Now, That's Funny!

Today the talk radio programs were filled with tributes to Joan Rivers and now and then someone would sneak in a tribute to Robin Williams.   I want to share with you how ironic it is in the world of comedy.  Joan Rivers was an acid tonged person that made a living picking on people for what the wore on the Red Carpet.  To me she looked like an escapee from a 1960's prom.

The Comedian George Carlin was a regular on the Tonight Show when Johnny Carson was the host.  He would come on there and make me laugh as loud as I could get away with and because it was on TV he kept it fairly clean.   The would have to bleep out a word now and then but nothing like his record of the ten things you could not say on TV and radio.   I knew his reputation from that record bit but in spite of that, The wife and I went to see him one weekend when we were in Reno.  The wife didn't think he was all that funny and it embarrassed me to take my wife to a place where they swore more than the Soldiers I had served with in Vietnam.  Somewhere before the intermission, we left and didn't look back.  Silly me, thinking that a tiger would change his stripes.  That's funny.

I was a fan of Sanford and Son on TV but could not stand Redd Foxx in person.  His bits on TV were funny as all get out but he was way over the line on records and in person.    The same goes for Margaret Cho's bits.  At least on later night TV some of it can be broadcast but there are still a lot of bleeps and holes. 

I guess what I am trying to say is that there is no correlation between what is smut and bad language on stage and what is funny to me.  I can probably out curse (Cuss?) most of you but I don't find it funny.  Funny is taking a subject that we can all relate to and telling a story around that subject.  It is really funny if the person telling the story can make us believe they were as dumb as we have all been. 

In my fantasy world, all that is said or done before 8 PM and restricted to 16 and over should be rated PG.  Now that's funny coming from a free speech advocate like me.

MUD