MetaJokes Podcast 'April Fool's Edition' March 1, 2018 7:07 AM   Subscribe

Back in January we had a year end call-in show/podcast. MeFites were able to call a line that Cortex set up to record seasonal greetings and well-wishes. A fun way to connect and listen to all of the wonderful people that make up our community. A number of MeFites called in and told some humorous jokes/asides. I previously mentioned how it might be fun to have a specific call-in episode for just jokes that would then be released on April Fools' Day (April 1). I realize it's a bit of behind the scenes work for our moderators, but if they're open to it, I think it would be fun. Let's discuss whether we can make that happen.
posted by Fizz to MetaFilter-Related at 7:07 AM (39 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite

I...like it! It'll be some editing work to pull it all together but it's doable and this is a reasonable amount of lead time to get going on it.

Main thoughts off the top of my head:

1. For previous call-ins I've mostly relied on the google voicemail box, which works okay in general. However I should sort out better how to deal with international calls for folks for whom the charges on a phone call in would be a hardship; someone (Jess?) suggested setting up a Skype voicemail box as a possible good free alternative for international folks and I'll take a look, but I'm open to other (straightforward and not-a-pain-in-my-ass) solutions too.

2. I've also gotten a few messages in the past just as wav/mp3 files emailed in, and that works great too. For folks who want to make sure they really land their telling, that might be a good solution in fact so you can do a couple takes instead having to Do It Live. Though there's charm in stumbling in one take through a joke too, so follow your heart I reckon.

3. "Should I tell this joke?" is, nature of subjectivity of humor and context being complicated, something there's no cut-and-dry answer to, but in compiling this I'm definitely going to take a curatorial knife to stuff that feels like it landed on the wrong side of good judgement for mixed company. I don't really expect anyone to call in with jokes that start with a cautious glance around to see if someone's going to be hurt, let alone start with "I'm not x-ist, but I heard this good one and...", but, y'know, save me a little bit of effort if that's your default material.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:17 AM on March 1, 2018 [4 favorites]


Beyond that, any other thoughts are welcome, and probably in the next few days I can just put up a MetaTalk more formally announcing it with instructions for participating.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:17 AM on March 1, 2018 [1 favorite]


It could be really good, yes. Would be nice to have some kind of criteria as to the acceptable bawdiness of jokes. I have a good one that involves a vicar, a postwoman, and a marrow that won "Best in Show" at the village fete, but am not sure. What goes down well over a pint of Olde Bishops Finger in the local Red Lion before drinking up time may not go down so well amongst MeFites.

Would also, as with the MetaTalk threads, suggest a "No political jokes" thing as it's a relief to get away from the relentlessness of that.
posted by Wordshore at 7:20 AM on March 1, 2018 [2 favorites]


As I was typing that Cortex put his criteria up. No marrow joke (which I originally heard from the barmaid), to stay on the safe side.
posted by Wordshore at 7:22 AM on March 1, 2018 [1 favorite]


Huzzah! Thanks Cortex. :) This is going to be fun, I cannot wait.
posted by Fizz at 7:26 AM on March 1, 2018


Great! I've got a good one that I recently learned on Twitter, so I'm ready to call in.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:28 AM on March 1, 2018


Thinking to myself:
“How many bad dad jokes can I fit into a 2 minute time-frame? Hmm...”
posted by Fizz at 7:28 AM on March 1, 2018 [4 favorites]


No marrow joke, to stay on the safe side.

I've got a bone to pick with that.

Well, that's all I've got for jokes. I guess I won't be calling in.
posted by bondcliff at 7:29 AM on March 1, 2018 [7 favorites]


I joke, therefore I am x-istential.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 7:59 AM on March 1, 2018 [1 favorite]


I've got a bone to pick with that.

Well, that's all I've got for jokes. I guess I won't be calling in.


Ribbing aside, it's clear you can patella joke, so I hope this decision is only temporal.
posted by solotoro at 8:00 AM on March 1, 2018 [7 favorites]


I've got a bone to pick with that.

Well, that's all I've got for jokes. I guess I won't be calling in.

Ribbing aside, it's clear you can patella joke, so I hope this decision is only temporal.


I find this all very humerus.
posted by Fizz at 8:16 AM on March 1, 2018 [5 favorites]


I asked my son, home sick from school, if he had a joke I could tell.

He picked up a DVD case for his favorite Baby Eisenstein show and pointed to the bespectacled logo. "That's you."

So I got nothing but wounded ego.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 9:09 AM on March 1, 2018 [6 favorites]


Not that I wish more work on the mods, but I still hope we'll get some sort of April 1 prank from them.
posted by Melismata at 9:14 AM on March 1, 2018 [2 favorites]


someone (Jess?) suggested setting up a Skype voicemail box as a possible good free alternative for international folks and I'll take a look

Yes, that was me. You should do this.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 11:01 AM on March 1, 2018


Baby Eisenstein

Ivan the Terrible and Alexander Nevsky made for toddlers would basically be the coolest thing EVER. Battleship Potemkin would work too, although they may have to leave out the Odessa Steps sequence in that one.
posted by holborne at 11:21 AM on March 1, 2018 [6 favorites]


As you can see, most of the American contingent has NO IDEA what Wordshore is talking about when he says "marrow", so I say he can tell all the marrow jokes he pleases.
posted by briank at 11:48 AM on March 1, 2018 [2 favorites]


Yes, you shouldn't squash his aspirations!
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:24 PM on March 1, 2018 [6 favorites]


I have a few good (read: terrible) puns that I could get in if I can get over the sound of my voice. This is a great idea anyway, I hope it comes off, I'd love to sit down an listen to a mefites telling jokes session.
posted by Dysk at 12:52 PM on March 1, 2018


I feel like it would be hard to tell jokes without an audience reacting. “...and he says ‘that’s not what the sign said this morning!’ ... Well anyway, that’s the joke. Have a good afternoon, everyone!”
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 1:12 PM on March 1, 2018


You'd feel just like a real stand-up comic! :)
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:57 PM on March 1, 2018 [3 favorites]


Secretariat also had an idea that I'm onboard with: if you've got a joke you want to have on the podcast, but don't really want to have your voice on the podcast, you could send it in and I (and possibly other mods, depending on interest and availability) could read some of those as interstitials.
posted by cortex (staff) at 2:16 PM on March 1, 2018 [3 favorites]


Also, if people feel comfortable sharing, maybe they can introduce themselves very quickly. But if not, an anonymous joke is also just as legit.
posted by Fizz at 2:32 PM on March 1, 2018


*knock knock*
"Who's there?"
"Doorbell repair man."
"Thank God!"
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:44 PM on March 1, 2018 [6 favorites]


Suddenly every joke I can think of has a visual punchline.
posted by lucidium at 4:18 PM on March 1, 2018


As you can see, most of the American contingent has NO IDEA what Wordshore is talking about when he says "marrow", so I say he can tell all the marrow jokes he pleases.

Ah. I thought it was the other kind of marrow. That would have made it...

...an inside joke.

Hey-yo!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:05 PM on March 1, 2018 [5 favorites]


*knock knock*

[silence until voicemail times out and hangs up]
posted by solotoro at 4:38 AM on March 2, 2018 [5 favorites]


So is the joke line open? Can we start calling it, or is there setup that needs to happen yet?
posted by nickmark at 9:18 AM on March 2, 2018


I'll be waiting in the punch line until it is.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:23 AM on March 2, 2018 [1 favorite]


possibly other mods, depending on interest and availability

Also me, would love to do this.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 9:26 AM on March 2, 2018


I meant to call in for the year-end one, but I'm pretty sure I didn't remember to, so if it's feasible to do another I vote yea. And yay!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:03 PM on March 2, 2018


knock knock*
"Who's there?"
"Doorbell repair man."
"Thank God!"

Perhaps we should sweeten the pot by phoning in a version of " whos on First", the tricky part is who does Lou Costello.
posted by clavdivs at 3:04 PM on March 2, 2018 [1 favorite]


FLO!
posted by clavdivs at 3:05 PM on March 2, 2018 [1 favorite]


"(and possibly other mods, depending on interest and availability)"

You know I'm always down for listening to myself talk! (And/or, if they're kiddie-appropriate, Mini McGee might do one!)
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 3:07 PM on March 2, 2018


Yesss! I would love to hear Mini McGee read some jokes!
posted by Secretariat at 3:16 PM on March 2, 2018 [1 favorite]


Ribbing aside, it's clear you can patella joke, so I hope this decision is only temporal.

I find this all very humerus.


I just had to stop skulking around for a minute to give kudos to this excellent punning. I’m really going to need to bone up on my anatomy before I’m ready to tarsal with you folks.

Though I confess, I never meta-tarsal I didn’t like.
posted by nickmark at 3:47 PM on March 2, 2018 [2 favorites]


A Higgs boson walks into a church. The priest says, "We don't allow Higgs bosons in here." The Higgs boson replies, "But without me, how can you have mass?"
posted by Wordshore at 4:38 PM on March 2, 2018 [1 favorite]


A cat walks into a box. Or does it?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:18 PM on March 2, 2018


Q: How many contortionists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: That's not the interesting question. The interesting question is how the Hell did they get in there?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:30 PM on March 2, 2018 [3 favorites]


Now I really want to get as many mefites as possible to call in with the same joke, just to give the mods deja vu.

Wait, did I just post this where everyone can see it?
posted by Karmakaze at 11:26 AM on March 5, 2018


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