What goes on back stage in a comedy club is pretty much like high school. Plenty of back-biting, mud-slinging and nasty faces. Stand up comedians say that comedy is actually a blood sport. They steal each other’s one liners, pilfer and personalize another comic’s gestures. They hide the other guy’s props, like the rubber chicken that’s essential in the act of the next artist who is up to go on stage. Just a bunch of happy-go-lucky folks!

The writers who think up their jokes sense that witicisms are intended to be spoken out loud. Pronunciation or emphasis of a single word can make a difference in how the joke goes over. An unfamiliar word can stop audience attention. “What the heck does that mean?” It takes their minds off the flow of the act. It’s all pretty much a situation of Mindlessness over Matter.

Some of our more clever editorial writers give the impression of being cartoonists who can’t draw. We’re usually able to close our eyes and picture what they have in mind, huh?