“Everyone’s a comedian”

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on May 27th, 2008

From the March 2008 issue of Men’s Health, an item in their Average Guy section provides some fascinating statistics (no source given). Most interesting among them:

Number of men who grew up in
a house where comedy reigned:
1 in 4

Number of men who believe
theirs is the funnier gender:
9 in 10

Number who say they have
serious comedic chops:
2 in 3

Number who’ve sought validation by
grabbing the mike at a comedy club:
1 in 16

It’s those last two that caught our attention. 67 per cent think they got what it takes comedy-wise, but only one tenth of those who do eventually muster the courage (or drink enough) to mount the stage. (Or, as many of those in the MSM might put it, 6.25 per cent of those who know they’re funny are so insecure and so utterly lacking in basic confidence and maturity that they feel it’s necessary to engage in an ostentatious display of their funniness by embarrassing themselves at one of those horrible open mike nights.)

A boxed item entitled “Always leave ’em laughing,” has brief advice nuggets solicited from FOS Wayne Cotter and former Boston comic (now sitcom producer) Jonathan Groff.