Getting inside the mind of Dave Barry
There are times I would like to get inside the mind of Dave Barry.
Not literally, of course, as that would be gross in a yucky sort of way. It would also be hard to explain to my wife what I was doing with a humor columnist’s brains all over my hands.
What I mean is, I’d like to know how he comes up with the nutty, off-the-wall stuff he does for his columns. If you’re not familiar with Barry, he was a humor columnist for the Miami Herald for about 20 years (but still not long enough to reach maturity). He “retired” in 2004 but still does stupid stuff like write books and run for president.
His column was syndicated to about 500 newspapers around South Florida and other parts of the world (which is a secret code meaning at least one newspaper outside the United States). Barry is a lot like Bill Cosby, except that Barry is white and younger and has a completely different style of humor.
At one point in my column writing career, I used to think I was part David Barry, part Erma Bombeck and part John Coit (a late Rocky Mountain News columnist who wrote about life on the streets of Denver). I had someone write in to tell me I came across more like Kathy Lee Gifford (it wasn’t meant as a compliment).
One thing about being a columnist is that there is a very fine line between talking about your life experiences and being narcissistic. I like boasting about my wife and kids and the celebrities I’ve met and the weird things I’ve done in my life. I don’t do it to make myself look good or to satisfy my ego. I do it so my readers can better understand who I am and perhaps get a laugh or two at my expense.
That’s why I’d like to get inside the warped mind of Dave Barry. I feel though as if I’ve lost my sense of humor and could really use some inspiration. Inspiration, I am told, is good for finding humor. It’s also good for getting spots out of rugs, dust from high places and booger residue from under fingernails.
(Flash – I think Dave Barry would have thought that “Booger Residue” would be a good name for a rock band.)
Erma Bombeck, God rest her soul, had a terrific way of finding humor in the mundane life of homemakers. I don’t understand why we don’t call them homemakers anymore. It’s a much simpler term than “stay-at-home mom.” Stay-at-home mom is an oxy moron because most such moms that I know are so busy running around after their kids that you almost never catch them at home.
John Coit got his start in daily newspapers at the same place I did – The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City, N.C. He wrote about the homeless, bikers, the disenfranchised and other aspects of life that most people don’t normally think about. He has one quote that I really like; one quote that summed up his brief 38-year life: “Life is short and it hurts; love is the only drug that works.”
Of course, anyone who knows me knows that nothing is more important to me than my faith in Jesus Christ. I gotta tell you, however, that it is very hard to be simultaneously faithful and funny. Religious humor can border on the offensive, even if it’s not meant to. Comedian Brad Stine makes a living at it and I admire him for it.
Still, I can’t seem to penetrate Barry’s head. I wish I had his ability to make fun out of ordinary things. He said he gets his ideas from reading newspapers. He must read different newspapers than I do. Or maybe I should borrow a page from his play book and get actual readers to send me actual stories that they find in actual newspapers. That might actually work.
I know it works for “The Tonight Show” which occasionally features headlines and blunders from newspapers and magazines. I remember one from The Daily Advance that made it on air back in the ’90s. We had a wedding announcement that came out “Smoke – Hash.”
We also had an advertisement for JCPenny that listed short-sleeved shirts for sale. Only the “r” was left off the word shirt. That one didn’t make it on “The Tonight Show” but it still cracks me up.
A friend of mine in college won a headline writing award for a story about an ROTC leader who got in trouble for biting the head off a chicken. His headline said something like “Sergeant in trouble for fowl play.”
Me? I’m not likely to win any headline writing awards. The best I can hope to do is mess with Dave Barry’s mind without losing mine in the process.
Not literally, of course, as that would be gross in a yucky sort of way. It would also be hard to explain to my wife what I was doing with a humor columnist’s brains all over my hands.
What I mean is, I’d like to know how he comes up with the nutty, off-the-wall stuff he does for his columns. If you’re not familiar with Barry, he was a humor columnist for the Miami Herald for about 20 years (but still not long enough to reach maturity). He “retired” in 2004 but still does stupid stuff like write books and run for president.
His column was syndicated to about 500 newspapers around South Florida and other parts of the world (which is a secret code meaning at least one newspaper outside the United States). Barry is a lot like Bill Cosby, except that Barry is white and younger and has a completely different style of humor.
At one point in my column writing career, I used to think I was part David Barry, part Erma Bombeck and part John Coit (a late Rocky Mountain News columnist who wrote about life on the streets of Denver). I had someone write in to tell me I came across more like Kathy Lee Gifford (it wasn’t meant as a compliment).
One thing about being a columnist is that there is a very fine line between talking about your life experiences and being narcissistic. I like boasting about my wife and kids and the celebrities I’ve met and the weird things I’ve done in my life. I don’t do it to make myself look good or to satisfy my ego. I do it so my readers can better understand who I am and perhaps get a laugh or two at my expense.
That’s why I’d like to get inside the warped mind of Dave Barry. I feel though as if I’ve lost my sense of humor and could really use some inspiration. Inspiration, I am told, is good for finding humor. It’s also good for getting spots out of rugs, dust from high places and booger residue from under fingernails.
(Flash – I think Dave Barry would have thought that “Booger Residue” would be a good name for a rock band.)
Erma Bombeck, God rest her soul, had a terrific way of finding humor in the mundane life of homemakers. I don’t understand why we don’t call them homemakers anymore. It’s a much simpler term than “stay-at-home mom.” Stay-at-home mom is an oxy moron because most such moms that I know are so busy running around after their kids that you almost never catch them at home.
John Coit got his start in daily newspapers at the same place I did – The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City, N.C. He wrote about the homeless, bikers, the disenfranchised and other aspects of life that most people don’t normally think about. He has one quote that I really like; one quote that summed up his brief 38-year life: “Life is short and it hurts; love is the only drug that works.”
Of course, anyone who knows me knows that nothing is more important to me than my faith in Jesus Christ. I gotta tell you, however, that it is very hard to be simultaneously faithful and funny. Religious humor can border on the offensive, even if it’s not meant to. Comedian Brad Stine makes a living at it and I admire him for it.
Still, I can’t seem to penetrate Barry’s head. I wish I had his ability to make fun out of ordinary things. He said he gets his ideas from reading newspapers. He must read different newspapers than I do. Or maybe I should borrow a page from his play book and get actual readers to send me actual stories that they find in actual newspapers. That might actually work.
I know it works for “The Tonight Show” which occasionally features headlines and blunders from newspapers and magazines. I remember one from The Daily Advance that made it on air back in the ’90s. We had a wedding announcement that came out “Smoke – Hash.”
We also had an advertisement for JCPenny that listed short-sleeved shirts for sale. Only the “r” was left off the word shirt. That one didn’t make it on “The Tonight Show” but it still cracks me up.
A friend of mine in college won a headline writing award for a story about an ROTC leader who got in trouble for biting the head off a chicken. His headline said something like “Sergeant in trouble for fowl play.”
Me? I’m not likely to win any headline writing awards. The best I can hope to do is mess with Dave Barry’s mind without losing mine in the process.
posted by Joe Southern | 8:52 AM
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