Humorati

    This is part of the Slice of Life Challenge hosted by the Two Writing Teachers

Humor plays a significant role in my life.  It started with my dad.  He may not be the funniest guy on the planet, but he joked around constantly.  He is also the one who introducd me to the comedy of Bill Cosby, Steve Martin and George Carlin.  When he let me watch an George Carlin HBO special in middle school, I definitely felt like the coolest guy ever.  Think about it, what middle school boy wouldn't want to know the words banned by the FCC?

The seeds my dad planted in my personality have flourished into a life-long love affair with humor.  I went through a Steven Wright phase in college.  Jerry Seinfield kept me laughing and thinking post college.  Now I am mostly a Louis Black fan.  However, I will still watch any of my "old" favorites if they happen to show up on Comdey Central.  

The humorists I have listed so far are all wickedly funny and in my opinion wickedly smart.  Being a guy, I will still laugh at things that are definitely not smart.  My comeday snobbery is not to the point I can't giggle at the guys from Jackass.  But to really get me going, I need funny and smart.  Again, this traces back to my dad.  He taught me to laugh at good jokes, work hard but never take myself too seriously and maybe most importantly get smart.  

One of his sayings growing up was, "The only prejudice I have is againt stupid people."  Unlike the now semi-famous Ron White line, "You can't fix stupid", my dad honestly thinks you can.  So all that time he made me laugh, he also made me learn.  Mmmmm.  I wonder why my class motto is laugh and learn?

This reflection on humor and my dad was spawned a few nights as I was reading a book by David Sedaris.  At one point I laughed out loud.  Which rarely happens when I read.  I may smile, I may think, "whoa, that's hysterical" but to laugh out loud is quite unusual.  I realized it sounded a little like my dad's laugh.  At that brief moment I knew the reason I like David Sedaris so much is because my dad invited me into his word many years ago.

Later,

Tony

Comments

[Ruth Ayres]

Tony,
Your words gave me pause and I found myself rereading your entire slice. I love the way you wrapped the story around me and made me connect to you and your dad. I can't wait for you to write more slices!
Thanks for joining us,
Ruth

[Spillarke]

Hi, Tony.
I love humor too. I think that's one reason why I enjoy reading John Green (and watching) the videos he his brother craft on Vlogbrothers. Funny and smart, does it for me too. I wrote about humor for my first slice too--though it's of the 10 yr-old boy bathroom variety. I'm interested in knowing more about your class motto. Thanks for sharing this slice.
Cheers!
Lee Ann

[Katsok]

Which Sedaris book are you reading? I had someone just recommend one of his to me - and I've never read anything he wrote so I was intrigued.

[Laura Komos]

Humor is a huge part of my life, too! Over the years I've realized that I tend to surround myself with people who make me laugh... and that I avoid those people who don't make me laugh.

The Lewis Black Coke and Pepsi bit is one of my favorites. :)

[Coffeefueledmusings.wordpress.com]

Humor is what keeps us going. I love the way your story evolved bit by bit.

Katie

[Mentortexts]

I like smart funny, too. It is really hard for me to find any enjoyment from movies like Jackass or Dumb and Dumber or even America's Funniest Home videos when people are getting hurt. It's just not funny to me. But funny smart is funny! Thanks for sharing!

[Carwilc]

Trying to remember who said, "What is learned with laughter is never forgotten." That's pretty much my motto for teaching, we all better laugh A LOT every day, even three days before the state test! Looking forward to reading more of y our slices!

[Karen Terlecky]

Though I crack myself up sometimes, I would definitely not be considered a funny person by others. However, I can appreciate humor in others, and it is one of the many reasons I so enjoy when you and I have opportunities to talk/chat.