Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
Someone will see those words somewhere and get possessed by a demonic history teacher, then methodically start to type, “Well, actually …” Don’t be that person. It’s a joke, like the line about curing COVID with a nitroglycerin enema.
Watch this instead:
We all hate it when a joke goes over our heads, even a dumb movie reference. Yeah, you can Google it or someone can have mercy on your pathetic soul and explain it, but it’s never funny by then. You feel like you picked the wrong week to give up sniffing glue.
In an episode of “The Lowe Post” podcast, Brendan Hunt describes how “Ted Lasso” played off of a joke from “Fletch,” a 1985 Chevy Chase movie. The darts scene that I linked to in an earlier column has an homage to Mandy Patinkin from “The Princess Bride” — “Oh, wait a second. I forgot I’m left-handed.”
It doesn’t bother Hunt that those jokes will probably sail past most of the audience, as long as they don’t bog things down. “Basically 100% of our jokes will not be gotten by 100% of the people, so we don’t mind if 10% of the jokes are only gotten by 2% of the people, as long as it’s a different 2% every time.”
But not being in on the joke is a tough adjustment for Baby Boomers as we hop from hip to hip-hop to hip replacement. Sure, our parents might have told jokes we didn’t get, but they were old. We just rolled our eyes and moved on, secure in the knowledge that we were the darling demographic that entertainers focused on, advertisers drooled over and punchlines catered to.
Now the jokes and GIFs and memes fly over our heads like an Orson Welles radio broadcast. As Millennials spit out big bucks and Gen Zers take over as cutting-edge consumers, Madison Avenue has left us uncoveted. These days, the only drool comes from us.
Some words of comfort, in a monkey’s paw sort of way: We haven’t suddenly become clueless. We’ve been clueless all along.
OK, maybe not so oblivious that we would play “Fortunate Son” at a Donald Trump rally, but we’re certainly used to seeing the world through white-colored glasses. Before the country became more diverse and the internet helped people understand pop culture references, lots of people in media and entertainment played a game of “Will it play in Peoria?” If, for example, a (white) 60-year-old boss — or his (whiter than white) great-great-great-great grandmother — didn’t get a joke, it didn’t get in.
That was true even in the Bay Area. I can only imagine how bad it was in, well, Peoria.
So you had to be a bit subversive. I’m guessing that most studio executives who heard this finale from “Sister Act 2” didn’t realize that it was not only an ode to Beethoven, but to Naughty by Nature.
Those under 40 now embrace a device that virtually ensures that every joke either goes over everyone’s head or gets flogged to within an inch of its life. They call it “Twitter.”
Jokes can be too abrupt, sarcasm too subtle, scrutiny too intense. People will see a tweet about potholes and suddenly become roads scholars.
Sometimes, too, comedians will have running gags, like Abby Govindan tweeting that she created “Emily in Paris” (not even close). Regular followers will smile, but those who see an isolated tweet can look like idiots. Consider the time Patton Oswalt did this:
Well, actually … it was part of a string of tweets he did that day, breaking up thoughts and even words (like, say, “ROLAIDS”) to have a little fun. Some jokes are worth it, even if they play hard to get.
Murphy Slaw
Something old: Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died this week at age 80. Here’s a tale about how he gave Mick Jagger some perspective — and a punch in the face.
Something new: Sometimes sports goes beyond wins and losses. Like this. (There’s a video beyond that white space, I swear. Take a leap of faith and press “play.”)
Something borrowed: He’s better known as an actor these days, but John Cena was a huge star in professional wrestling. Yeah, I know that’s acting, too, but his motto of “never give up” helped people get through some brutal times, and their gratitude is far deeper than ordinary fandom.
Something blue: We’ve all had days like this. Or months. Or (so far) decades.