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This week: The Aristocrats Edited by: Jeff  
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"The wit makes fun of other people; the satirist makes fun of the world;
the humorist makes fun of himself."
-- James Thurber
Comedy Trivia of the Week: "The Aristocrats" was Johnny Carson's favorite joke. Knowing that, Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller fame) dedicated his 2005 documentary about the history of the joke to Carson, who passed away just days before the film debuted at that year's Sundance Film Festival.
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THE ARISTOCRATS
If you're not familiar with it, "The Aristocrats" is a very old and very famous joke that's been told and retold by comedians for years. I can't actually tell you the joke here for two reasons. First, it's definitely not E-rated when it's told properly. And second, it's rarely told the same way twice. The basic format of the joke is this:
The Setup. The joke begins with a family performing act going in to see a talent agent about getting representation.
The Act. Described in as much detail as possible, often ad-libbed or improvised, and told for varying lengths of time. The joke traditionally focuses on tasteless, outrageous, or even outright taboo acts designed to shock and offend the audience.
The Punchline. After the description of the act has concluded, the shocked talent agent asks what the act is called, to which the family replies, sometimes with a grand flourish, "The Aristocrats!"
The reason I mention this joke is because, as noted above, it's a very famous joke among comedians. Many see it as something of a game or a contest, where they constantly try to out-do one another in terms of shock value. It's notoriously hard to perform successfully (i.e. without the teller stumbling, stalling, repeating himself, or laughing), and so the ability to tell the joke well is something of a rite of passage and a badge of honor among comedians.
The reason I bring up this joke is because I think it's a perfect example of taking something and making it your own. Verbally told stories and jokes aren't meant to be performed the same way every single time. That's what a fixed form like books and poetry and movies are for. The tradition of verbal storytelling is one that encourages each narrator to work in their own individual style and personality into the subject matter.
One of those familiar jokes about three former presidents dying, going to heaven, and then talking to Peter at the pearly gates, for example, can have a variety of incarnations. The ones I most often heard growing up were Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. But to someone a little older, they could probably equally appreciate a joke involving Nixon, Ford, and Carter. And younger audiences today may not appreciate the joke unless it's Bush, Obama, and whoever's elected next. The joke's mechanism is still the same (three presidents die, go to heaven, and each of the three say something to St. Peter with the last one being the punchline), but the details can be adapted to different audiences.
Some of the best comedians I've seen are able to understand their audience and adapt their material to elicit the appropriate emotional response. For example, if a comedienne were born and raised in Boston, she could easily tell a sports anecdote about cheering for the Red Sox and making fun of the Yankees... and people would get it. The rivalry is well-established and audiences would be with her. But if she's performing in San Francisco and can adapt the joke to celebrate the Giants while condemning the Dodgers, the audience will get even more out of the material. Similarly, if she's performing in Green Bay, adjusting the material to favor the Green Bay Packers and their historic football rivalry with the Chicago Bears would likely increase the positive response of the audience.
When you're coming up with material and figuring out what kind of stories you want to tell, don't be afraid to adapt them and make them your own. No one can tell a story or a joke the same way you can; use your unique perspective, experiences, and talents to put a fresh spin on familiar material. Whether that's coming up with your own version of The Aristocrats or writing a boy-meets-girl love story in a new way, don't be afraid to embrace it, change it, and make it your own.
Until next time,
-- Jeff
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I encourage you to check out the following comedy items:
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Feedback from my last newsletter about finding the best version of a joke:
LJPC - the tortoise  writes, "Great NL, Jeff! You're absolutely right about how comedy seems so easy, but the material has actually been rewritten a hundred times to get it to "casually easy" state. I don't really write comedy per se, but I put a bit of it in my novels/stories and I try to write amusing comments on FB, and sometimes it takes me 10 tries before I find the "right" combination of words. Thanks for the NL!  ~ Laura"
Even when I'm not attempting humor, it takes me a long time to compose emails, messages, tweets, etc. because I'm always on the prowl for a better way to write something. I know some people will just dash off a quick response or write whatever they're feeling and click send/submit, but I always try to take the time to make sure that I'm saying what I want to say in the best way possible. 
Sum1's In Schaumburg  writes, "Jeff, Thank you for featuring my story of an old joke in this week's Comedy Newsletter! After the day I had yesterday (Wrecked my car, think it may be totaled), this was a complete surprise, and a great lift to my spirits!) Thank you again!"
Sorry to hear about your car! Hopefully the insurance will cover it, and I'm glad I was able to cheer you up during such a crummy day!
mblank writes, "Thanks for featuring a story of mine, and for your words on revision. This week, my goal is to start revising a few stories and I appreciate the inspirational thoughts "
You're very welcome and best of luck with your revisions!
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Comedy: January 08, 2014 Issue [#6083]
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