[mburbank]

I first saw Gilbert Godfried on the lammentable single season of Saturday Night Live (6'th season, I think) that followed the departure of Lorne Michaels and the mebers of the original cast that were still on board. I thougt and have thought since that he was a fucking genius. He's a comedians comedian.

As for the not funny people, I didn't think anyone they showed was totally not funny, they all had some chops, and I found that takes that I found completely unfunny had something to offer to the joke. Drew carey, for instance, who I hate, had that body language on the punch line, that was in fact kind of lackluster when he did it, but brilliant when better people adopted it.

I agree that explaining the limmited structural appeal of the joke (why the punchline is funny) was a waste of time, not neccesary and very much beside the point. It could really have been any number of jokes where the entire center is improvised. I think this joke was a good choice because it encourages comedians to go to a place people outside the community rarely see. All professions have things they do and say in thier own company that they would never do outside it. I've spent a fair amount of time with Doctors over the years, and you would not believe the shit they talk when the bedside manner gets put away. The interesting thing about comics is that their whole profession is about saying things people wouldn't normally say. So when you go to the private stuff, it's unimaginable.

It also brought out some funny in people I don't usually like. Whoppie Goldbergh, who I am oh so sick of, had a very nice riff, for instance.