5b "What if O.J. Simpson sang the Brady Bunch theme?"
Description
This article is from the The Complete Guide To Hack Stand-Up Comedy, by Steven Rosenthal and Steve Silberberg (stevebo@onramp.net) with numerous contributions by others.
5b "What if O.J. Simpson sang the Brady Bunch theme?"
Nothing says, "My only comedy influence is MAD Magazine" like a lame parody
of a beautiful song. Never mind that it kills. Songs always get a cheap
laugh, and the lamer and more scatological the parody, the better the
reaction. The truth is that song parodies haven't progressed a lot since
you were in third grade (remember "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin laid
an egg..."?) and you're appealing to the crowd with a juvenile device that
every child flocks when they get tired of knock-knock jokes.
But wait! Don't throw away your brand-new Ovation guitar on account of this
FAQ. Music acts don't have to be hack. Songs are a good way to close
(nothing like closing on a big performance thing) and original music or new
takes on old styles can be very very funny if you can pull it off (I'm
thinking of Steve Martin's take on the song his grandmother taught him).
But just taking a popular hit and throwing a bunch of dick references in it
is pretty lame.
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