Retired Joke
I did some stand up at Derrick’s “This Is New York” show in Long Island City last night. It was a really fun show, but I was again reminded that I am OLD. Too old. My references are all 5-10 years off. My audiences are slipping from “oh yeah, my older sister used to watch that show” and into “my mom used to watch that show. On dvd. When she was a baby.”
Case in point, the following joke which lived a short life – one show. No one got it. I think it’s funny! Oh well. I am also purging all my “If you ask me, this Depression isn’t so Great!” and “Horseless carriage? I’ll believe it when I feed it!” material. Or maybe I’ll just send it all to Eddie Izzard. (ZING! ZING! He does history jokes! Get it? Ughh.)
Anyway – here is my dead joke. If you get it, you too are old.
“When they released the first season of Sesame Street on DVD, it came with a warning that is was not suitable for children. Apparently it doesn’t teach kids the right lessons, by today’s standards. I think that’s a shame, but to be fair, for the first 8 years of my life I spelled my name ‘E L I Z CookieMonster’”.
December 1st, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I feel ya.
I like to scream “Hear Fishy Fishy Fishy” at the subway trains. No one ever gets it.
Thanks for reminding me about the great cookie monster bit. I would laugh if you said it to me.
December 1st, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Whoops. I meant “here” not “hear”.
Perhaps Seasame Street is to blame for that.
December 1st, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I think you need to reassess your audience. Because, that IS a funny joke. But not to anyone under the age of… 25?
December 1st, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Will someone explain the joke/reference please? Thank you. I know Cookie Monster but I don’t understand the joke. I don’t like not understanding jokes. Thank you.
December 1st, 2008 at 9:55 pm
I am so feeling this.
A couple years ago, I made a Cheers reference in the company of some younger friends (I’m 27, they’re 21). One of them walked in and I shouted “NORM!”
They just stared at me blankly, waiting for me to start making sense.
I realized then that I am part of the last generation who even saw reruns of that show. It was such a huge part of American pop culture, and we’re the last people who will even understand, let alone enjoy, references to it without the aid of Wikipedia.
That probably shouldn’t make me as sad as it does.
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:12 am
It’s ok. I LOLed.
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Regarding the Cheers reference…. I won a high school senior award…ehem..a while ago.
They called it the ‘Cliff Claven Award’ (know-it-all Senior).
My girlfriend didn’t know who Cliff Claven was.
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:18 am
I read it. I laughed. I enjoyed it… Those who did not enjoy it… can die.
(Sorry… I just quit smoking this week… I’m cranky
… )
It’s ok… I recently made a crack about “I control the Spice, I control the Universe!!!”…. and I got the look a dog gives the answering machine when it turns on…
Nothing feels worse than a joke that makes you feel “Old” and “Nerdy”, at the same time.
December 3rd, 2008 at 2:48 pm
I feel your pain Eliza. One line I will always find hilarious to say around friends when we’re eating is the quote, “It’s made of people. PEOPLE!” Yet so often lately instead of getting uproarious laughter, I just get silent stares. I guess it’s just a hard knock life for us comedic nerds.
December 5th, 2008 at 9:41 am
That’s hilarious! I actually rediscovered that clip on youtube just last week and have since been trying to find all the child-inappropriate sketches to foist onto my 2 year old…
December 7th, 2008 at 2:06 am
Damn, I guess that means all of us that heard it the first time and cracked up are old too.