I’ll be the first to admit that I like lowbrow, juvenile humor.
When it comes to things that make me laugh, I’m perpetually a 12-year old boy.
Anything that has to do with pooping, farting or any other underappreciated bodily function is not only fair game, it’s widely encouraged in my book.
Over the years, I’d like to think my humor has become more refined … alas, I actually think I’ve regressed. I still roar at Adam Sandler-esque movies, which is unfortunate. My friend Bill swears I have some form of mild retardation, which would explain my penchant for funny movies with zero redeeming qualities. (Of course, Bill also is positive that Sandler was dropped on his head several times as an infant … and perhaps an adolescent.)
British humor is completely wasted on me. I find most jokes with punch lines unpalatable. But if “Airplane” is on … you can bet I’ll be fixated in front of the TV with tears streaming down my face. And keep in mind, I’ve seen that film hundreds of times. (That scene where the singing stewardess knocks the IV out of the dying girls arm often makes me pee my pants. Truly.)
I have yet to find a stand-up comedian that makes me chortle and guffaw out loud. Oh sure, Margaret Cho makes me smirk introspectively. And Tosh 2.0 makes me smile from time to time. He also causes me to be pensive, which is never a good sign for a comedian. I spend too much time thinking about what the comedian is really saying to enjoy the humor. There’s always some underlying message. No wonder I love that scene in “Dumb & Dumber” where Jeff Daniels battles raging diarrhea while at a fancy-schmancy mansion. You don’t have to think … you just have to laugh.
I also seem to gravitate to humor that is usually feigned at someone else’s expense … like those infernal “Jackass” movies. It’s got all its craptastic bases covered. “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” has no sense of purpose either. The characters are wholly unlikable. And that’s why I love it with every fiber of my being. I love it, with my essence. Now I know I should be mired in shame for my love of scatological humor, but I’m tired of hiding it. Mel Brooks said it best when he said, “Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall in to an open sewer grate and die.”
Sewer … that’s hysterical.