joke of the day

I have long been an admirer of comedians: their creativity, their ability to make people laugh, their fearlessness in front of large audiences, and so forth. I'm not exactly a comedy-club-frequenting type of guy, but I have seen a few good shows here and there. Neil Hamburger! I saw Neil Hamburger here in Mad City a few months ago. Great show, great comedian. Check out the link.

But as much as I admire comedians, I've never been able to get a grip on their craft. Don't get me wrong - I can tell a joke. Sweet jesus, can I tell a joke. But it's the writing of jokes, I think, that separates the men from the boys. I know some comedians out there have others write their jokes. And that's fine. But can you imagine being able to write and then deliver your own jokes? It'd be like some musician who can write his own songs, then perform then very well. Hot damn.

My new goal in life is to be able to write good jokes. I can't think of any other way to get started than to dive right in, so here goes:


Q: What type of gas do draft animals like to inhale, to help maintain their vigor and health and their ability to do farm work and so forth?

A: Ox-ygen.

Now, this is funny on several levels. First of all, it gets away from some of the standard puns that get kicked around a little too much, like the ones about cows that like moo-sic or omelettes that are eggs-cellent. Second of all, when was the last time you heard a joke about oxen? I can't even remember the last time I saw an ox. But everyone knows what they are, so it's OK.

Hopefully, for the next joke of the day, I won't have to explain things so much! Just getting warmed up here. You all can expect some better work down the road; but at the same time, I really believe I've hit the ground running ...