(A version of this blog was originally published on Pete’s blog.) Pete saw that Matt Kirshen (@mattkirshen) was performing at Denver’s Comedy Works and cornered him in the alley. Pete asked him: Is good comedy a conspiracy? Matt’s observation is reminiscent of the “minimal groups paradigm” in the psychology literature. Basically, you can take a [...]
As part of our global expedition exploring what makes things funny, we’re grilling humorists about the science behind scoring laughs. Doug Stanhope is a mess. A thrilling and beautiful mess, that is, a maelstrom of vitriol, fury and alcohol that represents, depending on your perspective, either the high- or low-point of standup’s grimy and dangerous [...]
The Just For Laughs festival in Montrealisn’t just the world’s biggest comedy festival; in the freewheeling world of stand-up, it’s one of the few proven methods left for up-and-comers to really make it big. That’s why it’s a big deal to be among the handful chosen each year to be one of Just For Laughs’ [...]
As part of our global expedition exploring what makes things funny, we are grilling humorists about the science behind scoring laughs. Folks are a-twitter over all the ladies taking over comedy these days. Chelsea Hander. Amy Sedaris. Kristin Wiig. Lena Dunham. Does this mean the women of comedy are finally getting their due? Probably not, [...]
As part of our global expedition exploring what makes things funny, we’re grilling humorists about the science behind scoring laughs. You’ve likely spotted Jordan Brady in small roles on television shows like Baywatch, Dream On, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose and Who’s the Boss? Or maybe, years ago, you caught him hosting the MTV game show [...]
Here at the Humor Code world headquarters, we’ve long struggled with the concept of stand-up comedy. Of all the types of humor to study, it’s likely the most obvious, the most discussed, the most written about, the most filmed. Folks far more experienced than us have already deconstructed the subject every which way. So you [...]
