An Introduction To Absurdist Comedy
Millennial humor has become increasingly weird over the past decade and seems to be going deeper down the absurdist rabbit hole. Although absurdist humour is not a particularly novel genre, it’s gained quite a following among millennials. This is a phenomenon that has been well documented and analyzed over the past few years. To quote Rachel Aroesti from the Guardian, “How did millennial comedy end up so disorientating, dark and strange? One explanation for all this un-realism is that it’s a response to a world that has stopped making sense. Philosophical absurdism argues that the universe is inherently irrational — a perspective rendered particularly apt by the unpredictable political developments of the past few years. But there’s something unique about millennials’ lot that contributes to this sense of meaninglessness”
Absurdism makes sense in a world that seems to get increasingly irrational with every passing day. As ridiculous as the political landscape, the state of the economy, and the pandemic, may all seem, we need an escape from the ridiculousness. However, the slapstick humor of the previous generations feels a little too logical for our current tastes. Ironic as it may seem, slapstick comedy, which in itself is ridiculousness in its simplest form, is not ridiculous enough for our generation.
Present-day memes perfectly illustrate this fact. Memes aren't the simple picture jokes they were in the early 2000s; they have evolved into satires of satires of satires and weirdly enough a multitude of people understand them. They’ve developed into inside jokes that everyone is in on.
If you’re a 60-year-old on the internet confused by what these kids find so darn funny and feel like you’re missing out, read on. Below, I attempt to introduce and break down what I believe are the sketches, comedians, and shows, that have been instrumental in developing the absurdist genre.
Dear Sister
A lot of credit has been given to the SNL digital short “ Dear Sister” to be where it all started. Created by the comedy trio the Lonely Island and starring Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig, and Shia La Boeuf, the sketch itself makes no sense. The entire skit is just people walking into a hotel room and getting shot by the occupants who were shot earlier and were lying on the floor bleeding. This repeats over and over until the denouement where two police officers discover the bodies and engage in a similar shootout. Written down, this sounds nonsensical and even humorless. On-screen, however, the sketch is so brilliant, so hilarious, that you’d want to watch it over and over again. The lack of logic and predictability made it so refreshing to viewers then and continues to do so even today.
One could even argue that Andy Samberg and the lonely island crew have not been given enough credit for his contributions to the comedy of this decade, particularly in bringing SNL level comedy to the internet where it could grow and be emulated by admirers and criticizers alike.
Karsten Runquist has done a wonderful analysis of this sketch in his video. He’s the inspiration behind this entire article.
Filthy Frank
Joji, before he embarked on his music career, was known for his character Filthy Frank on youtube. Popularly known for being the creator of viral sensation that was the Harlem Shake, he was instrumental in developing absurdism on youtube.
His videos, often satire and social commentary, used absurdism in a way that didn't feel out of place at all. Even the fictional adventures of Frank were painted on a canvas of chaos and to the viewer, the absurd was just a normal feature of Filthy Frank’s world and not something that was meant to be analyzed or critiqued but enjoyed.
Eric Andre
This list wouldn’t be valid without mentioning Eric Andre at least once. He’s the king of the genre and a pioneer of the absurd. His show on adult swim never fails to surprise even the most religious of viewers. Unlike regular talk shows, the guests merely act as props for the antics of Andre and Buress. Using the discomfort/bewilderment of a guest as a comedic device is not a particularly novel concept, but Andre makes it feel refreshing by using it just an addendum, a cherry on top of the many other hilarious things happening simultaneously. First-time viewers will be undoubtedly confused as the events happen in such a rapid sequence that one won't get enough time to process them all. In one episode, the guest (Jimmy Kimmel) begins to tell a joke while Hannibal Buress leans closer to Kimmel to examine his hair for lice. In reaction to the joke, Andre spits out his coffee, chews his coffee cup till it shatters, and proceeds to completely destroy his desk. Logic is almost never the goal with Andre, and in his world, the word of the day is almost always “unexpected”.
Atlanta
Donald Glover's magnum opus “ Atlanta” is more surrealist than absurd, although the lines tend to get blurred every now and then. It dips in and out of surrealism but never acknowledges it — the invisible car running over people outside a club almost like a video game glitch, a black kid wearing whiteface in a classroom, a man offering a bite of a Nutella sandwich to the protagonist on a bus right after delivering a poetic monologue, almost every line uttered by Lakeith Stanfields’ character; these surrealist moments are few and in between but are not used as plot points at all, merely letting them serve as standalone moments that neither add nor take away from the story. Wonderfully crafted, Atlanta manages to seem out of this world while remaining firmly rooted in reality — an intersection of David Lynch and Woody Allen, to put it simply. Addressing real issues such as racism, black culture, poverty, and hip hop, the show is very much a reflection of our current world as it is a satire of it.
Lakeith Stanfield is a gem, and the world needs more of him. He shines as Darius and often acts as the glue that holds the ethereal yet very real world of Atlanta together.
Dan Harmon
The creative genius behind Community, and co-creator of Rick and Morty (along with Justin Roiland), uses his shows to explore absurdism, existentialism, and nihilism. While the absurdist moments are used primarily for comedic effect, the existentialist and nihilistic themes are what drive character development in his shows. A good example would be the infamous therapist scene from the pickle rick episode where 20 minutes of randomness and chaos are halted by a very raw, very hard-hitting monologue by Dr. Wong (voiced by the evergreen Susan Sarandon), tethering it to reality and questioning the existential dilemma and general worldview of the genius protagonist Rick.
Community, on the other hand, is a lot more lighthearted and tends to satire tropes in television and society, preferring to be a comedic commentary of its own characters while providing distinctive character arcs, often resulting in a number of “meta” moments.
If you’re trying to ease your way into surrealist/absurdist comedy, I would suggest starting with Community and working your way through this list.
Complicated as the state of the globe is at the moment, the absurd will prove to be our saviour. It’s a beautifully weird world out there, just waiting for you to acknowledge its existence. Indulge yourself in it. I promise you won't regret it.
