REFLECTIONS: The joke is on me
MARCH 2004

Making people laugh is what I do. Whether that's by making a fool of myself (dancing on stage at a restaurant while singing Britney Spears "I'm a Slave 4U"), or telling a dumb joke (What did the gay midget do? He came out of the cupboard) and being laughed at – driving laughter among friends, family and strangers is what makes my world go round. In all reality, it is what makes me a happy person. When I turn a frown into a smile, or promote uncontrollable laughter, I feel a sense of joy.

At times, my sense of humor had been known to stray too far over the line. I will be the first to admit that I laugh at the expense of others, but honestly, I think society is heading in that direction, and maybe that's not such a terrible thing. Maybe being able to laugh at the worst situations will ultimately make the world go rounder.

Two years ago, I truly learned how to laugh at the expense of myself.

It was summer. Birds were chirping, the warmth was pleasant – you get the picture. I had been working on the Lumino Magazine project issue – the issue used to spark interest in investors and writers alike – for nearly a year, and was making great headway into some solid "in the know" crowds. Anyway, I had been interviewing a lot of comedians with the help of a club called "The Comedy Spot," and on this particular July night, I was scheduled to interview this up-and-coming comedian named Doug Stanhope – who is now host of Comedy Central's "The Man Show."

I had no idea who this guy was, so I decided to check out his Web site. To my dismay, it was filled with porn, midgets and foul language. Not that I didn't find it humorous in some sick and demented way, it was just a little too far over the line for the audience Lumino was after.

Regardless, I decided if my approach focused primarily on how Stanhope got to this level rather than the naked midgets that filled his site, maybe he wouldn't tear me apart in the interview. Boy, was I wrong.

So I got a call from Johnny Notes, the owner of "The Comedy Spot," asking me if I would be willing to pick up Stanhope and his wife at his hotel in downtown Chicago and bring him to "The Spot" in Schaumburg. Since Johnny had been overwhelmingly kind to me, I obliged, but warned him that not only would I have a date with me, but I would also be
driving my tiny-backseat Mustang.

I picked up Jules (my date) and frantically warned her about the car ride we were about to have. I kept telling her to beware of the sick humor Stanhope could potentially deliver and to not hold this against me. She said not to worry, but I was anxious about the impending experience.

We arrived outside the hotel, and Stanhope and his HOT wife were waiting. I had an idea about what he looked like since I had seen him playing with midgets on his site, so I went up to him and introduced myself. He was surprisingly polite as he and his wife squished into the backseat of my car.

Welcoming conversation, Stanhope began to tell me how much he loved Chicago and how he was excited for tonight. I was definitely shocked at his gentleman-like behavior. He continued to lead the conversation with me and Jules, and started going into his religious beliefs.

"I'm a born-again Christian," Stanhope said, as my face molded into a concerned look. "We are celebrating a religious holiday in which we have to eat only one part of a Thanksgiving dinner every night. You know, we eat the turkey one day, the cranberries the next day, the stuffing the next, and so on. All we can eat during that day is that one food in order to show our love for Jesus. Do you think the club will have corn? Because that's what we have to eat today."

"Um, maybe. I am not sure though. Should we call ahead?" I fired back.

"No, it's OK, I'm sure they will be able to take care of me."

Suddenly, I felt the true sincerity of this comedian as he told me everything on his Web site was the old him and how he was a changed man. The God stories continued until we got to the club, and I knew I had a great story on my hands. A story about how someone can change their attitude. Ah, what a feel-good story.

And then Stanhope took the mike. "Haha. I got these fuckers so bad on the way to the club. Fuck God. Who is dumb enough to believe in God? Haha."

As my face turned bright red, I knew my name had magically been entered into the definition of gullible. I had just been gotten, the joke was on me. So, instead of being upset, or hurt, or sad, I decided to laugh. Why not? I mean, for everyone else, it was damn funny. I decided to laugh at my own expense, and I was perfectly fine with that.

The moral of the story is learn to smile at every situation, because no matter how bad a situation is, the world will continue to go round.

NP

P.S. Thanks for returning to Lumino, we enjoy your company.