I'm a natural straight-man. Comedy-wise, I mean. That's where I shine: by helping the other guy shine (or girl, natch!). Always the straight man! Always there with the guaranteed-gold hapless reaction shot. Giving the cutup the every chance to kill 'em in the aisles! Playing along, by underplaying along, to heighten the effect of the one who gets to hog all the snappy patter and the laugh lines. That's me: the foil to your rapier wit. I don't mind being upstaged!
Unfortunately, some of you goofballs don't appear to have been briefed on the premise.
I'm out there, doing my best to play along, only to have you totally break character and ruin the gag you were trying so hard to build! You spoil the whole thing mid-joke, even before mid-joke - you were just getting started! You had a long way to go to get near funny. And I was right there with you! Helping you along until suddenly you screeched it to a halt and started saying weird, off-putting stuff like "I was joking! Didn't you get it?!" Heck yes I got it!
What are you, some kind of amateur? Don't you get it?
I can explain how it works for you if you like. It's kind of sad for somebody to go around considering somebodyself a joker, and not even know how this works. But here's how it works: your job is to goof and josh and be outrageous. My job is to respond to the joke by going right along with it - which in practice means, to play it straight with my reaction, as if it were serious. As the joker, you need to understand your chosen role!
My reaction gives you license to keep building and building the joke - to take it as far as you can. Show your stuff! Loft and waft and puff it up to dizzying heights of hilarity. And I'm right there for you all the way. I let you score your comedic points off my seemingly-incredulous puss, to uproarious effect! Heck. I'm here giving it up for the team, sacrificing myself to help you out. Lord knows you need all the help you can get, with your routine. I'm doing all I can.
But that's me. That's my plight. I am the generous one. The one with the thankless task, the one who gets none of the laughs (except at my own expense), the one who can only smile on the inside at doing his part of a joke well-done. I'm the ever-loving, hapless straight-man. Believe me, I was born that way. One day they will identify the responsible gene, and once they can do that, it will be that much easier for DNA-typing to ensure compatible, well-matched comedy duos.
Otherwise you end up with what - Abbott & Hardy. Who wants to sit and listen to that pissy ol' bitch-fest?
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