The hardware store on Oak Street changed how I stack my dad jokes

I was picking up some nails at the Ace on Oak Street last Tuesday when I overheard an older guy telling the cashier a pun about a broken ladder. The cashier groaned but then asked him for another one. That got me thinking. I realized I always just fire off my best joke first and then I'm done. But watching that guy, he had a whole sequence lined up. He started with a weak one, then built up to a better one. Now I plan my joke deliveries the same way. I save my strongest pun for the third or fourth joke in a row. Has anyone else tried pacing their jokes out like a set list instead of just one at a time?

3 comments

3 Comments

mason.brian17d ago

I see what you're getting at with the sequence idea, but I kind of disagree. A weak joke first just makes me lose interest in hearing the rest. I'd rather lead with my best shot and quit while I'm ahead, you know? If I open with a dud people roll their eyes and I never get to the good one. That ladder guy maybe just got lucky with a patient cashier who was stuck at the register.

the_susan17d ago

Yeah, I get that. "quit while I'm ahead" is smart. But you're assuming you know which joke is your best before you tell them. People laugh at different things. You might lead with what you think is gold and get crickets.

terryk287d ago

Agree with @mason.brian that a slow start can kill your momentum before you even get going. I tried this ladder guy method on my wife last night and my opening joke was so flat she walked into the kitchen and started doing dishes while I was still talking. Had to follow her in there and deliver the next one to her back.