- Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:00 am
#234279
Good points there. Also, topical humour seems to be more popular these days, even if (Mock the Week style) it just means taking a recent event and using it as a hook to hang a bunch of jokes on.
There's a great book that I'm sure I've mentioned here before called 'How to be a comedian' by the music hall star Lupino Lane. In it, he identifies several very recognisable 'characters' to build routines around, and points out that the great thing about old jokes is that they're always new to someone. And if they're not new, then it's best to go for the laugh of recognition as someone sees an old favourite performed again. Lane was writing about 100 years ago, by the way.
But you're quite right, CW, in that jokes get around a hell of a lot faster these days (although many jokes themselves are not in any way new - after a tornado dislodged a few roofing tiles in Birmingham a few years ago, or after any floods, you'll probably have noticed a spoof 'disaster relief' appeal doing the rounds on Facebook. Act now to keep the kids in Iceland value packs and blue pop, provide Lambert & Scuttler for the parents etc. These have been doing the rounds since at least the mid 1980s (down to the blue pop and cheap cigarettes references) - they used to just occupy workplace noticeboards). I mean, take the panto thing from earlier in this thread - how long ago was that bloody Krankies incident?
On another note about Jim Davidson (and I'm sorry if it seems like I'm putting the boot in unnecessarily about it - it's very necessary indeed), perhaps the problem with him was that his 'cheeky chappie' persona slipped so easily whenever riled on stage, and sat at odds with his private life, which had become public knowledge.
By the way, has anyone actually ever watched one of his 'adult pantos'? Christ, you're lucky. Lots of blondes playing dumb and delivering stilted single innuendoes while dressed in low cut tops (and then getting their tits out) while the male characters perv on from the sidelines.
"There ain't nothing you fear more than a bad headline, is there? You'd rather live in shit than let the world see you work a shovel."