British Comedy

// Comedy Doesn’t Need A Prefix

By Joey Camire .
04.19.09 // British Comedy

For as long as there has been civilization there has been segmenting and grouping of like things with other like things.  As a species we’ve grouped things based on their color, size and shape.  We’ve grouped people based on their ethnicity, race, language, intelligence, religion and sexuality.  We divided continents into fragmented slabs of land in some constant quest for clear definition and differentiation of the people residing on those slabs.  A quest for a truth that may not exist.  Constantly creating barriers based on differences.  In some cases it has brought us good things but in a great number of other situations it has done nothing but harm.  I think comedy is one of those cases.

The goal of any comedian is to make people laugh.  Now, the methods they choose to achieve this goal are varied, but their intentions are all the same.  Laughter.  Think about it. As a comedian your success is measured by the number of people you make happy!  Is there any more noble a profession than that of the bringer of laughter and happiness?  I would argue that there is not.

All of that said, does comedy need any other label other than “Funny” or “Un-Funny”? Does it make a difference if the comedy is British or American as long as it makes you laugh?  Granted the Brits have an easier go at it seeing as everything they say sounds funny.  All that you really care about at the end of the show is whether it made you laugh or not.

By labeling comedy I’m afraid that we might infer that there is a better type of comedy than any other type.  Think about the implications if that were the case and there were a better type of comedy. If we start to make assumptions like that we would end up with every comedian telling the same types of jokes with the same types of punch-lines.  The question is not whether there are different types of comedy, the question should be is there a better way to laugh than another?  Is there a more valuable laugh?  A more satisfying laugh? I don’t have the answer to that, but I don’t think there is.

I know this week is about “British Comedy” and this isn’t exactly hilarious, some might argue I’m not funny regardless of what I’m speaking about, but I saw an opportunity to take a moral stand and I’m not the type to pass that up.  From now on I am going to make a concerted effort not to label comedy or humor in any form.  There are so few opportunities to smile sometimes that when one presents itself, there is no need to over analyze it, because there is nothing as lucky/easy/free as laughter. From this day forward I am going to make a point to ask only one question when it comes to comedy, did it make me laugh?  If the answer is yes, then there is no reason to think about it any longer.

View Comments / Apr 19.09 / British Comedy / by Joey Camire

// I Can’t Go Out Lookin’ Like Your Doppleganger

By Alex Aloise .
04.18.09 // British Comedy

Back by popular demand, it’s the epic second episode of MATES

View Comments / Apr 18.09 / British Comedy / by Alex Aloise

// I once held the door for Ronald Regan.

By Ben Cheney .
04.17.09 // British Comedy

A British comedy by three American blokes with terrible British accents.

View Comments / Apr 17.09 / British Comedy / by Ben Cheney

// Things Just Sound Funnier

By Jake Dubs .
04.16.09 // British Comedy

CLICK THE TEXT BELOW TO LISTEN

normal

british

Exactly.

View Comments / Apr 16.09 / British Comedy / by Jake Dubs

// Something to look forward to

By Jordan Childs .
04.15.09 // British Comedy

This season’s newest comedy arrives on the BBC and aires nightly at 21:00. Acclaimed funny man Tiltington Mount reprises his role as the fancy man who gets himself into the silliest quagmires- this time the fate of Crown and Country rests in his hands.

View Comments / Apr 15.09 / British Comedy / by Jordan Childs

// Whaht?

By Tristan Smith .
04.13.09 // British Comedy

Look, I really just don’t get British humor.  This puts it in the company of Fox News, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, the rhythm method and Dave Matthews.  I know it exists, I understand that many, many people hold it in high regard and enjoy it every day, but when I hear it or watch, I just don’t get it.  I do have a fairly developed sense of what it encompasses, though.

Butts:

Whenever I think about British comedy, I always envision someone being chased around and pinched on the butt, or with their butt hanging out of their pants, or sticking their butt out or something.  I know it’s not like that on the original Office, but it seems like the butt jokes fly fast and furiously on every other show.  Especially anything with the parliament in it.

Men and women in lots of make up.

Whether it was Sherlock Holmes on PBS or those weird looking ladies on Absolutely Fabulous or Sherlock Holmes on Absolutely Fabulous, a key part of British humor seems to be cakey makeup.

Having everything look like it’s 1974.

This may just be a British thing and not a British comedy thing, I’m not sure.

Quirky people that don’t smile very often.

Ohhhhh, so the guy runs a hotel and his mom, sorry, mum always tries to fix him up with women even though he’s only attracted to apples and he’s kind of quiet by says lots of weird stuff.  Right.

Everyone has a high voice.

This may just be a British thing and not a British comedy thing, I’m not sure.

View Comments / Apr 13.09 / British Comedy / by Tristan Smith

// British Comedy…mmmyyeesssss

By Charles Hodges .
04.13.09 // British Comedy

View Comments / Apr 13.09 / British Comedy / by Charles Hodges