Comedy Questions

Your Seventh Sense

1) What' a premise?
A premise can be the same as a topic, but a premise can also be more specific than a topic. For instance: I hate vegtables is a topic. "I hate my mother for making me eat vegatables as a kid" is a premise because it is situational and specific.
2) Is there a difference between premise and topic? Yes, a premise is specific and situational
3) Is the premise the set-up? It can be, or it can be the lead-in to the set-up. Premise :I hate my mother for making me eat vegtables as a kid. Set-up: One time I ate so many vegtables Punchline: I told corny jokes for a week.
4) Do you have to include what's funny in the premise (No, it can be informational only, it's role is to set the stage for the joke)
5) How do you arrive at a premise? Look around, what do you think is funny, sad, frustrating, etc. You pick the premise from your experiences, past and present.
6) What's the differnce between POV and Attitude: POV is a perspective, Attitude is an emotion. POV: I hate the subway Attitude: The frigin' subway makes me crazy.

Unmistakable Message From God

Some guy on the internet has matched hurricane patterns in Florida to
counties that voted for George W. Bush in 2000.

The path of the hurricanes matches bush counties.

"This is no longer a coincidence," he writes. "It is an unmistakable
message from God."
Source: Rocky Mountain News, Sept 30, 2004.

Political Advice from Rock Stars

Alice Cooper was quoted in today's Rocky Mountain News saying:
"If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who
to vote for,..."

I probably should have stopped reading right there.

"...you're a bigger moron than they are. Besides, when I read the list of
people who are supporting Kerry, if I wasn't already a Bush supporter, I
would have immediately switched. Linda Ronstadt? Don Henley? Geez, that's
a good reason right there to vote for Bush."

As if Alice Cooper supporting Bush isn't a good reason for voting for Kerry?
I love pretzel logic.

Top Ten Lists

Letterman does it, why shouldn't you?
My coauthor, Karyn Ruth, is a stand up comedian, but I'm a thinker boy.
How do you take a corporate subject like Six Sigma and make it funny?
1. make a list of all of the keywords in your subject (e.g., defects,
scrap, house of quality)
2. make a list of related or current topics (e.g., elections, landfills, etc.)
3. state a premise...Top 10 ways you know you need Six Sigma
4. create a bunch of possible comparisons:
"The end of your production line has more scrap than a New Jersey dump."
5. Narrow it down to your favorite ten.
Six Sigma Top Ten List

Medical Marijuana Growers Seek Joint Resolution

This headline was in yesterday's Rocky Mountain News.
There are some subtle wits living in every newspaper, aren't there?
Every direct marketer knows that the headline determines 80% of your
readership.
How can you craft funnier headlines for everything you write?

Anti-Anti-Depressants

Today's newspaper reported that anti-depressants like Prozac have been
linked to teen suicides.
Aren't they supposed to prevent depression?
Or is it just that teens have to reject everything that works for their parents?

Sexiest Newscaster

A Playgirl poll named MSNBC newscaster, Keith Olbermann the sexiest newscaster.

Olberman said: "My only interest was that I finish ahead of Andy Rooney."
Rooney came in fifth.

Your Seventh Sense