The funniest person in my group of friends, at least from college but still likely all included, is a man named Alastair Ingram.
He works and lives in Vermont, is married and has a dog.
None of those facts are humorous.
In fact, in many ways, he isn’t humorous. He’s the kind of funny you can’t quite explain but know is real. The sort of guy that’s always quick with a joke or to light up your smoke. But, you can also tell there’s some place he’d rather be.
Seriously though, Bill Joel lyrics aside, the dude is hilarious. Can’t quite explain it all the time, but it’s undeniable: he makes me laugh consistently harder than just about anyone else I’ve ever met.
I say this because we all have a friend like him in one group or another. And if you’re anything like me, the only thing more fun than laughing at the stuff he says is saying something that actually elicits the same reaction out of him.
Now, to be clear, it’s not as if he (or any other version of this friend in your group) is necessarily difficult to make laugh. It’s not as if they’re the type to withhold laughter or that they have some impossibly hard-to-reach sense of humor. Sometimes that’s the case, but not always.
Frankly, it doesn’t matter.
What matters is that you’ve somehow gotten this person, the one who can make your whole group of friends stop what they’re doing and laugh uncontrollably, to do the same for something you’ve just said.
Take a bow.
Polar Opposite of this Feeling?: This doesn’t specifically relate to this, nor is it a polar opposite but it’s close enough so here it goes: that moment when you take the joke the step too far and it’s no longer funny. It’s been batted around for a bit, everyone’s had a good turn of it and you get your chance and you kill it. Not with something offensive… just something that isn’t fucking funny. Joke, over.
scott spinelli 