Comic Timing

Good timing can make or break a joke.  I think we've all experienced situations where somebody made a simple remark that was utterly hilarious not because of what it was, but because of when it was delivered.  The other night I was having dinner with some folks after an event at work, and there was a certain amount of local name-dropping going on.  Somebody mentioned a musician, then somebody else said, "Oh, yeah, I think I saw him play at Shakori Hills."  The first person said, "I used to teach him on the drums."  Then someone else said, "I remember when he used to play with a friend of mine."  The second person said, "Oh, yeah." And then, at exactly the perfect moment person number four breaks in with "He's my son," which of course was not true, but gently poked fun at the one-upmanship going on.  We all burst out laughing.  It was beautiful.

Standup Comedy

On Thursday I went to a local comedy club to support my friend, who was competing to be North Carolina's Funniest Comic.  This was the first round of the competition, and I was pleased to cheer on multiple comedy friends--folks whom I had seen perform several times while giving standup comedy a try myself this past fall.  I decided that for the moment I prefer strapping on a guitar and singing melancholy songs for an audience rather than being funny for them, but I may give comedy another try in the future.  Having tried it, I can say that it is a lot harder than it would seem.  And my friend does it very well.  By audience vote on Thursday he happily advanced to the next round of competition, and I look forward to cheering him on again!