The funniest sketch I’ve ever seen …
Everything in Airplane! Leslie Nielsen’s nose growing as he tells the passengers everything is going to be fine. The captain walking through the terminal beating up all the people who offer him flowers. And, of course, the actual shit hitting the actual fan.
The funniest book I’ve ever read …
Confessions of a Late Night Talk Show Host: The Autobiography of Larry Sanders. I read it in a bath in one soaking. Cover to cover, hot to cold, smooth to prune.
The funniest TV show I’ve ever seen …
Cheers. One of the few shows to get funnier the more you watch it. The best collection of characters bar none – pun intended. Nothing else comes close.
The funniest meal I’ve ever eaten …
Carpaccio. I was living in France, had a vague idea that it was steak and so went to a restaurant that was offering all you can eat. When this enormous platter of raw meat arrived on my table I just looked at it until the bill came. I think it grinned.
The funniest thing that shouldn’t be funny …
Watching a sex scene in a play. Especially when the actors really go for it. I thought it would be funny once to go into an audition with one prepared: “And what have you got for us today, Adam?” “THIS!”
The funniest number …
43. It’s just so gloriously pathetic. The 4 shouts so loud that it’s all over; the 3 protests way too much that it isn’t.
