Comic Blames Text Messaging On Lack Of Laughs
from the we-hope-he's-joking dept
A few years ago, some folks in Hollywood started complaining that text messaging was destroying the movie business. Their argument was that kids would see a movie and immediately text their friends saying how bad it was. In the past, it would take at least a week or so before the word of mouth messaging got around to let people not to go see a movie. However, with text messaging, apparently people would find out very quickly and not buy tickets. Of course, there was a simple solution: make better movies, because the same effect works both ways. However, now it appears that an offshoot of this complaint has reached a different industry. Textually reports that a comedian is complaining that text messaging is ruining his act, because people are sending his jokes on by SMS. The first night, his jokes kill, but after that everyone knows his jokes. Of course, you have to wonder how good a comic he is if his jokes lose all of their humor once known. A good comedian should also have timing and presentation on his or her side. Besides, how many people in the audience are seriously texting around all the jokes he makes? It seems that a much more likely reason for the lack of laughs was that he just wasn’t particularly funny.
Comments on “Comic Blames Text Messaging On Lack Of Laughs”
No Subject Given
All I know is no matter how often I hear Dane Cook’s acts, or any other decent comedian’s, they’re still funny as the first time I heard them, if not more.
Re: No Subject Given
This is probably about Dane Cook. He is the least funny and the most unoriginal “comic” in the business. be funny and you don’t need to worry about getting slammed through any medium!
Re: Re: No Subject Given
I agree completely about Dane Cook. There’s nothing funny about him. In fact, SMS might actually improve his act, if someone were sending you Mitch Hedberg’s jokes. However, this is about a British comedian. Just taking one look at him with that golfball in his mouth and wire basket on his head had me rolling (yeah, right.) Can’t you see the SMS now: …and then the bloke put a wire bawsket on ‘is ‘ead! Jolly good fun!
Outlaw the Blackberry and save comedy!!!!
Re: Re: Re: Whats up with the comedian bashing
Come on people, you don’t need to bash on any comedians here. Humor is the point, If a comedian can’t do his own jokes better than someone over there texts then maybe they shouldnt be in standup.
Re: Re: No Subject Given
I can see how you would say Dane Cook is unoriginal.Yeah………cause every comedian out there has tales about doing battle with a monkey that can talk and drive a van……..
Nobody is telling you that you have to like him but at least give the guy some credit.
SMS can help distribute a joke this is true…….but as it was said before. A good comedian does not rely on the joke but the delivery.
Re: Re: Re: thank god for TXT!
who the hell cares about comedians. Humor’s a pretty subjective thing anyway.
What I can’t get enough of is how execs are blaming word of mouth for bad box office numbers instead of their crappy movies. Texting just keeps me from wasting my money.
Re: Re: Re: No Subject Given
“Nobody is telling you that you have to like him but at least give the guy some credit.”
He gets no credit. The fact is he’s a hack comic and all good comics agree.
Re: Re: No Subject Given
ARE YOU HIGH!!!!????
Dane cook is the funniest comic out there right now
Re: Re: Re: No Subject Given
I AM high. Huh?
Re: Re: Re:2 No Subject Given
how is it different than using a phone or email to tell people that movies suck?
Re: Re: Re:3 No Subject Given
Because phones and emails aren’t new. I can’t blame Sputnick for my sex life; comics can’t blame email for their lack of humor.
Re: Re: Re: No Subject Given
“Dane cook is the funniest comic out there right now”
Obviously you don’t follow the comedy scene if you think he’s the BEST out there.
Re: Re: Re:2 No Subject Given
Dane Cook is a bloated whale with fish scales for a face.
Re: Re: Re: No Subject Given
Comedian name drop time!
Lenny Bruce was funny…Bill Hicks was funny…Mitch Hedberg was funny…Doug Stanhope is funny…etc etc.
Dane Cook is the flavor of the week. My guess is Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla’s deal with Satan was bought out.
Re: Re: Re:2 No Subject Given
Wow the top selling comedy CD in 25 years qualifies you for….. flavor of the week?
I’m sorry, before I laugh next time I’ll be sure to check your list, you master of all things comedy.
Re: Re: Re:3 No Subject Given
I could care less how many people buy his album(s). A lot of people buy the Blue Collar Comedy albums too. Alot of people bought Macarena albums.
So yes, I suppose the top selling comedy album in 25 years, can make you the flavor of the week. Just because it’s popular doesn’t make it great, and just because it’s unpopular doesn’t make it great. That list is my opinion. Dane Cook being the flavor of the week is my opinion/prediction. Sure, I could be wrong. But it’s going to take more than album sales to convince me.
Re: No Subject Given
lol, Dane Cook is not a decent comedian by any legitimate standards.
Blame technology
We love scapegoats in our country. Everything is somebody else’s fault. Text messages, file sharing, VCR’s, radio, Phonograph records….all things that were touted as the “death” of some industry or another and they ended up doing nothing but making things even better for the concerned industries…to those who learned to use them.
Re: Blame technology
Somehow I don’t see SMS improving stand-up comedy much. However, I get your point.
No Subject Given
now THAT is funny, it may be that comedians best joke…
It's quite simple really...
Stan Boardman isn’t funny. At all. If this _really_ was a problem, then how can I rewatch old episodes of Red Dwarf, or listen to the same episode of ‘Just A Minute’ a few times a week and still laugh.
While I still kinda see his point, we saw Dylan Moran here in Munich doing pretty much the same set as his live DVD, and it was still funny as hell.
Stan – just do some more ‘celebrity’ ‘reality’ TV-shows.
The Aristocrats!
This is the best example of your point. A good comedian can still get huge laughs – even the 30th time the same joke is told in the movie.
Re: The Aristocrats!
I agree. Henny Youngman was the epitome of the fallacy of the
comedian’s complaint.
A lot of the great verbal humorists are gone.
Groucho Marx, Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Bob Hope… they could have you
in stitches on radio, on television, and on the stage. Later on,
Lenny Bruce was the master, and Richard Pryor was finding new material
to keep people laughing.
I think things changed during the era of
the “comedian superstar,” which gave us Steve Martin and Robin
Williams… not the same as the older ones, but still, their humor
still worked on records and during stand-up.
If your comedy sucks
because people know the punchlines, it means your delivery sucks,
plain and simple. People still watch Monty Python after all these
years, and they know every line by heart. Learn to do the soft shoe
like Johnny Carson when a joke goes flat, or come up with a real “off
the cuff” ad-lib to keep your audience guessing. It may not be rocket
science, but comedy does take skill.
Re: Re: The Aristocrats!
Dane Cook have you even heard his unedited act. The guy is hilarious. But maybe when you get past 40 your sense of humor goes down the drain with your looks and sex life. http://www.danecook.com/ as far as unoriginal I’ve never heard anything like his bit.
Back to the topic at hand, if you?re going to bash text messaging you may as well bash any form of communication. I can get out of a movie call my friend and tell him it?s the worse thing sense the movie White Chicks. Word of mouth should be considered to be a good thing and not bashed by some no talent ass clown.
No Subject Given
I am surprised word of mouth isnt under fire…
Hollywood Exec: d*** kids now days! Bloggin, texting, writing reviews on websites, and now this!!! Going to school and work and telling people our movie sucked!!!
Hollywood brainchild: This is a simple fix… We just need to eliminate free speech!
Hollywood Exec: I like it! Totalitarian entertainment… Just what I have been looking for!
Lets Blame Technology - The TV Show
Previously on “Lets Blame Technology”:
Filesharing will kill the music industry as we know it.
Google Book Search will destroy sales of books.
ISPs want content providers to pay for using their “pipe”.
Today on “Lets Blame Technology”:
Comics see decline in humor; blame text messaging
Given the title...
Comic Blames Text Messaging On Lack Of Laughs
Now this is more plausible. I know when I get bored at live shows I start texting.
hmm..
calling stan boardman a comedian is seriously pushing the definition. he’s about as funny as watching your kid get hit by a bus.
No Subject Given
If he has a comedy CD and/or a DVD. Shouldn’t the RIAA/MPAA be out there protecting his copywritten material?
I think that the only appropriate solution is to shutdown all of the cell SMS systems in order to prevent this blatant thievery of comedic material from destroying a whole industry!
If you tell a joke, you are a criminal!
Dane Cook Sucks A Big One
Anyone that thinks Dane Cook is funny should have there head examined. This guy is a tool. He brainwashed college kids through his web site to believe that he was the MAN. Which is total bull. This guy has a huge data base of robot fans that will pay to see him , and they only pay $17 to see him , if you don’t believe me check out any college he has ever played at, but he has absolutely zero talent. The last time I was in New York I hung out at the “New York Comedy Club” and saw a comedian named “Robert Bella” , a cross between Steve Martin and Rodney Dangerfield , the funniest comic I have seen in years !!!! You want to laugh , see this guy , believe me you will thank me for the rest of your life. Make sure you call to see if he is performing , that way you don’t go there just to see the average comedians.