Toastmasters · Carmel Valley · San Diego 92130
HiFi-U · Writing For Speaking
Writing For Speaking #3 · Humor Is Rooted In Pattern Recognition
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Writing For Speaking #3 · Humor Is Rooted In Pattern Recognition

Listen or Read | Toastmasters · San Diego · Carmel Valley · 92130

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[0:04] Today is a really big day. I want to tell you a story. Every now and then you have a breakthrough. You don't have to check with anybody. You just know it's a little nugget of genius.

I'm working on a new one-person show. It's called Limited Time Only. True story about how I died and came back to life. Literally died of a heart attack. Widowmaker kills me. They bring me back to life. Put in a couple of stents and it's great. Here I am.

Now when I hear somebody's sick. I'm like, “Yeah? Well, I died.”

And, then when I hear about somebody who died and stayed dead, I'm like, “Wannabe!”

I think I'm the first person to make the connection between the drive up at Jack In The Box and calling 9-1-1. What do they have in common?

A lot of comedy is pattern recognition. The drive up at Jack In The Box — even if you walk in — Jack In The Box in one column, 9-1-1 in the other column.

They're both carry out!

[1:02] They're both carry out!

I think I'm the first one to make that connection. For sure I'm the first one to die and be resurrected to make that connection, which gives me the credibility to tell that joke. Like I'm connected, like deeply connected to this joke. It's a fantastic joke. And that's just the first thought. There's probably a second thought and a third thought to this joke, right?

9-1-1, and Jack in the Box. They're both carry out. Starts out with you carry out. You carry out the burger. You carry out the fries. You carry out the shake. You do that over and over again for years. Then eventually there are some people carrying you out.

You're able to carry the burger, the fries, the shake by yourself. But, it takes like six guys to carry you out, load you in the back of the truck,

[2:02] drive you over to the trauma center, and that's if you're lucky! That's if you're lucky. You drive up. You do the carry out with the drive up, and then you hit the road, and you're heading east on your way to Salt Lake City or some place because you're going to go skiing, and you're out there in the middle of nowhere, widowmaker kicks in and there's nobody there to carry you out. Nobody there to carry you back. That's where it all comes to a bitter end right there.

I can take the rest of the day off.

[2:32] Music.

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