Art Chowder January | February 2017, Issue 7 | Page 52

MAKE US LAUGH | Janis V. Bers

ready to diffuse the situation with a snappy little
comeback to kindly put the heckler in their place,
and in doing so gain the support of your audience.
So now to those on-stage “no-no’s”— again both
Nick and Don are in full agreement that the biggest turn-offs are a drunk or drugged-up performer.
There’s nothing funny or appealing about a slurring trashed comic; they come across as annoying, obnoxious and downright offensive! There are
some who rely on a barrage of expletives or foul
language to (falsely) “enhance” or emphasize their
gags. The very occasional “bomb” may be tolerable, but machine-gunning endless swear words not
only alienates your audience, especially women,
but also ends up making you look utterly illiterate;
relying on cursing only shows lack of imaginative
material. This same principal applies to crude sexual content, particularly when it applies to men and
women’s specific body parts and their functions!
Veer away from gags that tend to divide people and
their opinions or beliefs, like, let’s say…POLITICS!
Nick and Don gleefully told me that they never had
to even consider writing sketches for last year’s
farces since all those involved had already created
the biggest global comedy performance of all time!
Don sums everything neatly up in just two words—
show business! Two different principles integrated
into one. The show has to go on professionally with
good preparation, sound, lighting and of course a
polished performance; the business component
has to incorporate good decision-making, financial
considerations, promotions, venues and logistics.

Mark Peterson

So to go out on a grin I invited our two laugh masters to offer up what they considered to be their all
time favorite joke, and here’s Nick’s contribution:
“Did you realize that the State of Washington legalized gay marriage and marijuana on the same
day? Well it actually follows biblical prophecy, because it says in Leviticus 20:13 that if a man should
lie down with another man they should both be
stoned”!
And over to you Don: “Three old ladies are sitting
together on a park bench when a flasher comes up
and flashes all of them. The first two old ladies died
of a stroke, but the third old lady’s arms were just a
little too short to reach anything”!
So, from two of the world’s most “interesting” men,
stay laughing my friends.

Nick Theisen

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