Spontaneity Takes a Lot of Preparation

Spontaneity takes a lot of preparation, in particular an off the cuff joke. That may seem strange but I suspect the most humorous and insightful among us are actually practicing their art in their spare time. The most difficult task in a well prepared spontaneous joke is managing to the find the appropriate situation to tell it in. And that may be the most important ingredient.

For me personally, my funniest thoughts always occur to me when there doesn’t seem to be anyone around. It’s forced me over the years to lock that thought somewhere on the edge of my conscience allowing me to later spring it on my unsuspecting audience. Those who know me best are aware when I’m about to launch into a routine. Now this usually causes one of two responses. The best is when friends start laughing before I’ve even said anything. That does create a somewhat stressful moment since the pressure is now on to come through. However it is a good feeling that they are happily expecting to be entertained.

The other response and usually the one I get from family members when we’re in a social situation is the look on the face that says, “Oh my God, what is he going to say?’ This can throw my timing but it is a warning that maybe this isn’t the proper context for the thought that has bubbled up in my head.

Backing out of that situation gracefully is practically impossible. One time I was telling an anecdote to a group of male friends and it was the type of joke that was best said out of ear shot of the wives. Unfortunately after a well done setup as I was about to deliver the punch line; one friend’s wife took a seat beside her husband. This of course sent a perfectly good joke off into the ether and I sputtered out in a trailing voice something lame like “ and that’s what happened…” The feeling I had at that point was somewhat akin to missing the winning basket in a basketball game just as the buzzer goes off. Believe me the humiliation is the same.

In the end a joke is only as good as its reception. Making sure you have the right crowd is absolutely essential. Watching a joke fly over someone’s head is like the disappointment of pulling out an empty ice tray from the freezer. You’re not responsible for the thoughtlessness but you are the one stuck choking down a warm drink.

The striking thing though is how often a situational opportunity presents itself soon after a joke has been filed for later use. There is a certain sense of kismet that is both astonishing and frightening. But it does lead me to the thought that maybe there are just more opportunities then jokes. Obviously it takes a lot of work to not let a good spontaneous circumstance go to waste.