Quote:
Originally Posted by Fish
Uhggg... Norm is pretty hit-and-miss with me. That missed. I understand what he was going for. But that just wasn't funny for me...
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I think you have to be prepared for what he's doing to make it funny for you.
He's subverting the menace of his reputation, and committing to a straight recitation of crap material. It's not funny in a punchline way, it's funny in a WTF/disorienting way. And the humor creeps up on you. At first you fake laugh to be polite. Then you chuckle because you think you see where he's going. Then he delivers a lame joke [like the 'for the birds' line] in a way that tells you he knows how to deliver and is purposefully sabotaging that ability. And then the longer it goes, you laugh out of 'he's sticking with it' bemusement.
He's taking the long view. He has, and has had, his whole life to establish that he can kill a room. But in this friendly environment where people respect and admire that ability, he mortgages it on something odder and more memorable.
Reminds me of a bit I've heard described, but naturally never saw in person. A couple of titans when they were first starting out [I want to say Albert Brooks and someone like Ed Begley Jr. or Michael McKean, of that age and stature]. They would go up to an open mic in LA and with no esposition or explanation, they'd put on the appearance of a folk duo, or a comedic song duo, each with guitars. And for the next 12-15 minutes, they would just try to tune their guitars. They wouldn't address the crowd, or apologize, or explain. Just deet, deet, DEET, DEET, DEEEEEEEEE, . . . . Dut, dut, dut, DUT, DUUUUUUH, . . . . . .[fiddle with bridge] . . . . . [whisper something to each other] . . . . . deet, deet, DEET, DEET, DEEEEEEEEE, . . . shake their heads, . . . fiddle with the bridge some more. . . . . . Dut, dut, dut, DUT, DUUUUUUH. . . . [walk around the stage looking down], . . . [come back and whisper some more] . . . . deet, deet, DEET, DEET, DEEEEEEEEE
Audience, 1-2 minutes, silence, 2-4 chuckles, . . . 4-6 minutes murmurs, then anger, then people walking out . . .. . . then more and more laughter, . . until the whole place was rolling about 8-10 minutes in.