Monday, February 7, 2011

I Kind of Get the Whole Comedian Thing...

Here’s a pickle. I like to laugh, and I like it when I am enjoying a conversation with someone and we’re laughing. 
Yet, I spend so much time overanalyzing, as someone put it, the only way to laugh is to just not think. 
“Did you buy the wine,” said my friend, as we got back to our hotel room on my recent trip to Hawaii. 
“No, I thought you bought the wine.”

“Well, I can’t find it,” she said. Then I reached into my bag and pulled out the perfume I had bought for a friend, and myself, and some lotions, too. I smelled each one of them. Every time I smell perfume I immediately think of Natalie Wood, thanks to a story my Dad has told hundreds of times, and then a friend of mine who once wanted to make perfume for a living. My mind starts to wander and then...
“I bought the wine!” my friend shouts from somewhere deep into her bag, laughing. I walk over to her side of the room and sure enough, she’s holding the bottle of Pineapple wine. We just started laughing. It was the most mundane moment ever, but to us, it was completely hilarious.
I suppose this is a spin-off of that whole nothingness notion I wrote about last.
The point is, I understand why comedians are funny. The whole “walk a mile in my shoes” thing isn’t really what it’s about. It’s about leaping yourself out of the situation you’re in and looking at it as an outsider. 
I completely laugh aloud when I watch “Chelsea Lately.” I’ve seen her comedic routine twice in person, and have rolled over laughing. It’s the kind of comedy that I’d never let my children listen to (I don’t have children, but if I did), and the kind I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I do like. Yet, I just get it. Chelsea Handler makes perfect sense.
As I write this, I recognize that it’s not my place to be the funny one. You have No Shopping Liz and OhNoaG for that. I philosophize publicly. However, when you get to know me, we’ll be laughing. Perhaps, even, as my closest friends know, you’ll get to hear what they affectionately call (or so I believe), “Annie noises.” 
In fact, I went to San Diego in September and my best friend picked me up from the airport. I wasn’t in the car more than thirty seconds when she said, “yay, Annie noises!”
So, if you’re looking for the nugget to put on your bulletin board (Liz, this is for you), then the point is that you can’t laugh at anyone else, until you can laugh at yourself. Then, of course, you can laugh at anything. 
Point retracted. It’s not that everything is funny, it’s just that we own our reactions to everything. If it’s funny to us, we know why. If it’s hurting someone else, they know why. (But, we all don't know everything.) So, laugh with respect to those who may be humbly hurt. It’s a lesson I’m learning every day.... 
p.s. As I write this, I chat online on Facebook with an ex from 2003. He says, “lol. You’re funny.” I wasn’t even trying. 

Good news. 

2 comments:

  1. *pulling out my sharpie and note card* thanks for the wonderful addition to my Annie board.

    I can't wait to hear me some Annie noises. You ARE funny, and smart and witty and oh-so-generous.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That was simply delightful.

    A) Thank you. You're so kind.
    B) I BOUGHT THE MOTHAFUCKIN' WINE.
    C) I agree with Liz. You are funny!

    ReplyDelete

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