Jokes from the Road Less Traveled.

One good setup can lead to many punchlines.

One of the best tools of the trade in telling jokes is getting several laughs out of one setup. Rodney Dangerfield had tens of thousands of punchlines to go with his “I don’t get no respect” setup. Likewise, Jeff Foxworthy built his early act around his “You might be a redneck if” setup. I used to do lots of Murphy’s Law jokes with the setup “You might be a Murphy if…”

Jerry Seinfeld once said, “Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.” I got to thinking about all the things that could go wrong when one takes the road less traveled. Here are some examples of how one good setup can lead to lots of good punchlines.

I took the road less traveled.

I haven’t got a clue where I am now.

How else would I have gotten here?

It wasn’t the best decision I’ve ever made.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

From there, things went downhill.

I should have noticed the no trespassing sign.

I’ll be sticking to paved roads from now on.

It didn’t work out very well.

I really need to get my GPS fixed.

It led to a bridge that was out.

It led to a town less populated.

There was an unfortunate incident.

There were vultures circling overhead.

I couldn’t get a signal for my cellphone.

Sorry I’m so late.

Take time to smell the humor. 

Your Florida Dream Home! Open floor plan!

People talk about taking time to smell the roses, but I think it’s just as important to look for humor and opportunities to laugh. When people tell funny jokes, they make the world a better place for everyone. And the most likely place to find original funny jokes is your own life. If you’re a reasonably normal person and you think something is funny, there’s a good chance someone else will too.

One day I came home from a trip to the bank a different way than I had gone before. The neighborhood had trailer homes, including the one in the photo. The trailer looked absolutely uninhabitable.  I thought to myself, “What are the chances that someone would drive by, look at that place, and want to move in?”

It just struck me as very funny. When I posted the photo, I added a description. “Open floor plan. You’ll feel like you’re living in the great outdoors.” Lots of people who have seen the pic have gotten a laugh out of it.

So, when you see something funny or something funny happens to you, don’t just laugh inside and forget it. Make some sort of note, mental or otherwise, and chew on it for a few days to see if there might be a good joke or story to tell from it. Comedians and other performers do this all the time, and you can too.

If you liked this blog post, you might like Humor 101: How to tell jokes for power, prestige, profit, and personal fulfillment. 

Check it out at Amazon.com.