By popular demand I return to the blog with another champion interview...
An Interview With HumorQ Champion Ted Rivera
UB: So, you’re a HumorQ champion. To
what do you credit such an impressive sense of humor?
Ted: My parents have no sense of irony
(we're Puerto Rican), so I ended up overcompensating for this. Also,
I watch a lot of Telemundo. Oh, and vodka.
UB: Do you have some sort of ritual that
you do that helps you submit champion caliber captions?
Ted: I check in early to see what fiendish
new panel Uncle Bob has devised and drive myself crazy all day trying
to think of something that makes me laugh or at least smile.
UB: Are there certain people you’d like
to approach and say “Remember that day you said I wasn’t funny?
Well my humorq is 200”
Ted: My entire high school graduation class.
Also, everyone I've ever worked with, dated or met in passing.
UB: Let’s say you realized a tiny goat
family has been living in the glove compartment of your car, what
would you say to them?
Ted: Wow, I have a car!!
UB: Fair is fair. Do you have a question
for me?
Ted: Any projects coming up? Books,
compilations, shows, schemes, plots to overthrow the government?
UB: As a matter fo fact I will be once again competing in the Funniest Person In Austin contest. I go up on Sunday April 14th, and I'll hopefully get some video posted sometime soon thereafter.
In case you happen to write one liner
jokes too, what (tasteful) one liner joke of yours would you like me
to try out for you at my next open mic visit? (which I would put on
youtube so you could see if it worked)
Ted: OK, true story. A female friend once
had a guy brag to her about his equipment, stating it was 9 inches,
then amending that by saying it was actually 81/2.
She said, “Oh, so you round up?” Is that
too racy?
UB: Is there another website (besides
HumorQ.com where we put a number oh how funny people are), that you
would like the world to know about?
Ted: I find The Onion pretty darn funny
(though it's not for everyone's tastes).
UB: Finally, is there anything else you
would like to share with the people learning about HumorQ?
Ted: Stick with it and try to play every
day. It took me about a year and a half to become the champion of
the month – yes, I'm in the Pantheon! But seriously, subtlety,
irony and absurdity can be your best friends. Usually short and
snappy is better, unless you have a really great idea and a punchline
to go with it. Mostly just have fun and don't get discouraged. Some
of my own personal favorite captions struck out worse than the '62
Mets. You just never know what will go over big and what will sink
like a stone.
And let's all thank Uncle Bob for
giving us this little oasis in an all too often tough, cold world.
