Slip into Silliness (a serious analysis of very funny things)

I've never really loved April Fool's Day. When I was a kid, part of it was that my birthday is March 31, and people would say "Oh, you were almost an April Fool!" which is one of those things people say where there is no proper response. Also, I was born a little after midnight, so I was almost a March 30 baby, but that didn't really make much difference to people who wanted to lump me in with a prank holiday.

That's the reason I really don't like April Fool's Day: pranks. Pranks are my least favorite form of humor, tied with "mocking people for laughs." Pranks aren't about getting people to laugh with you. They're about control, power, and the upper hand. "I know a joke, and I'm going to tell you the joke, but I'm not going to tell you it's a joke until the very end." I suppose in some situation full of artful finesse, that might be funny, but usually not. It's why I always felt a sense of dread watching Candid Camera when I was a kid. I just don't think it's particularly funny to laugh at someone who doesn't know they're being laughed at. I find no humor in "ha ha! fooled ya!"

Lately I've been obsessively listening to a podcast called Good One. The interviewer, Jesse David Fox (who I also love because he wrote an article assuring me that "Get Out" wasn't too scary for me to watch, and he was right), interviews comedians and writers about one particular joke, and why it's funny. They talk about how the joke or scene was written, what changed over time, and specific word choice. It's great for figuring out the mechanics and equations for what makes something funny.

The season finale is an interview with comedian Pete Holmes, and this whole episode has so many lines that directly clarify my own approach to writing humor. Basically: that life is a series of small events, and it's up to us to find the joy and humor in those moments. We can choose to find the joy, and then, more importantly, we can choose to share the joy. And humor -- making people laugh -- is sharing the joy. We're all in this together, and sometimes things are rough for all of us, but there is also often joy to be found. 

What an enormous blessing it is, to be the person to bring and share joy. I would so much rather do that than be the only one laughing until the awkward moment of "ha ha, fooled ya!" that causes the other person to tightly laugh and quietly excuse themselves. Pete Holmes says, at one point in the interview, that he likes to "slip into silliness, because that can serve you now" and I think about that so much. In 2018, there's enough back-stabbing and grudges. This past year, there have been times when I wondered if writing funny books (books that don't necessarily seem "important" or weighty or deep) was worth it. But I say making things that make people laugh, sharing joy, is one of the most important jobs there is. I'm going to choose to share the joy and slip into silliness when I can.

A few weeks ago, Eli and I were in the car, and we stopped at a red light behind a pick-up truck that had an enormous foam mat rolled up in the bed. This thing was huge. Unrolled, it must have been 10 feet by 50 feet. Eli and I were both quiet. I stared at it, wondering what that foam roll was, and how to make a joke of it. Then Eli said, "Sure was nice of them to get a yoga mat for their horse." I laughed so much. I'm still laughing. He shared his joy with me, and now I'm sharing it with you.

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Two Dogs in a Trench Coat Go to School got a starred review from Booklist! "With plenty of comical reinforcement from [Colin] Jack’s freewheeling sketches, Falatko spins this promising premise into a hilarious romp."

I'm planning a big pre-order swag giveaway, so stay tuned! I'll announce the details of that in late April.