Never Let The Truth Ruin A Good Story

If you read Truth In Comedy, or my other posts that discuss the importance of truth, this may appear to be a contradiction, but it’s not.

Think about when you were a kid and got in trouble for kicking your brother, and your defense was “But you told me not to hit him. I didn’t hit him.” To which your Dad probably replied “You know what I meant.” and you got whopped anyway.

I stopped in at a bar last night and the guy next to me says, “Hey! you got any naked pictures of your wife?” I was offended, I said “No. Of course not.” So he asks me, “Do you want some?”  – Rodney Dangerfield

Lying, all of it.

…to a strict interpreter of fact and experience, but strict interpretation seldom makes good humor. You have to look at the world from a different perspective, and when the world isn’t quite bent enough, add a little twist of your own.

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Has very little meaning when it comes to humor, and is routinely ignored.

Barrack Obama is probably not the boy band of politics but the similarities are there waiting to be used, and besides a vague, physical resemblance to Bob Keeshan, John McCain is not like Captain Kangaroo at all.

The Map Is Not The Territory *

in YHBT we talked about how important it is to set the scene, to bring the audience into the moment of humor. In order to do this, we may have to combine multiple visits to a location, even multiple locations. Add people who weren’t there and have them say things they didn’t say. Change the time, the day, the way the sun came in the window. We are creating a scene, a work of fiction. The world is a pallet of ideas, characters, and situations, all waiting to be recombined.

It’s a little like street drag-racing. If you don’t modify your bone-stock Camry “because it didn’t come that way” (truth) you’ll lose every time. But if you squeeze a big Lexux UZFE V8 under the hood and leave the car looking bone-stock… you could have avery successful career. At least before you’re arrested for illegal racing and thrown in the slammer.

All True, Or Very Well Could Be

I would guess most humorists were very good liars growing up. It just seems to come naturally to some of us. Once you start thinking this way, you look for the details that set the scene, and the adjustments to the truth… that help your audience sit behind the wheel of that hot Camry,

When have you stretched the truth for a laugh? Let me know in the comments.

And truthfully, subscribing for free, has been shown to reduce stress and increase your endorphin level.