Dave Barry is always fun
Poynter interview with Dave Barry.
I can't decide if Dave Barry is still funny anymore. His recent columns and his last novel, Tricky Business are not at the level of Big Trouble or the essays collected in Dave Barry's Bad Habits, Dave Barry Slept Here, etc. The guy in Tricky Business who got shot while wearing a conch costume provided a pretty hilarious image.
Poynter Online: High school administrators and teachers are not exactly known for their appreciation of humor. What are some ways for students to write funny articles without resorting to scatological or offensive humor? Is it ever OK to be offensive?
Barry: I think it can be OK, in the sense that just because somebody is offended doesn't mean that person is right. I mean, everything I write offends SOMEBODY, so to avoid being "offensive" I'd have to quit writing altogether. On the other hand, I think there are some things -- racism, for example (I mean real racism, as opposed to the racism detected everywhere by the hypersensitive PC police) -- that are never acceptable. As for getting the administrators and teachers to cut you some slack: Hey, good luck with THAT.
This reminds me of the time senior year that I wrote a piss-n-vinegar attack on Gov. Jeb Bush for my high school paper, the Lake Mary Rampage. That story was practically raining HIV-ridden dead cats; I attacked Bush's education policies, his fat-ringed shit-eating grin and his family's problems. This earned us a very amusing and self-serious reply letter from some math teacher I'd never heard of before. The best part of the letter was that he signed it with his name and then "Member of....." and "Former member of....." Way to build up your qualifications. Me, I'm not into the member thing. I'm just a mean-spirited vulgarian, and I have lots of fun.
Here's a great example of how to respond well to a really dumb question (I think the interviewer knew this would yield some fun Dave Barry-type stuff):
Poynter Online: Who would win in a catfight: Britney or Christina?
Barry: Aretha Franklin would crush them both with one forearm.
Even when he's a little less funny, Barry isn't full of shit, and that's good enough for me.
I can't decide if Dave Barry is still funny anymore. His recent columns and his last novel, Tricky Business are not at the level of Big Trouble or the essays collected in Dave Barry's Bad Habits, Dave Barry Slept Here, etc. The guy in Tricky Business who got shot while wearing a conch costume provided a pretty hilarious image.
Poynter Online: High school administrators and teachers are not exactly known for their appreciation of humor. What are some ways for students to write funny articles without resorting to scatological or offensive humor? Is it ever OK to be offensive?
Barry: I think it can be OK, in the sense that just because somebody is offended doesn't mean that person is right. I mean, everything I write offends SOMEBODY, so to avoid being "offensive" I'd have to quit writing altogether. On the other hand, I think there are some things -- racism, for example (I mean real racism, as opposed to the racism detected everywhere by the hypersensitive PC police) -- that are never acceptable. As for getting the administrators and teachers to cut you some slack: Hey, good luck with THAT.
This reminds me of the time senior year that I wrote a piss-n-vinegar attack on Gov. Jeb Bush for my high school paper, the Lake Mary Rampage. That story was practically raining HIV-ridden dead cats; I attacked Bush's education policies, his fat-ringed shit-eating grin and his family's problems. This earned us a very amusing and self-serious reply letter from some math teacher I'd never heard of before. The best part of the letter was that he signed it with his name and then "Member of....." and "Former member of....." Way to build up your qualifications. Me, I'm not into the member thing. I'm just a mean-spirited vulgarian, and I have lots of fun.
Here's a great example of how to respond well to a really dumb question (I think the interviewer knew this would yield some fun Dave Barry-type stuff):
Poynter Online: Who would win in a catfight: Britney or Christina?
Barry: Aretha Franklin would crush them both with one forearm.
Even when he's a little less funny, Barry isn't full of shit, and that's good enough for me.
posted by Scott at 1:50 PM
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