There are some jokes that are timeless. For instance, the old vaudeville bit called The Aristocrats has withstood the test of time through the generations in certain circles.
Don’t go telling that joke at the dinner table when your grandmother is around.
Of course there are other bits of humor that we latch onto as kids and never let go. Heirlooms, of sorts, that becomes flash points in a family history. You know, like the very first time you went to your oldest son and said, “Pull my finger.”
It never gets old.
Reliving the times when funny stories were told never gets old, either. That’s especially true of the tales that involve hand buzzers, bubble wrap or whoopee cushions. In this instance it isn’t just family or friendly banter that these things are relegated to. Oh no, not at all. In fact, Roman Emperor Elagabalus was known to trot out the whoopee cushion at dinner parties when he took over in the year 218. Sure, Elagabalus was only 18 when he was assassinated in the year 222, but a precedent was set.
Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is filled with fart jokes. There was hardly a moment when the Squire, Merchant or Parson was making a crack with a face Rodney Dangerfield made famous attached to it. Better yet, master comic Mark Twain was not averse to going to the ol' breaking-wind route.
So in our first episode of the new year after a long hiatus, we discuss the etymology of the scent gag. Here, take a listen:
Of course we break down the matchup between the Packers and Eagles in the NFL Playoffs, discuss the possibility of the Winter Classic in Philly, and wonder if the governor of the commonwealth has lined up when his political career is over.
Maybe he become a gag-pulling talking head on the chat shows…