A retired principal in my bowling league told me not to say my joke out loud because it would bomb, and the difference in 2 months was wild | Dad Jokes Court - Free To Speak
A retired principal in my bowling league told me not to say my joke out loud because it would bomb, and the difference in 2 months was wild
So back in January I joined a Tuesday night league at the lanes off Route 9 in Poughkeepsie, mostly because my son moved out and I had nothing to do. There was this retired principal named Walt who always sat at the end and rated every joke anyone told, like he was still handing out grades. The first time I tried a dad joke in front of the group, it was about a ceiling fan and nobody even smiled. Walt pulled me aside and said, and I quote, "you are rushing the punchline like it owes you money." So for 8 straight weeks I practiced on my cat at home, then on the guys at the parts counter at work, then on the lane 4 team before their league night. The change was nuts. Two months later I told the same ceiling fan joke and got a real groan and three guys threw their napkins at me. Walt gave it a B plus. So here is my question for you all: does delivery really matter that much, or do some jokes just work better with a certain crowd? I want to know if I should keep working material or just blame the room.