The Death of a Joke

“We are here today to mourn the loss of someone very special to us, someone we love. Someone we’ve watched grow and develop before our eyes. We've had our laughs together. We’ve cried tears of joy together. But those times are gone now and we must put them to rest.”

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I stopped by my buddy’s house to make sure I had myself in check before I hit the stage. I was headed to Winston’s that evening for my first round of the Ocean Beach Comedy Contest and I didn’t like what I was hearing.

“Do you think that’s still relevant?”

Tiff was my go-to girl when it came to constructive criticism, so when she posed this question after I finished my Jersey Shore joke, I was concerned.

“Well, it got big laughs a few months ago!” I shouted defiantly, defending my baby...and it was a birthing process. The hardest part of comedy is coming up with good material, but it’s even harder to get rid of said material once it goes stale. The “Old Joke” is like Old Yeller, the necessary death of a dear friend.

I’d been forced to let go of a few before. I’d said my goodbyes to the “Bumper sticker with Calvin peeing” and “Truth anti-smoking group” jokes. But it never stung like this, so when Tiff told me to get rid of my Jersey Shore bit, I fought for it, “But there’s a new season coming up!”

She just shook her head and said, “It’s old.”

I knew she was right. Media moved at the speed of light and any topical content was bound to have a short shelf life. Thank goodness I had some steadfast stuff (marriage, religion, sex) in my back pocket for when my topical became too typical.

First round of contest: second place…I guess Tiff was right.

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“As we lay you down to rest, know you served your time here to the best of your ability. You will be remembered well and thought of fondly. As Neil Young said, ‘It’s better to burn out, than to fade away’ and we appreciate your graceful exit.”

Rule #2: Keep everything fresh and relevant. Let it go before it lets you down.