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When I was just a bit younger I was into pretty "edgy" comedy. Every once in a while I would even be attracted to the comedies which were built around shock; things like cursing, nudity, physical violence. For example, those MTV shows that came on for a while I ate up: "Jackass," "Viva la Bam," etc. Those were completely billed as shows about people hurting themselves and others. Mean spirited pranks. Of course movies are full of this stuff, looking at most films about college life or young people in general. Nudity and slapstick abound, as well as a healthy amount of cursing. All the "good ones" were rated R. When they came out on DVD you had to get the "special UNRATED version."
I liked stand-up comedy a lot, I still do honestly. My favorite stand-ups were the angry stand-ups, the complainers, the "edgy" ones. While I couldn't quite get into acts like "Dice" Clay, I watched folks like Denis Leary and Lewis Black. While they did have some interesting and funny material, a lot of it boils down to screaming, and in some cases cursing. I think that's also what's most popular now. I've gotten quite a few laughs from shows like "Bananas" which are family friendly stand-up shows. I know "Bananas" has a religious affiliation, but that's not why I like it, and the material usually isn't geared that way either. It's just not "edgy."
It wasn't until I met Sam that I started to turn things around a bit myself. I still found those things funny, don't get me wrong, but I started thinking about it more. Now, when I catch parts of "Family Guy" and "South Park" I sort of wonder why I found those things funny as a kid. It just seems frivolous and kind of silly. That's not to say I'm "above" anything. I laugh for some comedies on primetime TV, I like "Two and a Half Men" and "Big Bang Theory" but those are things I connect with to some degree (similar experiences) or occasionally the meat of a joke. I have noticed a lot of my tastes changing though.
I find older, what some might argue are more "wholesome," things funnier now. For stand-up I've found Bob Newhart, and he's a blast. We have been renting copies of "Candid Camera," and those are funny to me. The jokes and set-ups aren't malicious, just a little silly. The funny parts are fully the people's reactions, not the set-up like with other hidden camera shows nowadays. I would recommend "Candid Camera" to anyone. It was also a more innocent time. There are things they've done on that show which would be frowned upon today. It's okay to beat people up for entertainment, but it's not okay to ask a little girl for a kiss on the cheek. What happened?
It seems like entertainment in most forms is losing substance in favor of cliches. Not to dwell on the past too much here, but it seems like that's where the real fulfilling entertainment is.
I liked stand-up comedy a lot, I still do honestly. My favorite stand-ups were the angry stand-ups, the complainers, the "edgy" ones. While I couldn't quite get into acts like "Dice" Clay, I watched folks like Denis Leary and Lewis Black. While they did have some interesting and funny material, a lot of it boils down to screaming, and in some cases cursing. I think that's also what's most popular now. I've gotten quite a few laughs from shows like "Bananas" which are family friendly stand-up shows. I know "Bananas" has a religious affiliation, but that's not why I like it, and the material usually isn't geared that way either. It's just not "edgy."
It wasn't until I met Sam that I started to turn things around a bit myself. I still found those things funny, don't get me wrong, but I started thinking about it more. Now, when I catch parts of "Family Guy" and "South Park" I sort of wonder why I found those things funny as a kid. It just seems frivolous and kind of silly. That's not to say I'm "above" anything. I laugh for some comedies on primetime TV, I like "Two and a Half Men" and "Big Bang Theory" but those are things I connect with to some degree (similar experiences) or occasionally the meat of a joke. I have noticed a lot of my tastes changing though.
I find older, what some might argue are more "wholesome," things funnier now. For stand-up I've found Bob Newhart, and he's a blast. We have been renting copies of "Candid Camera," and those are funny to me. The jokes and set-ups aren't malicious, just a little silly. The funny parts are fully the people's reactions, not the set-up like with other hidden camera shows nowadays. I would recommend "Candid Camera" to anyone. It was also a more innocent time. There are things they've done on that show which would be frowned upon today. It's okay to beat people up for entertainment, but it's not okay to ask a little girl for a kiss on the cheek. What happened?
It seems like entertainment in most forms is losing substance in favor of cliches. Not to dwell on the past too much here, but it seems like that's where the real fulfilling entertainment is.
