make me laugh

imagine, for a moment, the idea of a prehistoric man being invited to step into a comedy club. how would you describe it to him? what would you say – that this is where we civilized folk often gather, paying a price to laugh at something funny together?

the thought struck me a little after i stepped into gotham, on 23rd st, which describes itself as new york city’s 'most elegant, upscale comedy club, dedicated to keeping patrons laughing.' there were a lot of patrons that night, all ushered downstairs to the bar while waiting for the show to begin.

apart from the $20 entrance fee, the rule was every customer had to order a ‘two-drink minimum’ (yes, orange juice counted). three seconds after placing an order, i saw a little card saying that anything ordered at the bar didn’t exactly count as part of that ‘two-drink minimum’. maybe it was part of the act. i could see how other ‘patrons’ would find it funny.

but then, it was time for the stand-up comics. three of them. the last was a big name, tom papa, of the jay leno show and saturday night live. and yes, they were hilarious. really, really hilarious. the american president, habits of the english, racism, immigrants -- everything was fair game. when one member of the audience admitted to being australian, the comic on stage replied, “i’m sorry for your loss.” why? “because you guys have only one celebrity (steve irwin, crocodile hunter) and he just died.”

the thing i liked best was that everyone laughed. and laughed hardest when the joke was on them.

imagine, for a moment, the idea of a comedy club in india. at a place like – shudder – delhi, for instance. imagine the stand-up comic, comfortably enthusiastic in the knowledge that he possesses the power to make people giggle helplessly, taking a dig at politicians. or taking a dig at how religious habits go out the window the minute we leave our country. or a dig at our ridiculous attitudes towards sex on television. or how we tend to worship cricketers who consistently perform badly.

imagine that stand-up comic getting away with any of this.

i like the idea of being labeled an immigrant nuisance who can’t figure out how a laundromat works. i like the idea of dressing like a complete idiot and being refused entry at a swanky restaurant in new york’s meatpacking district. if someone points these things out to me, i intend to laugh.

i intend to learn how to laugh at myself, and take that ability back with me when i go home. if i manage, there’s a good lesson for life.