Gabe & Max from HuffPo try to make fun of the "gay bomb" thing, but outside of "scoliosis toast", I think their whole bit was just off. Here's why:

Problem 1: Overusing the "invisible" reference - While a "running gag" is a time-honored comedic technique, it really only works when you have enough material between uses for your audience to forget about the gag. That way, when you hit the reference again, they go "Ha! I remember that!" instead of "Oh... THAT again". Using it four times in a ten item list is sleep-inducing, at best.

Problem 2: Brevity! - Unless you're in a permalink contest, the key to list humor is brevity, or at least economy of phrasing. Adding endless qualifying phrases is ok ONCE, as a change-up. Using the technique six times in a ten item list bogs down the pace and muddles the timing. It ends up reading like a third-grader's "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" essay.

Problem 3: Brevity! Brevity! Brevity! - Rather than resorting to the amateurish technique of explaining how the weapons work, try thinking like a professional. Use the NAME of the weapon to tell the joke.

Problem 4: END the piece - Don't just let your list peter out and then call it a day. Tack on a little bonus joke at the end to wrap it up in style.

Here's how a REAL web humorist does it:

* Lambada bullets

* Michael Moore super-weight-gainer bomb

* Hippie smell missile

* Ron Paul loony laser

* Can't get the chorus from "Hey, Jude" out of my head grenades

* Restless Leg Syndrome rockets

* Satellite-based wedgie weapon

* French courage gas

* Special Olympics mines

* Portable pit o' ravenous Rosies

* Paris Hilton work ethic ray

* Not-so-fresh feeling cluster bombs

And the most effective hi-tech terrorist-stopper of all:

(see extended entry)
* A f***ing nuke

They won't be fighting much after that one.

Posted by: Harvey at 11:53 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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