Funny ?
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I was in a christian book store today and saw that it was filling up rather quickly and wondered what was going on. it turned out that there was going to be a christian comic performing and thought to myself “this gunna suck, time to get outta here!”
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I remember back in the day, i used to be a good little church boy, and would try(and i do mean try) to stick to good godly entertainment that is good for my soul including christian comics. i always loved the edgy and fowl mouthed style of comedy as i thought, the real artist of any sort is in part running on rebellion and the anger of questioning, especially when stupid makes policy. as Bill Maher said, the jokes are where the ideas make no sense(my phrasing). it’s often and angry persons game and the christian comic has no bite of the art.
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I find what you get from the blessed comic is the observational Seinfeld level of comedy and the worst part of it is, it’s lowbrow stuff. i do find a lot of comics to use profanity to the point of where in has no place in the art of confrontation — it’s the hard landing after the groove keeps you in the motion and the swear is the china cymbal hit after a nice swift kicking fill makes your breath stand still. it is the music of sweet challenge to the for conventional wisdom. it is rebel heart at it’s most eloquent.
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I wonder why there is no Steven Wright in the christian world, and i can tell you why..it would tear at the fabric of tent prayers waiting for fire of tongues to offer silence till the translation comes in(when someone would speak in tongues, someone would have to translate what was said..yep, it’s biblical). you can ‘t have it both ways in a world of just one colour. theology is more open-ended than these follow the leader believers that can’t know there is woods apart from the trees.
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And comedy don’t run in pale shades.
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I could be the Mr. Wright of the christian world but i never could be as ain’t a christian! GET IT?! subversion and the right to step over well considered lines is another part of the problem for the blessed humourist. if it can never go the tried and true than where can you go but on the diminishing scales of fundamentalism where your sandwich keeps getting more than just the crusts cut off.
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The great George Carlin could do the most amazing runs of language without a cursory word necessary..it really is very fine art to make that kind comedy have the power of where the usually graphic or sometimes sinister ideas of comedy goes which i find harder to see the laugh in. concise precision engineering with the perfect flow by the words and content made to a divine spark in ideas meant for transport to send the senses on an adventure of where awe and artistry mingle in the orator composing a song of linguistic richness that is rhythm and life we all desire to make a part of our life experiences.
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That is what the truly great do.
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In all the years i watched comics, i never stopped watching the true artists of oration regardless of the content(soon i couldn’t find a good reason to not listen to secular music either — what’s great is great). when i first saw Lewis Black on the Conan O’Brien show back in the nineties, i knew i saw greatness. anger with ideas and the flow and wit to match the ideas — he was great, and still is. the great Carlin knew it too when he saw him..great minds and expressors just know. i like to think of good stand up comics as Lecturers Of Levity. as a good stand up comic is giving a lecture with a lot of laughs and astute insight that hopes for a better tomorrow, as long as you get to piss some people right off. keep the keep the anger and the rage and find the funny venue to deliver it. the perceptive know the way and land the darkness and light with the timing of the joke.
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A princely sum should come to all who can do.
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I have never been the man for funny. i know my place in the comedic pecking order..i’m the straight man, i set em’ up and leave it to the real player of the game to knock em’ down. i can be funny when i don’t try, or as Randy tells me, incidentally funny. Randy is the real deal artist and is damn good stand up comic(apart from other talents), and deserves to be in a successful career with his talents..if there is any justice in the world, he will be. maybe i could be a theological Steven Wright that would be reviled by the believers with little sense of humour or the non believers who wouldn’t know what to do with me..it’s a funny world!
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So, a priest , a nun and a chicken walk into a bar…
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Written on september 30th/2017.