I don’t know how to be funny. I was born funny. And I’ve never thought about the mechanics of being funny the same way someone who grows up speaking a language doesn’t consider grammar rules unless they’re prompted to do so.
Well I’ve been prompted. A friend of mine asked me what he can do to become funnier. “Is there some way to learn funny? Some way to practice humor?”
“No.” I thought. But then, “maybe.”
Here’s my thought: you need to get good at the art of free association. You need to learn to take a premise and run with it. 10,000 hours of that and you should have a good base.
I don’t mean improv. The point of improv is to play it straight and let the comedy develop naturally. But you don’t want that, you want to be actively funny. So forget improv even if the idea of ‘yes and’ or ‘fast logic’ is exactly aligned with what I’m about to tell you... still, forget it. At best, this ‘improv’ is something I suggest you in your head. Let me explain.
The 1 - 2 - 3 Method
It’s simple: Hear thing 1. Think thing 2. Say thing 3.
For example, if someone says, ‘my friend and his girlfriend are trying to get pregnant.’ We would regard this as Step 1.
Next, extrapolate that out in your head. Make assumptions. Like, ‘they must be tired from all that constant fucking.’ That’s Step 2.
Finally, take it a step further. Ask your Step 2 conclusion, ‘what else then?’ You should get something like, ‘well, if they’re tired, maybe they could tap me in since I’m not tired.’ Thar blows Step 3.
And Step 3 you say out loud. Meaning the conversation goes something like this:
Them: “My friend and his girlfriend are trying to get pregnant”
You: “Do they want my help?”
Is it the funniest thing you’ve ever said? Perhaps. I don’t know you, nor do I care to. The point is, it’s an easy exercise to help you go from saying, ‘wow that’s so exciting for them!’ (🤢) to something a little more dynamic.
It’s important to note that you’re not going for shock laughs. If your response is, “I hope she gives birth to a green monkey,” I will kill you with my bare hands. The world doesn’t need you.
Surprise and incongruity ARE humor’s best friends but they must be executed with tact and class otherwise you just sound like an asshole.
So, again: Hear thing 1. Think thing 2. Say thing 3.
If it’s still coming out too obvious, try the reverse of your conclusion in Step 3.
Them: “My friend and his girlfriend are trying to get pregnant”
You: “Fine, but I’m not going to help.”
If, after all this, you’re still not reading as funny, then just be devastatingly mean. That should hold you over until you figure this whole 1 - 2 - 3 thing out.
Best of luck.
So that’s it!