Why the Funniest Jokes at Edinburgh Fringe Didn’t Make Me Laugh

Delayed in transit with Mr. Z, I aimed to fill precisely one minute. I had decided my role in combating boredom was to span 60 seconds, though the exact reason escapes me now. In that moment, I introduced him to a comedy routine by Ryan Goodcase, specifically “the 60-second countdown joke.” The first time I watched it, I found it hilariously beautiful. However, I quickly recalled that comedy is best shared directly and not supervised or recounted.

For those unable to watch Goodcase’s act, it involves him asking an audience member to count down from 60 in their head, periodically calling out the number they’re at when prompted. While the description diminishes its impact, in context, the joke’s charm is inseparable from its delivery. Standup comedy delicately balances between funny and not-funny, with laughter often a relief that no line was crossed too far.

This delicate balance is even more apparent with puns. A pun might seem self-sufficient, but its real humor often lies in the context. Audiences don’t just laugh at the wordplay; they laugh at the boldness of using such wordplay, reminiscent of an earlier comedic era.

The funniest one-liners from this year’s Edinburgh festival are predominantly puns. While they might have killed in the room, on paper, these jokes often feel lackluster, akin to scrolling through a mid-morning “For You” feed on X, devoid of its former charm. Trying to capture the essence of something as complex as the Beatles with just nine notes would never do them justice, reducing it to something basic like “Love Me Do.”

The “you had to be there” principle should be more rigorously observed when it comes to humor. At the very least, to truly appreciate the joke, watching it on YouTube is essential.

Source: The Guardian