Steven Wright is one of the great stand-up comics of all time. I’ve selected ten of his iconic jokes which express his unique sense of humor… and which showcase a narrative conflict.
Consider Wright’s jokes from a story perspective with respect to his obstacle. One of the reasons he’s funny is because he’s got a problem.
Well, actually, he’s got two problems…. What are they?
- “I called the wrong number today. I said ‘Hello, is Joey there?’ A woman answered and she said ‘Yes he is.’ And I said ‘Can I speak to him please?’ She said ‘No, he can’t talk right now, he’s only two months old.’ I said ‘Alright, I’ll wait.’”
- “I went to a tourist information booth and said ‘Tell me about some people who were here last year.’”
- “I went to a restaurant that serves ‘breakfast at any time.’ So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance.”
- “My dental hygienist is cute. Every time I visit, I eat a whole package of Oreo cookies while waiting in the lobby. Sometimes she has to cancel the rest of the afternoon’s appointments.”
- “When I get real bored I like to drive downtown and get a great parking spot then sit in my car and count how many people ask me if I’m leaving.”
- “I have two very rare photographs. One is a picture of Houdini locking his keys in his car. The other is a rare photograph of Norman Rockwell beating up a child.”
- “You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?”
- “I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn’t park anywhere near the place.”
- “Cross country skiing is great if you live in a small country.”
- “I went to a garage sale. ‘How much for the garage?’ ‘It’s not for sale.’”
Hint
#1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10, are one problem. #4-5 are another.
Answer
Wright’s primary obstacle is that he is extremely literal. That’s the problem embodied in 1-3, and 7-10.
The other problem he has is that he gets lonely, and when he does, he acts like an asshole (embodied in 4-5)… and seems to relish it.
Rather than Wright being a hero with two obstacles, it makes more sense to position his desire to belong (and not be lonely) as his goal.
6 is a red herring. The theme of this joke seems to be something like, “famous people can be the opposite of who you think they are.” Perhaps he’s letting us know that in real life, he’s a socially adept and emotionally intelligent person.