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Topic: It is me or all non-Americans are hard to understand Jerry Seinfeld's joke

Winbert Hutahaean
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From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
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posted March 22, 2011 01:38 PM

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ps: I am not talking about his serial "Seinfeld" which is very funny for me, knowing there is Kramer, George Coztanza and Elaine.
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There might be a language barrier for me understanding I am not a native English speaker. But my English is not that bad at all. I tried to watch a documentary movie of Jerry Seinfeld, "Comedian" (2002).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328962/

From minute to minute I couldn't get Jerry's jokes. Not also the other comedian, Orny Adams.

When Jerry in his stand up performance I still didn't get his jokes, although I put close caption on to get really what he was saying.

For Americans, he may be funny. But I want to know what is the opinion from non-Americans about his jokes?

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Winbert

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Steve Klare
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posted March 22, 2011 01:50 PM

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Welllll....

I'm an American and to me Jerry Seinfeld is amusing, but not really funny.

To me a really great comedian is natural at it, and Jerry Seinfeld seems to try too hard. The great ones kind of draw you in and then turn the whole room upside down with half a sentence, but Mr. S. wears a joke down to the point of surrender.

It's not even as if I find him offensive in any way, it's just I run into people at work that are funnier (to me)!

Subjective? Of course it is! Anybody who comes after me saying he's the greatest comedian ever to take the stage is absolutely right...for them.

-and I won't disagree for a second.

If you want to get into a deeper rut than deciding what's right or wrong then try "What's funny or not".

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Michael O'Regan
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posted March 22, 2011 02:00 PM

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I'm Irish and I find Jerry Seinfeld really, really funny. I'm looking forward to seeing his show in London in the summer.

[Big Grin]

[Big Grin]

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Winbert Hutahaean
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posted March 22, 2011 02:02 PM

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Steve, can you tell me one stand up comedian that you think his jokes can be understood by non-American.

Or may be youtube link?

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Winbert

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Steve Klare
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posted March 22, 2011 02:07 PM

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Mick, That in of itself is kind of funny...

Jerry Seinfeld did a commercial for American Express about how his New Yorkish comedy didn't go over in London. So he whipped out his Amex and went full Brit:

Seinfeld Goes To London

-sounds like it worked!

I don't know Winbert, as I said: Who am I to decide what's funny for other people?

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Michael O'Regan
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posted March 22, 2011 02:10 PM

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Ha ha ha....that's funny. I hadn't seen that before. Thanks for the link, Steve.

quote:
Steve, can you tell me one stand up comedian that you think his jokes can be understood by non-American.

Winbert,
You think only Americans can understand jokes??

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Bill Phelps
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posted March 22, 2011 07:55 PM

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Sometimes it is not so much what is being said it is how it is being said. Delivery is alot of it. Just reading the captions so you get it all doesn't really get it.

I personally like Bill Cosby for stand up. I love all his old LP's. His personal stories keep me rolling....

Bill [Smile]

[Smile]

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Steve Klare
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posted March 22, 2011 08:14 PM

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To me, Bill Cosby is one of the tops in the business. His sense of timing and story telling is spectacular, and when I laugh at him most of the time I'm really laughing at myself: he seems to understand what we have in common.

Cosby does an interesting thing. He doesn't seem to like dirty comedy so he generally avoids it in his shows, but he usually lets just one dirty word out somewhere along the line, maybe to let us know he isn't afraid of 'em.

Michael, maybe what Winbert is saying is that Jerry Seinfeld is too referenced in American culture to be funny to other people. Beats me: I grew up in the same County as him and I don't really get him all the tme either!

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Wayne Tuell
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posted March 22, 2011 10:53 PM

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quote:
Sometimes it is not so much what is being said it is how it is being said. Delivery is alot of it. Just reading the captions so you get it all doesn't really get it.

I personally like Bill Cosby for stand up. I love all his old LP's. His personal stories keep me rolling....

Bill

Agreed, delivery is a major part of being a comic IMHO. I love the young Bill Cosby stuff. I personally don't like anything he did after mid to late 80's.

Richard Pryor was one of my favorites along with early Steve Martin. I tried to watch Seinfeld stand up stuff a few times and never seemed to find it as funny as my friends do.

Too many comics think being loud or screaming automatically ='s being funny. As for cultural type humor, those redneck guys hit their mark well...but if you never have been around "rednecks" you may not quite get what they are delivering.

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Dino Everette
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posted March 23, 2011 12:46 AM

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Yep timing is the key both in the delivery and the reception...I remember as a kid i thought Jonathan Winters was the funniest thing on the planet..I had a bunch of records and listened to them over and over...My favorite was a story about some mad scientist who made miniature little men...He had all these little voices, and descriptions, and the punch line was that the little men only wanted to go out and find little women...Well when I listened to it many years later I thought? What was so funny about this? Clearly the audience at the original performance was adult, but once I was adult it was no longer funny, but I think that was because I changed....

OH and I think people doing Jerry seinfeld voices are waaaaaaay more funny than Jerry seinfeld...I feel spoiled because I used to do a TV show with a guy that I thought was the funniest person i ever met, Colin Malone....

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"You're too Far Out Miss Lawrence"

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Michael O'Regan
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posted March 23, 2011 07:58 AM

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Part of the thing with Seinfeld, in my opinion, is his delivery. He often comes across as being just as puzzled or mystified by the things he describes as he wants us to be.

My other half doesn't get him either, which is unfortunate for her because she's coming along to the show with me [Big Grin]

[Big Grin]

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Steve Klare
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posted March 23, 2011 08:33 AM

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My sympathies to her:

I narrowly escaped being dragged to a Barry Manilow concert under similar circumstances.

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Winbert Hutahaean
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posted March 23, 2011 10:03 AM

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Mike, what I meant was if the American Culture that Jerry took to his jokes can be easily understood by non-Americans.

Being in foreign service, I love to learn other culture, and I want to know American culture from its jokes.

There are several type of jokes that I can get, i.e:

illogical story (= the Simpsons)

sarcasm (= Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock)

slapstick ( = three stooges)

misspell or mispronunciation (play the words)

clash culture (e.g. American in Japan)

political (e.g. Bill Clinton in France asks for "Le Whisky" and is misunderstood by the bartender that he wants Ms Lewinsky (Monika)...)

Impersonation (e.g. Bush & Clinton impersonation or Robin Williams )

Puzzling words/story (e.g "Jerry's father has 4 sons. He gave his 4 sons' name with cardinal directions/cardinal points so they are North, South, West. Who is missing?" People may answer "East", but the correct answer is Jerry) ps: how do you say this type of joke in English??

Anyway, none of Jerry's jokes are above. So hard for me to understand.

Steve, thanks for the link..... I got the same Amex ad but different edit:

Amex Ad

Can you write down for me what does Jerry say in the last scene (when he is using British accent) as non-native I cannot really get, but I believe that is quite funny.

[ March 23, 2011, 02:42 PM: Message edited by: Winbert Hutahaean ]

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Winbert

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Michael O'Regan
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posted March 23, 2011 01:35 PM

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Winbert,

He says " So I took a butchers up the apples and pears and said, what is this, the tea interval?"

The first part is Cockney Rhyming Slang:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhyming_slang

The tea interval refers to a break for tea in cricket (I think - being Irish, cricket is as alien to me as it is to you [Big Grin]

[Big Grin]

)

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Steve Klare
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posted March 23, 2011 02:39 PM

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OK, I figured out "Apples and Pears", but what's "Butchers"?

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Michael O'Regan
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posted March 23, 2011 03:35 PM

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Butchers hook = look [Smile]

[Smile]

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Osi Osgood
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posted March 25, 2011 10:28 AM

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Jonathan Winters is still funny, even when he's not trying!

British comedians for a lot of US folks are hard to get, but I just love thier rather dry or droll style of humor ...

... and then there's Benny Hill, in a class by himself!

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Winbert Hutahaean
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posted March 25, 2011 10:51 AM

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quote:
British comedians for a lot of US folks are hard to get, but I just love thier rather dry or droll style of humor ...

As my original country was much influenced by American films, I got the same feeling too.

Later, Indonesia was introduced with Mr Bean, it attracted huge fans.

But still British comedy can only be watched once after that it will be..... [Wink]

[Wink]

(same thing to Benny Hill, Monthy Python's, Carry on )

cheers,

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Winbert

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Osi Osgood
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posted March 25, 2011 12:30 PM

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I can't watch the python's enough, especially when they are at thier best.

For instance, "The Annual Running of the Upper Class Twits"

I don't remember the character name, but ...

" and (Rupert) has managed to run himsaelf over with his own car! "

priceless!

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Graham Ritchie
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posted March 25, 2011 04:30 PM

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Winbert
Its the same out here "Mr Bean" is very popular except with my wife, when we ran "Mr Bean's Holiday" at the movies a few years ago it left the big budget special effect movies from Hollywood miles behind in popularity [Smile]

[Smile]

Cant say I was ever a fan of Benny Hill althought I really enjoyed Dave Allen and his wonderfull stories about sex the Irish and God.

One very funny american sound effects man, Wes Harrison is brilliant his stories and effects through one standard "Shure Brothers 530 microphone" is really something.

Oh! I have been watching the new "Arthur" trl at the moment, it looks terrible makes me cringe. [Eek!]

[Eek!]

I would avoid this movie at all costs and rent of buy the original. We watched it at the movies way back [Roll Eyes]

[Roll Eyes]

in 1981 starring Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli and Jonn Gielgud a very funny film that has stood the test of tim, plus the excellent Arthur's theme by Christopher Cross which was a big hit at the time....still have the 45 somewhere.

Graham.

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