How to become Funnier?

[Nico Samuel Pleninsek]

Tell your girlfriend that you are taking classes in order to be more funny as a prerequisite to entice her into loving you more on the chance that you believe she will in fact love you more if she views you as funny. Then tell her that you have been asking on a fashion blog about tips on the matter of being more funny, say all this with a stone cold look upon your face; she will laugh.

 

[sho'nuff]

Originally Posted by edmorel

I do a mime routine where I am miming gay sex and it kills everytime. That and calling any person around a c*nt. I mean anyone, regardless of age, 5 year old girls, 89 year old men in wheelchairs. I just recently did this at a bat mitzah and had the people on the floor kitbitzing!

Hahaha

 

[VKK3450]

Drink a lot

You will think that you are funnier even if you arent

K

 

[mr.orange]

Originally Posted by phreak

i have found myself doing this to perfection. when i say something really fkn funny, you and everyone who hears it knows its funny, i will just stoneface it while everyone else laughs.

what it comes down to is acting like you have been there b4

pretty much. you have to be nonchalant but at the same not try to be nonchalant. you have to learn to doublethink.

Originally Posted by Joshua Arson

Laughing at yourself is one thing, being that annoying guy who's always ripping on himself is another. Do it in moderation or you'll come off as having incredibly low self esteem.

hahaha some people come off as sort of desperate when they try to be funny. at that point it's just sad. and you know what's worse? they don't know when to stop so it's like a giant train wreck and basically you just want to die to get the hell out of there.

Originally Posted by West24

i actually make fun of everyone. but i do it in a joking manner, and make fun of myself as well so people dont really get offended. im pretty good at reading people, so i know when i can make sarcastic jabs or just flat out make fun of them, and i know when not to. the worst are people who cant read people, yet think theyre funny when the people are just completely annoyed by it etc.

i have this power as well.

Originally Posted by denimdestroyedmylife

My advice is to try as hard as you can.

Worst advice ever! You might come across as being superfluous (more often that not it's unfunny) but if you're a natural then you can never not be funny (when you want to of course).

FWIW, I've been told I'm a hilarious person from numerous sources. I think it's easier to be funny when you don't try. My advice;go with the flow. You've got to be dynamic as in being able change the convo's topic and still be interesting, people like a smart guy but, not a smart ass so you've got to watch what you say too.

V

 

[willpower]

Read "The Comedy Bible". I'm currently on Revelations.

 

[QBNCGAR]

Originally Posted by HORNS

You've GOT to be self-deprecating. You have to be able to laugh at yourself - if you take yourself too seriously, people will laugh at you, but only behind your back. You must see the humor in daily life - the good and the bad stuff that happens to you. Of course, the bad stuff is the fodder for humor.
+ several hundred thousand. I'd spend as much time as possible watching stand-up comedians. Lots of stuff on YouTube / Netflix. Here are people who are/were funny or very good at making people laugh. Broad spectrum here:

• Bill Hicks
• Dennis Miller (older stuff)
• George Carlin
• Chris Rock
• Richard Jeni
• Sam Kinison
• Bill Cosby
• Richard Pryor
• Richard Belzer
• John Fox
• Kevin Meaney
• Ron White
• Louie Anderson
• John Pinette
• Eddie Izzard
• Rosie O'Donnell
• Paula Poundstone (Cats, Cops & Stuff)
• Eddie Murphy
• Zach Galifianakis (Live at the Purple Onion)
• Buddy Hackett
• Redd Foxx

Here are people who are/were not:

• Gallagher
• Howie Mendell
• Carrot Top
• Andrew "Dice" Clay
• Jerry Seinfeld
• Dana Carvey
• Roseanne Barr
• Billy Crystal
• Whoopie Goldberg
• Roseanne Barr (twice, because she's that big)

There are names I excluded from both lists intentionally, and others unintentionally - an argument may ensue...my apologies. One easy way to see a masterclass in the "timing" someone talked about is to watch Wendy Liebman. Her act is nothing without impeccable timing, which is like walking a tightrope 400' up without a net...she dances on it. There's always good natured ball-busting, which if you have great relationships with people can be a lot of fun. Look for Jeffrey Ross or Greg Giraldo, or any Comedy Central Roast clips on YouTube. The roasts of Heffner and Bob Saget are noteworthy for starters. Finally, disclaimer (VNSFW), look for "The Aristocrats" on YouTube. That's blue as it gets, highlights many of the living greats and sickest minds (Doug Stanhope's version is truly epic if for no other reason that he uses the term shillelagh to describe a penis), and gives you some insight about what it means to be a comic. There are lots of funny people who cannot do stand-up, and lots of stand-ups who are miserable bastards at parties. Don't necessarily try to emulate a comedian. You should find plenty of stuff you can steal and tweak for your own uses amongst what these folks have on offer. None of it is especially dry, and if you're a more reserved individual, you may struggle with pulling this stuff off. "Dry" is perhaps best embodied by John Cleese, who remarked of Steve Coogan (who he spotted driving a Ferrari while working with him on a film)... [Coogan] once did a film with John Cleese–Wind in the Willows–and at the time drove a red Ferrari, the Magnum PI model. Cleese saw him driving off one day and said to the producer: Who’s driving that Ferrari? “Steve Coogan.” “He’s a very very talented young man, isn’t he?” “Yeah, he is.” “I do hope he gets cancer.”

 

[gauche.story]

Originally Posted by QBNCGAR

• Bill Hicks
  
• Dennis Miller (older stuff)
  
• George Carlin
  
• Chris Rock
  
• Richard Jeni
  
• Sam Kinison
  
• Bill Cosby
  
• Richard Pryor
  
• Richard Belzer
  
• John Fox
  
• Kevin Meaney
  
• Ron White
  
• Louie Anderson
  
• John Pinette
  
• Eddie Izzard
  
• Rosie O'Donnell
  
• Paula Poundstone (Cats, Cops & Stuff)
  
• Eddie Murphy
  
• Zach Galifianakis (Live at the Purple Onion)
  
• Buddy Hackett
  
• Redd Foxx

Here are people who are/were not:

• Gallagher
  
• Howie Mendell
  
• Carrot Top
  
• Andrew "Dice" Clay
  
• Jerry Seinfeld
  
• Dana Carvey
  
• Roseanne Barr
  
• Billy Crystal
  
• Whoopie Goldberg
  
• Roseanne Barr (twice, because she's that big)

You have terrible, undiscerning taste in comedy. Some of the comedians you recommend are crap, others that you say are bad, are actually amazing.

Seinfeld is funny, no one writes a tighter joke. Roseanne Barr's show was some of the best writing on TV.

Also, Ron White, Louie Anderson, Sam Kinison, and Rosie O'Donnell are not at all funny. They just do super broad bullshit.

If OP wants to become funnier, then check out Louis CK. He exposes a very vulnerable side to himself that allows for the laughs. You would laugh if someone else did his material, but when he does it, you cry.

Also, Paul F Tompkins is pretty epic as of late.

 

[QBNCGAR]

Well, I said an argument may ensue.

Paul F. Tompkins was intentionally omitted as I've not heard enough of him, but he is a very funny guy and I follow his writing with interest. He's as dry an American comedian as I can tolerate. "Uncle" Larry Reeb could be mistaken for dry, but was actually just slow (almost like a more sane version of Emo Philips).

Jerry Seinfeld's act is a matter of taste, pure and simple. "Why are fish always in such good shape? They eat fish." You either love that or you don't. I don't. I'd rather listen to Bruce Baum.

The "super broad bullshit" is exactly the kind of stuff that makes it easy to be funny at a party (or are we now trying to program the next supercomic?) Those folks can be funny without seeming overly pompous or elitist. If you want to be pompous and elitist, you mimic Dennis Miller. Note I mentioned it was a broad spectrum...not just of material, but of delivery. Lots to pick and choose from there.

 

[willpower]

Don Rickles is God - incredible, amazing delivery.
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[kiya]

Watch Jim Carrey movies over and over again.

 

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by kiya

Watch Jim Carrey movies over and over again.

The threak isn't about becoming dumber.

 

[howbah]

Originally Posted by willpower

Don Rickles is God - incredible, amazing delivery.

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Don Rickles

Bob Newhart

Tommy Cooper


there are so many different ways to be funny.


but none of them can be learned.

 

[lemmywinks]

I have been an active member on many forums and everywhere I go people tend to hate me.

Luckily real life is not a forum. I am actually a really funny guy and a lot of people tell me that I'm probably one of the funniest guys they have ever met. I guess I am naturally pretty funny but it really depends on who I'm with. One thing for me is that a lot of things just naturally come up, and like some people said, it's all about timing and execution. Having a reputation to be funny is great too.

I used to know this ******** that nobody likes and she'd always make jokes in Spanish class and people would just be silent when she tries to make a joke. Curious, I took the exact same joke word for word to a completely different crowd and with the right execution, people laughed.

Knowing the people you are trying to make laugh is also very important so you know what type of things to say. I just finished high school but a summer ago I went to some college prep program and I played stupid and asked all these questions about marijuana and I had the whole room laughing their asses off. That time I wasn't even trying that hard.

Another great tip is to keep a straight face when you are about to say something funny. And then when you are about to say something funny and in mid sentence you realize it isn't funny, just start laughing at yourself really hard so people don't see your failure. Or another thing I do is that right when the climax is about to happen just say ...nevermind this story sucks and that usually gets a chuckle.

 

[gauche.story]

Originally Posted by QBNCGAR

If you want to be pompous and elitist, you mimic Dennis Miller.
Dennis Miller is also not funny.

The broader the comedy, the more the person comes off as an ass. Comedy, like fashion, is all about the subtlety. The specificity makes for meaningful laughs and personal style both.

 

[IDirector]

It's about timing and pacing.