It might be hard to imagine that standing slouched onstage and speaking in a monotone for an extended period of time could be perceived as a verbal performance, but comedian Stephen Wright manages to keep his audience laughing by using these techniques.
The monotone does not grow old because Stephen Wright counters it by using many short, one-line quips rather than telling a long story. The one-liners do not follow one another, providing an element of surprise and thus holding the interest of the audience.
Bauman describes "joking" as a frame "in which the words spoken are to be interpreted as not seriously meaning what they might otherwise mean" (168). Despite his serious tone, Stephen Wright often says things that are not meant to be interpreted seriously. For example, onstage he stated (in a low, slow monotone), "I'm feeling kinda hyper" which was met with laughter from the audience.
He also jokes by referring to impossibilities (infelicitous statements):
I'm living on a one-way, dead-end street.
I've been making wine at home, but I make it out of raisins so it'll be aged automatically.
I went to the hardware store and bought some used paint. It was in the shape of a house.
Wright also tells jokes with the assumption that the audience takes certain things for granted:
Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it 'cause of that song?
I went to a museum that has all the heads and arms from the statues in other museums.
Of course, it is not the same to read these quotes as it is to listen to AND watch Stephen Wright say them himself. As we discussed in class, the context of a speech act is very important for how messages are interpreted, and Wright's monotone and mannerisms add substantially to his comedy.
Stephen Wright Standup Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1HYUyhujl4&feature=related
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1 comment:
I thought you did a great job analyzing Steve Wright's comedic performance, which I watched. You made a good point about his tone and style of presenting one-liners. You mentioned two types of jokes that he used: infelicities and jokes where the audience has assumptions about something. I noticed another type: he manipulated common saying and phrases and brought attention to them. He reinterpreted phrases thatpeople take for granted. For example: "Why is it a penny for your thoughts but put your two cents in? Someone's making a penny." Or "I bought batteries but they weren't included."
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