Here's a story that I've been chuckling about it all morning, but, in writing, it's not so amusing: my fiance's grandmother apparently has really crusty feet and super long toenails (gross, I know). Anyway, she was taken to a walk-in salon for a pedicure. The nail techs were all cussing about her feet in another language.
See...not funny... I can't retell the narrative--especially in writing. It's like when Eddie Murphy joked about people re-telling his jokes. He's better at them; he's a comedian. But the person who told the crusty foot story isn't a comic. The only explanation I can offer harkens back to presence, timing, and audience. We were positioned as insiders--we all know the grandmother. So, when the story was told, the audience already had a mental image. Also, the "toe" storyteller was actually there; she could imitate voices, bodily gestures, etc., making us feel as though we were there, too.
As someone reading this now, you have no idea who this grandmother is. Her tone of voice and mannerisms also can't be relayed as clearly in writing. And though the new audience isn't privileged as insiders, it's not really outsider either. In this hyphenated group, the audience is, quite frankly, just bored. Alas, I've learned a lesson: I won't retell jokes (unless I was there in person...witnessing the event. But, in that case, I could make the joke my own.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I had that same experience today! I was at blockbuster last night, and as the fellow I was with and I walked to the counter, our conversational interchanges cracked up the checkout guy so much that he almost choked on the candy in his mouth. But when I was trying to recreate the scene in writing this morning, I couldn't get across the humor of this situation. I wonder what the rhetorical qualities of the "you had to be there" situation are...
ReplyDeleteIs there a way to overcome those problems without the narrative becoming bulky while retaining the humor? Perhaps that is what stand-up comics do. They take those situations that might not be funny if common folk like us try to tell them, and make them funny for us. Well, if they are good at what they do, that is.
I usually have a problem relating stories to people too. My high school group (or groups really) were the authors of a myriad of inside jokes and I still laugh when I see things they would appreciate. When I attempt to explain to those around me why it is so funny, I fail. Or if it's just something I saw--same thing.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand I've noticed that I have been getting better at relaying the physical and worded comedy because it is easy to remember how the people acted and in what tone they spoke. The words however in a reinactment need to be precise or they get less potent. You can't just "get the jist of it". The atmosphere in a real life situation is difficult to recreate, although like you said comedians find a way to do it. It's probably just practice and really paying attention to people who do it well. I'm not going to say I'm a pro by any means (although I have had a small amount of acting experiences), but just watching these people and wondering, "How do they do it?", has helped me to relay my own stories just a little bit better. Natural understanding of timing and such come with experience and focus.