Month: October 2018

Do you remember seeing or hearing a piece of comedy that made you laugh long and hard? What a treat that is when it happens! As I delve into the Top Five of my favorite comedy bits, I can’t help but think I’m forgetting one or some. For instance, I marveled at the hutzpah of Mel Brooks in his film, The Producers, when he presented the number Springtime for Hitler. A hilarious, jaw-dropping moment that was. I could name so many more, but let’s get started on the rest of this list!

More cowbell

SNL’s sketch with Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken in the recording studio doing Blue Oyster Cult’s cow bell rich Don’t Fear the Reaper is a classic in my opinion for its perfect blend of homage to detail of an iconic rock song and its lampooning of a rather subtle piece that lent to the greatness of the production. They pushed Walken’s demand for more cowbell masterfully to tap maximum laughter from the audience without taking it too far. As a result, countless would-be comics have taken it upon themselves to raise the call for more cowbell whenever the opportunity presents itself.

I don’t get no respect

Who out there hasn’t heard this line by Rodney Dangerfield? He made an entire career based on this concept and persona. He fashioned more jokes around it than perhaps any comedian has around any one line. That’s pure speculation, but he may have used it to apply anyone in his life. His wife: “My wife and I were happy for 20 years. Then we met.” His parents: “In my life I’ve been through plenty. When I was three years old, my parents got a dog. I was jealous of the dog, so they got rid of me.” His doctor: “I tell you, with my doctor, I don’t get no respect. I told him, ‘I’ve swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills.’ He told me to have a few drinks and get some rest.”

Hi, my name is Larry. This is my brother Daryl and this is my other brother Daryl

This bit from the Newhart show was priceless and never-ending, as I recall. They ran it and ran it and ran it. Audiences knew it was coming, but they kept laughing. It’s a simple routine akin to Kramer bursting through the door on Seinfeld. Simplicity is good in comedy. Deadpan delivers a simple bit with an unassuming brilliance that’s hard to beat. I love cleverness in comedy without a doubt, but there’s genius in uncomplicated humor too. This particular line has a lot of both and it worked so well with Bob Newhart’s style that these characters played off each other beautifully.

The Contest

Speaking of Seinfeld, there are lots of special moments of comedic genius to select. How many themes were originated and produced on Seinfeld that became part of pop culture? The show about nothing, Bubble Boy, Man Hands, The Bro, Festivus and yada, yada, yada. I’m just getting started here, but one that stands out to me is being master of your domain. In 1992, masturbation wasn’t a common subject for prime time television. Never referred to directly by name, the subject did become the focal point of the story when Jerry challenged George, Kramer and Elaine to a bet about who could remain master of their domain the longest. One of the highlights of The Contest was when the guys were watching a woman in an apartment across from Jerry’s walking around in the nude with open curtains. Kramer watched for a while, then left. Soon he returned and laid down his money, saying, “I’m out!”

Who’s on first?

What other comedy bit from about 80 years ago is still quoted regularly today? It’s still fresh, clever and funny. The comedy team Abbott and Costello were doing it in vaudeville. As it is with the best routines, the laughter builds as it progresses. Here’s a small sample.

Lou Costello: All I’m trying to find out is what’s the guy’s name on first base.

Bud Abbott: No. What is on second base.

Lou Costello: I’m not asking you who’s on second.

Bud Abbott: Who’s on first.

Lou Costello: One base at a time!

Bud Abbott: Well, don’t change the players around.

Lou Costello: I’m not changing nobody!

Bud Abbott: Take it easy, buddy.

Lou Costello: I’m only asking you, who’s the guy on first base?

Bud Abbott: That’s right.

A writer’s delight, a comedy lover’s feast and a baseball fan’s howl.

Summary

As I’ve said, there’s a tremendous amount of outstanding comedy to choose from and you could probably find your own Top Ten. Feel free to take a shot at it and let me know what you find. It’s about laughing and sharing a laugh.

 

 

 

 

I’m really asking for it now. Telling you what’s funny. You know what’s funny, right? You don’t need anyone telling you what you should be cracking up about. Oh, but man, do I know funny! I truly get the difference between everyday funny and cream of the crop funny. All right, so we all have our own tastes in humor. What reaches in and launches us into uncontrollable belly laughter is probably a matter of our culture, cumulative personality and life experiences. Attitude definitely factors into it. Corny to one is clever to another. Well, try to check your judgement in the coat room for the next 700 words or so while I tickle your funny bone. Most of all, open yourself to a chuckle or two and a grin or three. Starting with these five, here are some of the best bits I’ve seen.

10. Airplane–I speak jive

As they are referred to in the Airplane screenplay, two Jive Dudes are trying to be understood by the straight-laced white flight attendant. It becomes obvious the attendant could use an interpreter. Enter Barbara Billingsley, who played the WASPy mother of Beaver on Leave it to Beaver. She still looked and dressed like June, the last person we would expect to be able to bridge the gap across these cultures. “I speak jive,” she assured the attendant. She promptly demonstrated her fluency to the satisfaction of all involved.

9. Smothers Brothers–Mom always liked you best

Tom and Dick Smothers are famous for their comedy breaks from their traditional folk songs and they peaked in the years when they had a weekly network variety TV show. They were hip and hilarious. One of their most iconic bits was during one of those song breaks during which Tom would complain, “Mom always liked you best.” This would lead to several minutes of witty exchanges in the inimitable style these brothers originated. Dick would start in annoyed dismissal of Tom’s accusations, then asked repeatedly why Tom had this disturbing impression. One of the biggest laughs came when Dick pulled a reversal and asked, “Do you know why Mom liked me best? Sure she liked me best. Why not?” Tom is looking puzzled and then says innocently, “I didn’t know Mom liked you best.”

8. I Love Lucy–Harpo Marx and Lucy in a mirror image

Lucy was impersonating Harpo because she didn’t want Ethel to think she missed seeing Harpo at the Ricardo home. Unexpectedly, Harpo showed up at the apartment, dressed exactly as Lucy was, of course. She was seen by Harpo as she slipped behind a partition. He started doing a mirror image routine he had done in a Marx Brothers movie and Lucy came out from the partition precisely as he emerged opposite her. She mimics his every move. He tries to throw her off, but she knows the bit well. It’s a classic to this day, over sixty years later.

7. George Carlin–Baseball and Football

Carlin’s brilliant observational humor was pure genius in this bit that compared these two great American sports. Baseball is characterized as a happy, frolicking feel-good game while football is shown to be more like war. His description of baseball is light and airy. His football voice is deep and stern. A few quotes to illustrate this:

“Baseball is played on a diamond in the park, the baseball park. Football is played on a gridiron in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium. Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life. Football begins in the fall, when everything is dying. In football, you wear a helmet. In baseball, you wear a cap. Football is concerned with downs. What down is it? Baseball is concerned with ups. Who’s up? Are you up? I’m not up. He is up. In football, the specialist comes in to kick. In baseball, the specialist comes in to relieve someone. In football, you receive a penalty. In baseball, you make an error. Whoops!”

6. Caddyshack–Dalai Lama’s promise to Bill Murray

Murray’s character, Carl Spackler, tells the story of caddying for the Dalai Lama in the Himalayas. After a bad round, it appears to Carl that he’s going to be stiffed.

And I say, “Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know.”  And he says, “Oh, uh, there won’t be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.” So I got that goin’ for me, which is nice.

I couldn’t hope to do these comedic gems justice by cramming all ten into one post. I’ll take you up to Number One next time, so be looking for laughs in the meantime. Oh, what the hell, make it a habit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’ll come a time when all of us must leave here
Then nothing sister Mary can do
Will keep me here with you
As nothing in this life that I’ve been trying
Could equal or surpass the art of dying.

These are the opening lyrics from George Harrison’s The Art of Dying. I’ve wondered what it was like for George when he lay on his death bed as cancer took him in 2001. It is my understanding that he died peacefully, chanting Hare Krishna until the end. He was apparently true to his spiritual practice in the face of the ultimate adversity. In this post, I’d like to examine how we can learn the art of dying while still among the living.

Allow me to begin with an example of how not to do it. When I was six years old, I was walking on a pile of discarded tin cans. I lost my footing and fell to my hands. An old lid sliced my right hand open on the palm. Blood gushed profusely and the next thing I knew my father was carrying me to our car, on the way to the doctor’s office.

I was screaming in terror, “I don’t wanna die! I don’t wanna die!”

“You’re not going to die. You’re going to be okay,” Dad answered soothingly.

My pitiful display of fear at the sight of my own blood was in vivid contrast to the deaths of my father and sister. When I spoke to Dad about his upcoming 80th birthday back in 1995, he said, “I don’t think I’m going to make it.” That was months before the birthday and his health was stable at the time. He seemed to have a premonition of some kind, but he was handling it calmly, even gracefully. When my sister was diagnosed with a deadly melanoma last year, she was told she had only weeks to live. She assured me with the succinct statement, “I’m not in pain and I’m not afraid.” She moved through the ensuing weeks with a peaceful courage that was truly admirable.

Fear of death is common. Our loss of physical form and identity looms as the end of all we know and have. Yet, it seems that most people on the brink are able to find a deep peace in acceptance of their fate. They are able to make it a “good death.” The Art of Dying Well website, created by the Catholic Church of England and Wales, has the following to say about this concept.

“It might seem strange to think of death as something that you can ‘do well’. But, there are few things we would want more for ourselves and our loved ones than a good death.

If you are dying, it is likely that you will want to be at peace, as comfortable as possible and surrounded by those closest to you. You will probably want to die at home, and you will probably not want invasive treatment if it is clear that there would be little to gain from this.

A circle of support is important. Such a community might include (but is certainly not limited to) family and friends, carers, medics, a chaplain or a priest. This is relevant not just at the moment of death, but throughout the dying process. Having a community of accompaniment throughout the journey can help you to prepare by bringing consolation and spiritual peace.”

Other schools of thought maintain that we sow the seeds for a good death much earlier in our lives. Kahlil Gibran writes: “You would know the secret of death. But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?

“The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.

“If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.

“For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.”

We can live mindfully with regard to the time when we transition from these bodies to what lies beyond. In her book, The Seasoned Soul, Eliza Blanchard states in the chapter titled A Guide for the Journey, “Planning our routes to the end, and choosing companions to take it with us, is part of a mature spiritual practice. We learn from many faiths that to give our final journey the attention we would give to any trip adds depth and meaning to our living.

“Many who travel keep journals or blogs. Wouldn’t it be interesting to write down, draw, or imagine how we’d like this leg of our journey to go–what roads of forgiveness, compassion, and peace we might travel?”

The Art of Living leads us to successfully shaping The Art of Dying.