I'm heading to Austin this weekend for the Ladies Are Funny Festival (LAFF). Do we actually need to name a festival that? (See Tina Fey) Are we trying to convince the world that ladies are indeed funny contrary to popular opinion or the roles they get in male comedies where they play the humorless-grown-up-arms-crossed-straight-man character for a crazy-man-child who just doesn't want to grow up and has all the fun?
Jerry Lewis said women aren't funny. That's ironic because I don't think Jerry Lewis is funny--at all(!) however I wouldn't lump him together with all men. A blanket statement like women aren't funny is silly or just plain dumb. Jerry Lewis isn't funny or at least REALLY not funny to me and that's my point. Someone thinks he's funny. French people love him but I'm getting off the track.
The group I'm performing with this weekend is the improv group "Dishwater Blondes". We have a blast. We're 6 women and we'll play men, children, whatever. It's not all gender defined so it keeps the audience on their toes so to speak. Maybe neither gender is funny when we are just being our gender and playing it too safe. Maybe women aren't funny when they lose their sense of humor because they're exhausted from childcare and balancing work and home life and all that. Anyone loses their sense of humor if they're not having enough Vitamin W as my sister says (vitamin WACKY!) I know my dad lacked a sense of humor sometimes because when I was little I'd do things like change the color on the TV to make people's faces either green or orange. My dad said, "I'm gonna find out which one of you kids is COLOR BLIND!" Hey easy does it here. Maybe one of your kids is just a little WEIRD and I'm not naming names but she's your middle child? Left handed? Plays violin? Blind as a bat?
I don't have any real point here. I think both men and women can be hilarious or not into laughter of any kind. I'll usually throw out a few lines or say something using a different character voice at some point when I'm meeting someone new because that's how exist in the world. I can't help it. I have to make light of things or I shall perish! Perish I tell you!!! Anyway if someone just isn't listening or isn't amused and goes right on with his or her topic I just let it slide. Why force it if someone doesn't want the wacky? It's all good. Humor is very personal. I'm always laughing in the movies when no one else is. I'm not worried...as long as I'm laughing.
