Pretty Much Pop#132: “Too Soon” in Comedy?

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To honor the death of Gilbert Gottfried, we discuss jokes like the 9-11 one he was pilloried for. Can comedy really be “too soon” in relation to its tragic subject matter? Is comedy really tragedy plus time, or are jokes in fact most needed immediately when pain and discomfort are most acute?

Mark is joined by three comedians: Adam Sank (of the LGBTQ-themed Adam Sank Show), Twitch-streaming songster Meri Amber, and returning guest Daniel Lobell (graphic novelist and podcaster). We get into tailoring jokes for an audience, coping with grief, and of course some talk about triggering, hyper-sensitive audiences, and cancellation (Chapelle, anyone?).

A few perspectives we may have reviewed before talking:

• “Remembering Gilbert Gottfried” by Daniel Lobell
• “When is a joke too soon? A scientific inquiry” by Peter McGraw and Joel Warner
• “When and what kind of joke is ‘too soon’?” by Maddy Kunz
• “When is too soon for a joke?” by Bridget Jones
• “When is it ‘too soon’ to tell a joke?” By Peter McGraw
• “Louis C.K. Mocks Parkland School Shooting Survivors in Recent Set” by Sopan Deb
• “Comedian Hannah Gadsby’s ‘Ten Steps to Nanette’” from NPR

Follow us @AdamSank, @meriamber, @dannylobell, and @MarkLinsenmayer. 

So maybe instead of the “Maccabees,” my Bible camp’s Polish jokes instead made the “Canaanites” the butt of their humor. (Unless that actually again refers some modern, extant people…)

Get bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop, or you can sign up directly via Apple Podcasts for a subscription for ad-free and bonus material for three of Mark’s podcasts together on the Mark Lintertainment Podcasts Channel.

This podcast is part of the Partially Examined Life podcast network and is curated by openculture.com.

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