James Arthur O'Brien

Has anyone seen this Andy Kaufman video directed by Johnny Legend? What are... more »

Has anyone seen this Andy Kaufman video directed by Johnny Legend? What are your thoughts?

One of the challenging things of this videotape is holding your attention span to it. It totally pays off throughout – and makes the next viewings that much easier. It’s a testament to Kaufman’s humor and love for behavioral social science.

Erica Johnson said:

Yea, I think that that will become a thing here. If the... more »

Erica Johnson said:

Yea, I think that that will become a thing here. If the people here are serious and really working towards being the comedian or actor that they want to become, then they will naturally want to know what people think about their comedy or video. However, the one thing I really hate doing is looking at someone’s “act” or video and critiquing it like that. Comedy is awkward and not enjoyable like that or even more so, not the natural state of comedy which is just doing and being your funny ol’ self and if you are NOT funny then no one laughs or bows down to you or you don’t get calls from your agent saying that such and such wants you and $10 million is on the table.

Does it matter to me as a humorist or comedian to get this kind of feedback? Not in terms of my humor or comedy because you have people OFFLINE who are able to say, “You crack me up” everyday, so I don’t really think I need the formal feedback here, but for feedback on video work, film work, execution and things like that, I think it would be cool if more of that happened. Because the truth is that a few of us are trying to reach the top and we want to become more effective in our delivery.

If you are trying to get to that level, then yes, you care. That’s why there are comedy and acting schools and all our favorite comedians and actors have once done their part at those schools. On stage, in their groups of people like them and a mentor, being observed and instructed. Instructed on what though? There’s only so much instruction you can receive in this area. I believe that the mechanices of working the camera or the audience are the only things that people can be given tips on.

For me personally though, I think it is the directors job to let the actor or comedian know how to deliver and some don’t have to. In terms of stand-up or something, what are we gonna do? Say, “I think you should have said it like this?” I can’t see myself doing that. It’s their comedy, if it ain’t funny to me then they aren’t funny to me. As a director though, yea, you see that this person is funny, but you want them to bring that to the stage a little more effectively.

Erica,

I respect your honesty. I’ll just counter your first paragraph by disagreeing with your statement (and correct me if I’m wrong in the interpretation) that comedy is awkward and not funny if it is analyzed and picked a part. I find that process itself quite amusing and enhancing to the humor. I think it improves the people who create the humor and makes the humorist appreciate the work of others more. It’s no different than looking at art for it’s aesthetic values, appreciating it, and educating yourself about it in order to better yourself – the same goes for literature, mechanics, anything.

Psychologically humor is a reflexive action. Unless there is a chemical imbalance that disables the understanding of when to laugh (which is mainly conditioned by social contexts) than nothing can impair your ability to laugh.

Thanks for reading.