Things have to be funny first, and if they want to have a point, that's awesome.
Interpretation
Humor should be enjoyable on its own, and if it also conveys a message, that's a bonus.
John Mulaney's quote suggests that the primary objective of humor is to elicit laughter and enjoyment. While humor can carry deeper messages or meanings, its main purpose should always be to entertain; any insightful commentary that arises is simply an added benefit.
In practice
In a comedy show, a comedian can use this quote to emphasize the importance of humor in their performance.
I never turn on the crowd. Sometimes, you think it's a terrible show, and then afterward, sometimes people say they really liked it. So turning on the crowd is only going to alienate the few people who might like it. What do I do in that situation? Get through it.
I have found that people who really want to work at 'Saturday Night Live' and pursue it get pretty close. You have to be funny - but everyone who works there, it was their dream to work there. So it's kind of nice in that way - there's a lot of people who say, 'I just always wanted to do this, and now I'm doing it.'
Sometimes I - with comedy, it's like someone liking you in high school. They either do, or they don't. And when they don't, they don't. And that's it. There are no appeals. You show up, and you're like, 'Hi! I'm -' and you stumble, and they're like, 'It's over.'
May my last breath be drawn through a pipe, and exhaled in a jest.
Yeah, weβll call you,β muttered Ron as the knight disappeared, βIf we ever need someone mental.
No louder shrieks to pitying heaven are cast, When husbands or lap-dogs breathe their last.
When you're going for a joke, you're stuck out there if it doesn't work. There's nowhere to go. You've done the drum role and the cymbal clash and you're out on the end of the plank.
It is very vulgar to talk about one's own business. Only people like stockbrokers do that, and then only at dinner parties.
Their demeanor is invariably morose, sullen, clownish and repulsive. I should think there is not, on the face of the earth, a people so entirely destitute of humor, vivacity, or the capacity for enjoyment.
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