alt Hacker NewsWhere does something like this fall into (story-based?):
> I don't stop eating when I'm full. The meal isn't over when I'm full. It's over when I hate myself. (Louis C.K.)
I think the best jokes of the greatest comedians that ever lived were jokes that don't even work when you write them down, its all in the greater context, delivery and timing. One of my favorite types of jokes are references to earlier parts of a show, it feels like more work for the setup intensifies the punch line.
Yes, I think that's what I was intending with regard to the story-based jokes. This joke probably lands best if you can relate to Louis C.K., and in this scenario, Louis is the (self-effacing, charming, relatable) fool. He's the target of his own joke, but he's sharing a common and relatable story, and delivering it well. He could have easily told the same joke, but with another person as the target. The example I gave uses another person as the target, but some of the best comics makes themselves the target, which often plays better with the audience. I guess I think there are at least two notable points here:
- In this case, Louis' delivery is part of what makes it clear that this is a joke. I guess I might say it's an intermixture of tonal and story-telling delivery. It would be possibly to tell the same story, but it would only be depressing and not funny. Part of the delivery is how the humor is conveyed. ie, "I don't really hate myself, I'm being hyperbolic for the sake of humor."
- Separately, I think his joke would be much less relatable if he didn't make himself the target of the joke. He's volunteering himself as the target of the humor, and so not punching down at anyone. It's much harder to be offended when the speaker volunteers the topic and the target.