Humor Resources

If you read my post about How to Be Funny…and you looked under the heading of GET THE RIGHT MATERIAL, then you saw that I emphasized the importance of writing your material based on your own life experiences…because most people can relate to you when YOU relate to you!!

Still, I would feel unfair if I didn’t relate to you the fact that there are other sources of material that you have to draw on. But you must remember that when you borrow material from other places, you should either give credit to the originator of the source, or change it enough so that it fits your style and personality, thus making it an original.

For example…if certain celebrities were to answer the age old question:

“Why did the chicken cross the road?”

The standard answer would be: “To get to the other side.”

Jerry Seinfeld might say: “Why does the chicken have to go anywhere? Can’t he just stay home and do nothing?”

Sam Kinison could reply: “The chicken is just trying to get away from being hen-pecked by all the other jealous, self-righteous, look-your-feathers-are out-of-place, peck your eyes out, aaaahhhh, ahhhhhhh, AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Robin Williams: (Actually, I’m trying to keep this site at a PG level or cleaner, so forget about this one).

Jeff Foxworthy might interject: “It was a red-necked chicken, and it was just stealing a worm from the neighbor’s yard across the street.”

Steven Wright could quip with: “Maybe the chicken thought itself to be a tortoise and it was sleep-walking while dreaming it was racing against a rabbit.”

Anyway, these are just speculations…but I think you get the idea. With that said, let’s get on to sources of material that you have at your beck and call.

Movies

I’ve already posted an article about my Top 10 List of Hilarious Movies…movies I like to quote, or refer to, or just sit down and laugh about on my own time. But let me tell you…when you quote movies, please be discreet. One of the most annoying things that I’ve seen people do is quote a whole movie to a group of people (or an individual) who don’t really want to listen to it. I don’t have a desire to write a post about “social retardation,” but someone should, because it is becoming an epidemic. Anyway, if you’re going to quote a movie, do it in a way that makes it sound fresh, original, and funny…that’s the goal here…FUNNY!! When you use a quote, make it fit the moment…don’t just all of a sudden say, “It’s merely a flesh wound. I’ve had worse,” (in a British accent) if it doesn’t work in the conversation you’re having, or the presentation you’re giving, or the class you’re taking, or whatever!!

Books and Magazines

The Reader’s Digest is loaded with one-liners, humorous quips and quotes, “real life” funny stories, and jokes!! Don’t plagiarize them, but find the ones that you think are funny and see if you can put a twist on them that makes them your own.

And it isn’t just the Reader’s Digest; most magazines wouldn’t sell, out there, if they didn’t have some humor in them. Dig into them…most of them have funny stuff for you to “mine”!!

Television and Radio

I belong to the Las Vegas Improvisational Players, an improv troupe here in town. For some reason, I am an avid fan of the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway? I tell my wife that I have to watch it for research purposes. I don’t steal any of their material, but I learn a lot from their techniques and “styles” (teehee)…plus I laugh a LOT!!

And, there are still a few excellent “first run” sitcoms left, but they are getting few and far between, though if you have Nick at Night, you’ve got some of the oldies to watch and study.

I have a confession to make at this point…I watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. They are usually the most clever, funny, and smart pieces of advertising that you’ll see all year!! I don’t usually quote commercials, but if the situation is right, I like to tell people about my favorites.

My favorite RADIO commercial was a local ad for Knudsen’s Low Fat Frozen Yogurt Dessert. There’s no way I can quote it in print so that it would come across funny, but if you ever see me on the street, ask me to tell you about their radio commercial and I’ll quote it word for word, verse for verse (since there’s some singing involved)!! You WILL crack up!!

Stage Productions

You’ll soon find out that I love the stage, so even though I know I could have grouped this one in along with the Movies or the Television and Radio section, I voted to keep it as it’s own source for you!!

The stage is a blast…being in front of a live audience is invigorating, especially when they are clapping, laughing, and asking for more. It may seem like I’m digressing a bit, but I merely mention it because there is so much brilliant material that you see in a live stage show…whether it’s a Neil Simon play, a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, a David Copperfield “live” performance, or “open mike” night at a local dive. If you ever get a chance to see some of the old taped performances of Victor Borge, Red Skelton, or The Smothers Brothers, don’t pass them up…FUNNY!! They all have their own styles and personalities, but if you look and listen closely, you will probably realize that they have material that you could have written if you had put your mind to it (a future article).

The Internet

Though there are many places that you could go on the internet…my friend and mentor, John Kinde, of HumorPower.com, has a newsletter, a website, and a blog whose whole message is about HUMOR, how to write it, how to perform it, how to speak it, how be it!! John is an expert on humor…I truly don’t know anybody funnier than John and I highly recommend that you go to his site and learn…and learn…and learn…

So, all in all, I would hope that I have given you an idea or two about how to get more “funny” material into your life…whether you are using it in idle conversation, on the stage, in business meetings, or for that sermon you have to give in your church.