Comedy staples: ...and that was the teachers!

Yesterday I said:
In the past I've tried to just copy the structure of jokes. It's an interesting exercise but I've not had any decent results yet.

As I'm on a comedy holiday and I've got nothing better to talk about, I thought I'd look at a few comedy staples. These are really just old jokes - but as the format rather than the content is re-used they masquerade as original material. Every comic should have try to come up with a few in each category- even if they don't end up using them on stage.

Today I'll look at :
'...and that was just the teachers.'

Format.
1. Set up the scene.
"At my school"
2. Describe negative behavior or speech.
"They used to call me specky."
(The audience assume this action is preformed by the pupils, students, prisoners, babies, animals etc.)
3. Reveal that the negative actions are performed by a typically respected archetype.
"And that was just the teachers."

Lets look at some examples;

The funniest Iranian comedian in the world, Omid Djalili;

'I was doing a gig in New York, and one guy said, 'You're Iranian? You come from Iran- and you're trying to make us laugh! Look buddy, we don't need your kind round here!' ...and that was just passport control.'

Chris Martin- London Comic, recently moved to Newcastle.

'When I said I was coming to Newcastle I was told it was great - 'You'll love it, the girls wear the shortest skirts, it's full of slappers... ' I said, 'Alright Dad, shut up, Mum's listening.'

I'll see if I can think of one by tomorrow- but I am on holiday so maybe not.

By the way, this was all covered very well by Lee and Herring in a spot they called 'Lazy Comedy Whores.' - but I couldn't find a copy to cut and paste.


MY NEXT GIG:
END OF JAN, POSSIBLY NEW STUFF AT THE EGYPT.
FEB, ANOTHER GO AT THE ROYALTY, SUNDERLAND- WITH THE SAME SET AS LAST TIME, BUT SLIMMED DOWN AND TOUGHENED UP.