Angry Seafood

Today Angry Seafood is happy to introduce our first guest poster. His name is Andy Tilley and he is a fellow humor blogger as well as author of the dark comedy novel Recycling Jimmy. Take it away Andy…

Have British jokes finally made it across the Atlantic?

And I‘m not talking about the Beckham’s here either, I’m talking about the cliché that British and US humour are so far apart that Roseanne could fit snugly between them. Actually, the middle of the Atlantic wouldn’t be such a bad place for her would it? Looking back though (and I’m biased here) for some time the difference between US and UK comedy culture was vast and I would argue that we, the Brits, were well ahead. But don’t take my word for it. Here’s a ‘funny quote’ from one of America’s most zany funny men from way back when.

“The Doc told me I had a dual personality. Then he lays an 82 dollar bill on me, so I give him 41 bucks and say, “Get the other 41 bucks from the other guy !”

Any guesses? Well that was Mr Jerry Lewis supposedly making the world laugh. Okay, it’s taken out of context here and the gag may work better if delivered to a sultry Deano by a stuttering clown but still, funny? Staying with the money theme, the UK riposte is delivered here by Spike Milligan, one of our all time greats.

“All I ask is the chance to prove that money can’t make me happy.”

Granted, it isn’t side splitting but it is funny and it is clever. And let’s not forget, the man was officially insane. Next up for the Yanks and from roughly the same era, here’s Bob Hope, a smirkin’ an’ a grinnin’.

“I grew up with six brothers. That’s how I learned to dance waiting for the bathroom!”

Now I’m sorry Bob and I don’t care who I offend here, but you can put as many exclamation marks as you want after that punchline and it ain’t ever gonna work. Compare this with the brilliance of a British Bob (Mr Monkhouse) who was an equally smarmy but oh so talented wit setting out at about the same time.

“People laughed when I said I wanted to be a comedian. Well they’re not laughing now.”

Pure genius. But what gives the Brits a 2-0 half time lead? Well, the difference between these gags is quite simply irony. At least I think it is although I must confess, I’ve never been too confident with the definition of this comedy concept. For example, is it ironic that I’m basing my guest post on something I can’t define?

Who knows and what’s more who cares. The point is that for years I think America substituted sarcasm for irony, and sarcasm’s really funny isn’t it. See? It isn’t. Now that’s all changed and with the exception of The Office (Ricky Gervaise’s supremely funny ‘reality’ TV show) the traffic seems very much one way these days.

Whilst America sends us Reno 911 and Just Shoot Me, all the Brit’s can do is repackage stuff from the seventies: Benny Hill and Flowery Twats (still a mystery how Mr Cleese got that particular title sequence of Fawlty Towers past the BBC censors).

The point I’m trying to get at here is this; if it’s true that once upon a time the US didn’t do irony, then they sure as hell do now. When you look at the wealth of high quality American shows today, either popular comedy or niche, the British are in danger of getting seriously left behind. As a novelist who deals in comedy writing (dark as it may be) and being fortunate to be published in the US, I find myself more and more looking west to get an appreciation of what people are really laughing at.

I know too that if I don’t, it will be easy to lose touch with the latest trends and get set adrift in the mid-Atlantic with only a sweaty Roseanne to keep me company (well I ain’t rowing, she needs the exercise.)

“I’m normally not a praying man, but if you’re up there, please save me Superman!” Homer Simpson

This guest post was written by Andy Tilley, author of the dark comedy Recycling Jimmy, a tale of a man who after a failed suicide attempt, starts up a service that will help others succeed where he failed.

Find out more or order the book today.

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Humor-blogs.com is still debating the British vs. American humor question.

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