Q&A: I would like to become a standup comic. Is there a subject that I should not touch out of reverence or respect? Are any subjects taboo for comedians to address?

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I would like to become a standup comic. Is there a subject that I should not touch out of reverence or respect? Are any subjects taboo for comedians to address?

Aug 12, 2011

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Bass wrote

at Aug 13, 2011 - 7:32 AM

I wholeheartedly agree. Chris Morris' two shows THE DAY TODAY and BRASSEYE were always attacked in the press for assaulting subjects that no one would touch. The BRASSEYE 2001 special, on pedophilia, is the most complained about show in UK history. And it is hysterical. They even did a 9/11 joke for the dvd of THE DAY TODAY: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SPWgodul_E

Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of SOUTH PARK and THE BOOK OF MORMON have done several episodes of SOUTH PARK based around the premise that if you can laugh at one thing, you can laugh at anything. Their 200th episode involved Tom Cruise suing the town unless they could get Muhammed, the prophet of the Islam, into the town. Comedy Central has refused to show a picture of the prophet. And so there's all these hilarious hijinx where the people of South Park are debating whether or not it's okay to show the prophet if he's dressed entirely in a bear costume. And of course, Tom Cruise's real plan is to steal the prophet's supernatural ability to not be mocked. I'm a muslim, and I laughed till I cried.

But, then, I suppose for every Chris Morris, Matt & Trey, and Louis CK, who can attack the taboos of society and be hilarious, there's idiots who are just offensive. There's no subject that's taboo, but you've still got to be damn funny. Being rude isn't comedy.

But the best comedy comes from those taboos.

Hooray for the comics.

henrymann wrote

at Aug 12, 2011 - 2:26 PM

McKee is right - ideally there should be no limits on free expression for a standup comic. but in reality the landscape is littered with land mines for a comic. ergo - the world is in trouble.