It seems to me that a fine prank should have elements of nuance and surprise. Sitting naked on a birthday cake is a blunt force attempt at humor that perhaps only a Yankee fan would find amusing.
I think it is more important for those Minaj stories to be true (or at least be a whole lot closer to the truth) than it is for “What’s New Pussycat” to be true. But I also want there to be real people, who went home and told the family about how the juke box kept playing that one song. And years later their kids saw Mulaney tell the story and they play the clip back for the person who was there. I don’t know why I want that, but I do.
The minute I saw & heard the new Speaker, I thought of Walt Kelly's Deacon Mushrat, with Gym Jordan as Molester Mole, the Jack Acid Society. On and on, backwards into the dark.
I cannot read that perfect Marjorie Williams piece without sobbing; in fact, as soon as I saw the link, tears flooded my eyes. I highly recommend the collection of her work called The Woman at the Washington Zoo.
I guess that one way I think about comedians telling stories is to wonder if the "character" to which things happened is identical to the character behind that. To what extent is the comedian a persona created by an artist. I understand that these characters are close but are they identical? Many of my students struggle to believe that authors writing in first-person are not necessarily that person. I try to give comics a lot of leeway here--but I think Minhaj probably abuses where my sense of a limit to this ends.
When I answered “in limited circumstances” to the poll question about whether it’s okay for a comedian to invent something, I was thinking about time-frame deceptions, like a comic setting up a story with “at the airport on the way here,” or “the other day…” when actually they’ve been telling the story that follows for months. Those phrases make everything sound more spontaneous, rather than part of an established hour, and gets the comic quickly to the meat of the story. I do think the examples given from the Minhaj story fall on the far side of the line where the embellishments actually make a material difference, for the reasons you articulated. I’m not sure I saw it quite that clearly when I first heard about it, though.
The hearing-aid prank is similar to another one in "The Compleat Practical Joker" where a radio personality stopped speaking midway through a story. He was still mouthing, gesturing, etc., but not making noise. He watched the engineers frantically checking the equipment for a few minutes, then started speaking again--in the middle of another story.
Forgot to send in a group office prank from my time in California. Our company was moving to a new building, so we all had to pack up our stuff. They provided boxes and labels. On the labels, we were supposed to put our new office numbers. One guy had some trash and put it in an extra moving box. That's when he got the idea to put a label on it with the office number of someone he didn't like. Soon after, everyone on the floor did the same. Moving day came and we all went over to unpack. His office was filled with shipping boxes. They were all mixed up, so he had to open every one of them to figure out where his stuff had gone.
"The Halloween of My Dreams" has been in my mind regularly since it was first published. I bought her book specifically for that piece, and I re-read it every year or two.
For those still oddly intrigued with the Cornell "squash on the spire" prank, here's a full retelling (with a detailed description of how it was done --- no helicopters or weather balloons involved).
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
It may be instructive that Mike Johnson --- the House speaker for now --- whom you unerringly trash --- wrote a series of deeply homophobic editorials as a lawyer for a rabid right legal group. One of them, railing against equal protection under the law for same-sex relationships, allowed as how that could lead to people marrying their pets. This "editorial" showed up in a Shreveport LA newspaper, without disclaimer. --- although he now claims he either can't remember everything he wrote or said at the time or wrote stuff then for effect.
Yes, the stunt is common. There was a teacher in my high school who could be rather arrogant. He also coached the cross country and track teams, where he was known for his grueling practices. One day in late October, the cross country team decided to pay him back. They knew where the teacher lived. They recruited the football team to carry the coach's VW Bug from it's parking place at the curb to the coach's front porch.
Yes, I recall a similar event with a VW bug. It belonged to the youth minister who accompanied our college youth group on a retreat. The guys, IIRC, put it on top of a building. And of course my grandfather used to tell of buggies being put on top of barns on Halloween.
Re the Cornell tower: Could that cat have possibly been alive in 1997?
HAHAHA.
It seems to me that a fine prank should have elements of nuance and surprise. Sitting naked on a birthday cake is a blunt force attempt at humor that perhaps only a Yankee fan would find amusing.
That hearing aid prank was nasty. Most pranks played on one person are nasty, it seems to me.
A pumpkin on a tower: brilliant! Practical jokes targeting specific people? Nasty.
I think it is more important for those Minaj stories to be true (or at least be a whole lot closer to the truth) than it is for “What’s New Pussycat” to be true. But I also want there to be real people, who went home and told the family about how the juke box kept playing that one song. And years later their kids saw Mulaney tell the story and they play the clip back for the person who was there. I don’t know why I want that, but I do.
The minute I saw & heard the new Speaker, I thought of Walt Kelly's Deacon Mushrat, with Gym Jordan as Molester Mole, the Jack Acid Society. On and on, backwards into the dark.
I cannot read that perfect Marjorie Williams piece without sobbing; in fact, as soon as I saw the link, tears flooded my eyes. I highly recommend the collection of her work called The Woman at the Washington Zoo.
I guess that one way I think about comedians telling stories is to wonder if the "character" to which things happened is identical to the character behind that. To what extent is the comedian a persona created by an artist. I understand that these characters are close but are they identical? Many of my students struggle to believe that authors writing in first-person are not necessarily that person. I try to give comics a lot of leeway here--but I think Minhaj probably abuses where my sense of a limit to this ends.
When I answered “in limited circumstances” to the poll question about whether it’s okay for a comedian to invent something, I was thinking about time-frame deceptions, like a comic setting up a story with “at the airport on the way here,” or “the other day…” when actually they’ve been telling the story that follows for months. Those phrases make everything sound more spontaneous, rather than part of an established hour, and gets the comic quickly to the meat of the story. I do think the examples given from the Minhaj story fall on the far side of the line where the embellishments actually make a material difference, for the reasons you articulated. I’m not sure I saw it quite that clearly when I first heard about it, though.
The hearing-aid prank is similar to another one in "The Compleat Practical Joker" where a radio personality stopped speaking midway through a story. He was still mouthing, gesturing, etc., but not making noise. He watched the engineers frantically checking the equipment for a few minutes, then started speaking again--in the middle of another story.
Yeah, but this guy had hearing aids. Not nice.
Forgot to send in a group office prank from my time in California. Our company was moving to a new building, so we all had to pack up our stuff. They provided boxes and labels. On the labels, we were supposed to put our new office numbers. One guy had some trash and put it in an extra moving box. That's when he got the idea to put a label on it with the office number of someone he didn't like. Soon after, everyone on the floor did the same. Moving day came and we all went over to unpack. His office was filled with shipping boxes. They were all mixed up, so he had to open every one of them to figure out where his stuff had gone.
I'd like to know who the people are that would NEVER answer a poll that answered "yes."
Smart asses. Such as myself.
Ahem.
Brave, you are.
Me. From a sense of irony and all the polls I see that say "click on this" and then "give us money." They do not want my opinion. And I go away.
"The Halloween of My Dreams" has been in my mind regularly since it was first published. I bought her book specifically for that piece, and I re-read it every year or two.
For those still oddly intrigued with the Cornell "squash on the spire" prank, here's a full retelling (with a detailed description of how it was done --- no helicopters or weather balloons involved).
https://cornelldailysun.github.io/pumpkin-feature/
James 2:14-16
New International Version
Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
Albert Lubran
Rockville, MD
What is the object of the faith?
It may be instructive that Mike Johnson --- the House speaker for now --- whom you unerringly trash --- wrote a series of deeply homophobic editorials as a lawyer for a rabid right legal group. One of them, railing against equal protection under the law for same-sex relationships, allowed as how that could lead to people marrying their pets. This "editorial" showed up in a Shreveport LA newspaper, without disclaimer. --- although he now claims he either can't remember everything he wrote or said at the time or wrote stuff then for effect.
Horse in the Hospital is just wonderful! Thank you, must share.
Oh, and I sent in the story about the VW before I read the Simca story. This must be more common than I knew.
Yes, the stunt is common. There was a teacher in my high school who could be rather arrogant. He also coached the cross country and track teams, where he was known for his grueling practices. One day in late October, the cross country team decided to pay him back. They knew where the teacher lived. They recruited the football team to carry the coach's VW Bug from it's parking place at the curb to the coach's front porch.
I guess so! Thx. In our trick, the jokers had to take the car apart to get it into the school cafeteria, then reassemble it. Quite the picture.
Yes, I recall a similar event with a VW bug. It belonged to the youth minister who accompanied our college youth group on a retreat. The guys, IIRC, put it on top of a building. And of course my grandfather used to tell of buggies being put on top of barns on Halloween.
It stretches back to buggies, to bugs! Wow!