What is comedy? Comedy is the art of making people laugh without making them puke.
Interpretation
Comedy is a form of art that aims to amuse people while maintaining a level of tastefulness.
In this quote, Steve Martin emphasizes that comedy should evoke laughter in a way that does not offend or disgust the audience. The essence of comedy lies in balancing humor and propriety, ensuring that laughter brings joy rather than discomfort.
In practice
This quote could be used in a comedy class to spark discussion about the boundaries of humor.
When I first started doing my comedy act, I just desperately needed material. So I took literally everything I knew how to do on stage with me, which was juggling, magic and banjo and my little comedy routines. I always felt the audience sorta tolerated the serious musical parts while I was doing my comedy.
You want to be a bit compulsive in your art or craft or whatever you do.
I have heard it said that a complicated childhood can lead to a life in the arts. I tell you this story of my father and me to let you know I am qualified to be a comedian.
...it is not the big events that hurt the most but rather the smallest questionable shift in tone at the end of a spoken word that can plow most deeply into the heart.
Reviews for someone like me come in three packages. One is justifiable praise, the second is justifiable criticism, and the third is, "This is only published because he's a celebrity."
If he thinks he would harm Mirabelle, he would back away. But he does not yet understand when and how people are hurt. He doesn't understand the subtleties of slights and pains, that it is not the big events that hurt the most but rather the smallest questionable shift in tone at the end of a spoken word that can plow most deeply into the heart.
You're a monster, Mr. Grinch._x000D_ _x000D_ Your heart's an empty hole._x000D_ _x000D_ Your brain is full of spiders,_x000D_ _x000D_ You've got garlic in your soul.
A sense of humor is just common sense dancing.
Benchley and I had an office in the old Life magazine that was so tiny, if it were an inch smaller it would have been adultery.
This looks like one of those unwelcome social summonses which call upon a man either to be bored or to lie.
If you want to kill an idea without being identified as the assassin, suggest that the legal department take a look at it.
I've retired a couple of times. It's great, because you can just say, 'Oh, I'm sorry. I'm retired.'
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