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.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
Outlaw the Blackberry and save comedy!!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Whats up with the comedian bashing
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
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.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
thank god for TXT!
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.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
He gets no credit. The fact is he's a hack comic and all good comics agree.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
Dane cook is the funniest comic out there right now
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
Obviously you don't follow the comedy scene if you think he's the BEST out there.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
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.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
I'm sorry, before I laugh next time I'll be sure to check your list, you master of all things comedy.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
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.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Blame technology
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Blame technology
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It's quite simple really...
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.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The Aristocrats!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: The Aristocrats!
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.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: The Aristocrats!
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.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
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!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Lets Blame Technology - The TV Show
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
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Given the title...
Now this is more plausible. I know when I get bored at live shows I start texting.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
hmm..
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
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!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Dane Cook Sucks A Big One
[ link to this | view in chronology ]