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H EI RLOOE'M
"Think of cancer as a big, mean bully in your school...
Everyone always sidesteps a bully or tries to appease him
because they're afraid. But the best way to disarm a bully is
to show him you're not afraid. So, one day after class you kick
the bully in his nuts so hard that he pukes blood and everyone
laughs. The bully is now powerless. Until he kills you, because
God has a plan for everyone. But at least you're not afraid of
him anymore, and you can laugh at him."
local comedian Synan, who says his stand-up "started as
sort of a mutual dare between [him] and one of [his] friends,"
thinks that dirtiness and cleanliness aren't as far apart as one
might assume.
"I think all truly funny stuff is kind of offensive," he says.
"There's at least a small group of people who will get offended
at any joke... If you're a good enough comedian, anything can
be funny... [However], clean humor has almost infinite value.
As long as ifs hinny."
On her "You Had to Be There* podcast LaughFest headliner
Nikki Glaser recently discussed the added pressure some female
comics feel to go blue.
"I never felt pressure to be nasty," she says. "If anything,
I feel pressure not to be, because it's so prevalent now. I just
write the way I write. I don't try to write any which way. In
the very beginning of my career I think I veered towards shock
humor, because it was better to get groans than silence, but
now I just write what I think is funny, and oftentimes, that
means talking about poop." /
Poop: not very shocking, but still a bit nasty. Glaser is
mindful of audiences' sensitivities and says she "would talk
about anything if it was funnier than it was hurtful." Good
policy.
"I could be wrong, and most likely I am," Glaser contin
ues, "but I'm pretty sure that laughter is a biological defense
mechanism for when you're caught off guard or surprised...
referencing a dead baby is the ultimate diversion from what
a normal human should be talking about, so it's shocking and
therefore laughter-inducing." '
Flagpole was also privy to some exclusive breaking news:
Glaser has an upcoming late-night MTV talk-show pilot, co
hosted by her podcast friend/co-host Sara Schaefer. Exciting
stuff.
Chris Patton, the event's organizer, could not be reached for
comment However, this year's show promises to be saturated
with laughter, with comics from all over the professional spec
trum on the bill - .
So be offended. Be very offended.
i ' ■ . .
■ Kevin Craig
LaughFest takes place at the Georgia Theatre on Wednesday, June 20 at
7-30 p,m. Tickets are $Td or $7 with AShFest wristband.
f xcitement cometh, AthFest's LaughFest is back, featuring
comics Craig Hoelzer, Caleb Synan, Chris Patton & Nikki
Glaser: some newcomers, some relatively oldcomers, but all
noteworthy folks. Things might get nasty; each comic has dirti
ness in his/her arsenal, and internal conflicts certainly exist.
Hoelzer, who is new to "the game," as he says, thinks "there
is just something cathartic about laughing at something pain
ful or shocking." He uses cancer as a pristine example:
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JUNE 20,2012 FLAGPOLE.COM IS