In an interview with Edward Pevos of MLive (8/22/2017), Jeff Foxworthy describes his theory of humor in a way that resonates with the Relief theory of humor:
I always said with comedy that it’s the release valve that keeps the boiler from exploding. When I stand on stage, I can look at the audience. From time to time I have the thought that everybody here is going through some kind of struggle. Whether it’s financial or health issues… being able to laugh a little bit almost lets you recharge the batteries and go deal with it again. Music is kind of the same way. It’s a little bit of that escape.
Of course, like most comics, he’s mixing his metaphors. Apparently, his model is more like a steam engine, powering a device that recharges our batteries.
Another noteworthy point is that while Foxworthy does use the “make them laugh” phrase – which maps to a popular idea of the audience as objects acted upon – once in the interview, he more frequently talks about “learn[ing] what people are going to laugh at,” the new joke “got a great laugh,” displaying the audience as active participants.
Questions? Comments? Thoughts? Additions?
