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Are you joking? Do you seriously think this question is answerable, without turning yourself inside out in search of something that can be universally applied? The only certainty is that funny, amusing and hilarious people and situations are aspects of life to be celebrated and enjoyed. But what YOU find funny might leave ME cold, and vice versa. Perhaps it would be best to begin with what touches my own funny bone, those tickling sticks that set me laughing, and attempt then to analyze why this should be.

First off, I really love slapstick; the pie in the face, the slip on a banana skin, and best of all, a wallop round the head with a big saucepan or frying pan. I laughed till I cried when Laurel and Hardy fell off a roof while attempting to fix a TV aerial. They landed in a pond, did a bit of damage all round, and the lady of the house, so angry with them, gave them both a good bash with a pan. In analyzing why I think this is funny, I have concluded that Laurel and Hardy remind me of a happy childhood, and their innocent errors recall a time of innocence and simple fun. The virtual absence of dialog and their facial expressions enhance the action; the timing is brilliant and the characterization so relevant to real life.

I also believe there is a little cruel part of the human psyche that enjoys the misfortune of others. Slapstick gives us permission to legitimately express that cruelty in the company of like-minded laughers. Yes, and the laughter too is infectious, it spreads and it feels good, so everybody can participate. We humans like to belong and relate; laughing helps this along.

Another aspect of humor is the ridiculous little bits of everyday life that just happen when you least expect them. For example, I used to pass a shoe shop where the shoes were placed on racks and in baskets outside the door, with a hand-written sign that said "Left feet inside." At first I wondered if previous customers had forgotten to take their feet home with them, a strange and absurd supposition. Then I realized that you could only try on the right shoe; the left, you had to go inside and try on. This led to images of one-legged shoe thieves, hopping down the road with a bundle of right shoes tucked up their jumpers! So I understand that it is the absurd and ridiculous that stir my imagination and make me giggle.

Peter Kay, Billy Connolly and Rich Hall, are masters of expanding life's absurdity, in their own different ways. They take the mundane, home in on the universal

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