit down. I no longer work at that company. In fact in the moment after I was told I was being let go, I laughed.

It is fair to say that I am motivated to laugh by both fear and misfortune. The fact that I am also at ease in experiencing either fear or misfortune should not be explored. My point is that you need to be aware of why people are laughing, because it may not always be an expression of amusement.

So let us summarize:

1) If a comedian tells you comedy is like sex, then they really trying to bang you (and if you cannot spot a poor analogy being used for the purposes of seduction then you deserved to be banged by a comedian).

2) Comedy requires laughter.

3) If you want to make people laugh start off by making them feel at ease.

4) Finally, if you see me working as a window cleaner it is because I am in need of a hearty laugh.