On Wednesday night, I performed a joke for the first time about how I don't care for pornography because my mind thinks too deeply about what's actually going on in the scenes plot-wise and the poor artistic choices (directorial close-ups, non-existent acting) that it trumps any interest I could have in the main purpose of pornography. I realized that this is the closest thing I've ever done to a “dick joke.” In actuality, there's no "dick" particularly involved. It was debatable if it was even a joke (On a side note, I lost the recording of this performance. It's been pretty much proven that the combination of an iPhone and the Surly Girl Saloon is suspect).
So, I think deeply, and that brings up a bigger issue. Am I a male comedian at least in this general and humorous way? I guess not. But, part of Laura's joke is that we also define ourselves in certain ways as comedians. Female comedians are always comediennes and defined that way as if it is some special and rare moment in a show's night when they appear (most likely because the crowd has been subjected to all these damn male “dick jokes” the whole time). I've been lucky enough to have my label not be male comedian but rather Indian comedian. So, we've learned that race wins against gender at least in comedy classifications!
It made me wonder. Can I write and perform a “dick joke” (by this point, you must be annoyed by “dick joke” in quotation marks, but it's amusing me)? I could pull off writing one, but I don't feel I can pull off performing one. For me, it's not authentic to be talking about those types of subjects up there, so I just don't do it and don't want to. It's never been a part of what I do on stage, and in fact, it doesn't really connect with who I am on stage. If a soft-spoken, dry Indian fellow starts mentioning his “dick,” it could only end up being creepy, right? So, yes, I'll settle on in-depth analysis of pornography's shortcomings, thank you.
However, this choice brings about another issue. As a result of not being able to sell the “dick joke,” I get placed more into the realm of being a “clean comic” rather than a “blue comic” (hey, new labels!). I also get the feeling that there is a kind of hierarchy to “clean comedy” as opposed to “blue comedy” (how many parenthetical statements have I made at this point? More to come!). “Clean comics” have a tendency to label themselves as that. They do it for marketing purposes because there is certainly an audience that wants that type of material. “Blue comics” can label themselves as that as well, but it's almost a warning rather than a benefit. This show will be “X-Rated” or “100% Filthy” gives some type of level to how disgusting things are apparently going to get. Audiences can like it one way or the other (just ask that one audience in West Virginia how much they loved my 5% Filthy).
However, the marketing of “clean comedy” can come off arrogant. The capability of being clean and promoting one's self as that way gives off the impression of “Hey, I don't need profanity to make a crowd laugh.” On the flip side, “blue comedy” has to deal with audience members who may ask them, “Why do you need to swear to make me laugh?”
When it comes down to it, comedy is comedy. The best in “clean comedy” will make you laugh without you ever realizing that they have been entirely clean throughout their whole set (Jim Gaffigan is a fine example). If you're open enough to appreciate comedy for what it is, then you won't care how “blue” a comedian is, as long as they can make you laugh. It's the brilliance and the cleverness of the joke behind it that matters. Personally, your percentage rates on how clean or dirty you are have no effect on how much you make me laugh.
So, what's my main point? I can't tell a "dick joke." I'm not a man. I'm a clean comic, so I'm better than the rest of the world. Such labeling me makes feel poopy (keeping it clean!) and sad.
In conclusion, here's an analogy about blog posts.
Sumukh: Parenthetical Statements :: Golak : Fragments
Visual representation of my act?
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