Bloody Waffle

Have you heard of my new breakfast joint? Bloody Waffle? When you drive a lot, free-association takes one into strange places.
How's your food? "Bloody Waffle!"

So, the other night at the pre-Fawns (pre-Fawn-tain) dinner, somehow the concept of humor and music came up.
I was saying something I've said before--how all the great songwriters incorporate some level humor in their songs. I'm not talking Weird Al. I mean Dylan, the Beatles, Neil Young, Lou Reed, Morrissey, Kurt Cobain, Ohlenbusch....
You really can't trust anyone singing popular music who doesn't at least occasionally give a knowing wink that says "hey, I'm just a songwriter". Maybe that was my point about Coldplay. I like the crying clown, or the tough guy who's really a softy.
Humor is a sign of "emotional intelligence" (one of those pop-psychology terms I keep seeing at work). Humor walks hand in hand with tragedy. Laughing often sounds like crying sounds like laughing. Those two reactions can even sometimes get scrambled and one does one when they feel like doing the other.
Morrissey: "But the rain that flattens my hair, these are the things that kill me".
Just an example of the everyday bummer that sounds very funny once related to a second party, but when it's happening, can seriously ruin one's mood and be a tipping point.

I'm reintroducing this point because last night we watched Godard's "A Woman is a Woman". Sad subject matter, presented with absurdity. And so it made me think how great movies do the same thing. Godard, Woody Allen, Scorsese, Charlie Chaplin, the Coens.. I kinda just don't like straight comedy, or straight action or straight whatever. Too much of one thing numbs to the point where you don't know what you're laughing at/crying at/scared of.
Like they say, most of the funniest comedians are the most self-loathing folks in real life.
And we, the audience, we love that shit. I don't who's side I'm on anymore. Audience? Critic? Artist? Partly all.
I just hope Dave Chapelle gets well soon.