I Get That You Don’t Get It
If my dad had a rubber toe, his name would be Roberto.
This is a family twist on a classic dad joke. My dad’s name is Robert, so this joke works on two levels. However, my father goes by Bob, which set’s him up for another twist on a classic dad joke.
What do you call my dad in the pool? Bob.
You see, in November of last year, he was diagnosed with ALS, which means he can’t use his arms. While this twist may seem quite dark, it’s the exact type of humor my dad would appreciate.
At a very young age, my father introduced me to Monty Python, the Smother’s Brothers, Laurel & Hardy, and Abbot & Costello. While some of the humor of these comedy icons is based on slapstick, I was always more drawn to use of words and the twists they would put on things to make a situation funny.
If you look at that list, very few of them used standard “punch lines”. Laurel & Hardy were mostly based in physical comedy, however, it was the clever use of props and the seemingly impossible way Stan would fumble his way through a particular gag. Abbot & Costello penned the universally known ‘Who’s on First’ routine. It still holds up today, and could easily go down in history as one of the greatest use of words to create a joke of all time. It’s safe to say very few people of my generation know who the Smother’s Brothers are, but my dad and I used to listen to them on vinyl and on old VHS tapes. Their musical abilities and subtle jabs at the ABC censors flew so far under the radar at the time it’s hard to believe they got away with the material.
While I always enjoyed the aforementioned troupes, the absurdity of Monty Python and the genius of their wit will always be my personal favorite. The twisted views on religion, their sarcasm and thumbing their noses at British society are exceptionally intelligent. Long after my father as sunk to the deep end of the pool, I will cherish the memories of us laughing at The Holy Grail while my mother shook her head and ate her popcorn unamused.
You see, it’s simply not for everyone. Like Scotch, you either appreciate it for what it is and you understand it on a deeper level, or you spit it through the air and question why anyone would drink liquid dirt.
When The Holy Grail was released in the theaters, my dad took my uncle Skip to see it telling him it was hilarious and genius and the best comedy movie he’s ever seen. Twenty minutes into the film, my dad is laughing hysterically while my uncle got up and walked out. I’m sure his exact words were, “I don’t get it.”
What I think would help those of you who don’t get this sort of humor, like “Dad Jokes”, is that often times it’s not the joke or the word’s or the punch line that’s funny, rather it’s the reaction to it.
A perfect example is the film Bull Durham. In the first 15 minutes of the film, Ebby Calvin Laloosh unleashes an inside fastball that drills the right handed batter square in the back. The wild pitch is bad. The wild pitch isn’t funny. Hitting the batter isn’t funny. None of that is funny. What IS funny is the sound of air leaving the batters lungs as he groans and takes his base. It’s funny, because that is exactly sound you make when a 95 mile per hour fast ball drills you in the ribs. I can tell you from first hand experience, it’s not funny. But the reality of this scene and the sound the batter makes is down right hilarious.
Dad jokes are bad. Dad jokes aren’t funny. The punch lines aren’t funny. What’s funny are the moans and groans of the listener. The reaction of the listener to the unbelievably bad joke IS the joke, not the joke itself.
Dad jokes aren’t for your amusement. They are for the bemusement of dad’s everywhere. So, the next time you’ve dug in and you’re staring down a 95 mile per hour dad joke that cuts inside bruising your ribs causing you to groan with pain, just remember, that pitch was not for you.
