I promised to comment on in-class material, so here goes. Of all the "funny ladies" we watched, Janeane Garofolo was my favorite. However, I think my favorable opinion of her routine was one of the few. Most of the responses pointed out that her routine was too topical, and, by extension, too dated. Her voice, some said, was too deadpan, her appearance too sloppy.
By contrast, those 3 factors made the performance for me. I found her routine to be refreshing, mainly because (particularly when she was commenting on Steven Segal and TGIFriday's) I agreed with what she was saying, but she articulated the ideas both clearly and comically--something I don't think I could do. I was impressed not only with her approach but also with her non-pretentious wit. As someone pointed out (I think it was Abby?), Garofolo emphasized a lot of "problems" with pop culture, but the underlying tone of apathy--rather than of motivation for change--didn't make her come across as talking down to the audience. That way, if someone was a fan of the gigantic menu, he/she wouldn't have hurt feelings (i.e., no "outsiders" were created).
However, some people in class articulated feelings of being an "outsider" because of the routine. "What's Melrose Place?" some asked. True, pop culture references can be dated. Perhaps Garofolo could have included some context for the setting of the show. But, a lot of the context and tone of her commentary provided answers on context. The blatantly sarcastic "you've reallllly gotta be careful when driving through that rough area" suggested that the area is probably pretty posh. The sarcasm also forced audiences who weren't familiar with the show to interact--they were thinking and participating.
Okay, so I love popular culture references...maybe too much. But even without Garofolo's sardonic reflection on the trends of the masses, the comedian, to me, was still pretty funny precisely for the reason that she wasn't too feminine. The girly act, in my opinion, gets stale a lot more quickly than the temporal reference to Michael Bolton and Kenny G...
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I agree with you - Garogolo was my favorite woman comedian as well. I'm not sure, however, if it isn't because I like her other work as well, and I can put her in context. I know that when I watch stand-up I enjoy the comedian more when I have seen other examples of his/her work, in film, TV, or more stand-up. (The exception to that is Eddie Izzard, who is just good.) When I in with the assumption that Garofolo is already funny, then half her work is already done. Since I already have the ingrained assumption of humor, I am more willing to go along with her jokes and be amused. If instead I'm unfamiliar with the comic I spend most of the time (especially with those short clips) just trying to figure out what the approach to comedy is, then I have to figure out if I think it is funny, and by that time I have no energy left to enjoy with!
ReplyDeleteGarafolo's deadpan is a throwback from earlier humor, and is used often, though perhaps not in some of our class reading/viewing. It is present in Twain's work of the nineteenth century, and also on Cooke's in the eighteenth. The most recent comedian who comes to mind is Ron White. Looking back, it appears to be a "male" trait of humor, but I think it is also present in Wharton and Parker. The humor relies on the appearance that the speaker has no idea that she/he is being funny, and seems to work universally. Perhaps it comes from Bergson's theory of the "rigidity" of the character.
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