I’ve always been a big comedy guy. I even have a plaque in my apartment that says “Bless this home with love and laughter” because I want people to know when they visit me that I’m a huge fan of jokes, and also love.
I still remember the first time I ever laughed: when they called Jerry Girgich “Gary” on Parks and Rec. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to do comedy. Fast forward to the end of my three-year tenure at the Texas Travesty, the nation’s largest Austin-based student-run satire publication: Now I’ve mastered comedy and the delicate art of knowing what is funny and what is not.
For example, something that is very funny: during that chase sequence in Star Wars episode 9, when the stormtroopers started flying, Finn and that other guy both said “they fly now!” For those of you listening at home, the joke is that the stormtroopers don’t usually fly, but at this moment, our beloved protagonists are learning that they somehow do!
I’ll give your ribs a break now and turn the discussion to something more serious: when I write comedy, I try to avoid topics that are not funny, and in fact, could never be funny, like the prison-industrial complex, 9/11, or Tosh.0. As I similarly learned in my Christian sex-education class, these are no-no zones, so I never touch them, EVER.
Might as well address the elephant in the room: what’s it like for someone like me (total quirkster, beautiful, lots of friends) to graduate during all this coronavirus bull? The answer is: I try to see the funny side of things. That’s the thing about us comedy people, we never switch off jokester mode, so we never get depressed! I may be underneath what I formerly called “rock bottom” but hey, I guess it’s just one more travesty under my belt.
Ok fine I unironically love the Travesty and everyone I met here is special to me and unforgettable, dope, cool beans, etc. I think I’m the oldest person at the Travesty right now, but I guess I always felt younger than these amazing people I’m graduating with because they’ve always been so iconic and larger-than-life to me.
Alright, the sentiment spring has run dry, so time for some final jokes: How about this toilet paper situation? Pretty wild huh? I mean, toilet paper, and people buying a lot of it – come on! What’s up with that?
Like I said, I’ve mastered comedy. So thanks to the Travesty for that, and goodbye.
— Ben Lively
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