OF
OF WHAT
OF WHAT WE LAUGH AT 4@NOW WITH WHAT OUR GREAT-GREAT- GRANDPARENTS THAT WAS FUNNY
BACK IN 4@4@THE DAY.
>> WE DO HAVE AN IDEA BECAUSE
WE HAVE A RECORD, A PRETTY GOOD
WRITTEN RECORD OF A MAN NAMED
CHARLES FERRELL 4@BROWN THAT WE
UNDER THE PEN NAME OF ARTEMIS
WARD.
BILL POLAND WROTE THIS BOOK
CALLED A COMIC 4@RELIEF ABOUT
CHARLES BROWN.
HE WAS A LINCOLN'S FAVORITE
HUMORIST AND WAS THE MAN WHO
FIRST PUBLISHED MARK 4@TWAIN'S
WORK4@ WHEN HE WAS THE EDITOR O
VANITY FAIR.
HE WAS BORN IN 1834.
>> HERE'S THE THING ABOUT
ARTEMIS WARD, I READ SOME4@ OF
THAT STUFF, AND IT DOESN'T SEEM
FUNNY.
>> IT'S NOT FUNNY.
IT DOESN'T HOLD UP.
>> BUT IF YOU READ BILL 4@
POLAND'S BOOK, THE KEY TO
ARTEMIS WARD IS UNDERSTANDING
THAT HE WAS THE FIRST AMERICAN
STANDUP CO4@MIC AND THE STUFF
THAT HE DID, THERE'S A LOT OF
STANDUP COMICS WHOSE WORK WOULD
NOT TRANSLATE INTO THE WRITTEN
WORD BECAUSE THEY ARE KEYING
OFF THE AUDIENCE.
LIKE ARTEMIS WARD 4@INVENTED TH
FOR QUOTES.
OKAY, STUFF LIKE THAT.
AND HE HAD 4@ALL THESE DIORAMAS
AND HE WAS RIFFING OFF OF STUFF
THAT WAS IN THE CULTURE THEN
THAT IS NOT IN THE 4@CULTURE NO
WHICH IS PART OF THIS WHOLE
THING.
A 4@PARKER FAMILY.
YOU SAY PARK4@ER FAMILY AND
PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHO HE WAS
BUT HE WAS TITUS MOODY ON
ALLEN'S ALLEY ON RADIO 4@AND MA
THE TRANSITION.
HE WAS RIGHT AT THE CUSP OF THE
30s AND 40s INTO THE EARLY 50s
AND HE DID TELEVISION.
AND AT THE END OF HIS CAREER,
IT WAS A PEPPERIDGE FARM GUY.
>> SO HE WAS THE CLASSIC DRY
HUMORED NEW ENGLANDER.
>> THEY KEY HERE IS WHAT ALL
THESE PEOPLE DID.
WHETHER IT'S PARKER FAMILY OR 4
HOLMAN DAY OR ARTEMIS WARD.
THEY PUT 4@ON THE PERSONA OF TH
DRY OLD YANKEE AND THAT'S WHAT @
HAS CONTINUED AS THE CONNECTIVE
THREAD THROUGH THE 1850S.
WHETHER IT WAS IN HOLMAN 4@DAY
1910 WITH I HAVE RECORDED HIS
STUFF ON MY ALBUM.
THE TALE OF THE 4@KENNEBEC
MARINER.
A WONDERFUL POEM IS CALLED THE
ONLY MAN I EVER 4@KNEW 4@I REAL
KILLED.
IT WAS ABOUT THE CIVIL 4@4@WAR
SOLDIER WHO WAS SO SCARED AT
THE BATTLE THAT HE TURNED AND
RAN AWAY FROM THE CONFEDERATE
SOLDIER AND RAN SO FAR THAT THE
CONFEDERATE SOLDIER HAD A HEART
ATTACK AND DIED BEHIND HIM.
>> YOU HAVE DONE THAT FOR MANY
YEARS.
YOU CHANNELED THAT.
WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES THAT SO
FUNNY.
IS IT THAT PEOPLE CONNECT WITH
THAT PERSONA?
>> FOR ONE THING THE 4@COURT OF
THAT HUMOR IS A LOT LIKE
BRITISH HUMOR FOR REASON.
BECAUSE IT GOT SORT OF IMPORTED
WITH4@ THE FIRST BRITISH
INVASION.
BUT THERE IS A LEVEL OF SORT OF
PHILOSOPHICAL DETACHMENT THAT
COMES WITH MAIN BECAUSE HERE 4@
ARE 4@IN THIS SORT OF BARNACLE
STUCK ON THE WHOLE OF THE
COUNTRY IN THE UPPER RIGHT-HAND
CORNER AWAY FROM EVERYTHING.
AND IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN TRUE
THAT RUSTIC EATERS 4@AND
VACATIONERS AND POLITICIANS
COME THROUGH AND PEOPLE COME
AND GO WITH A TIGHT BUT WE ARE
HERE LIKE THE BARNACLE ON THE
ROCK.
AND SO WE SEE THE PASSING
PARADE AND ONE OF THE GREAT
TROPES OF AMERICAN RURAL HUMOR
IS OBSERVING THE PASSING PARADE
FROM THE POINT OF THE VIEW OF
THE LITTLE 4@COUNTRY STORE.
OR THE LOBSTERMEN COMING IN OFF
FROM THE POINT OF THE VIEW OF THE LITTLE 4@COUNTRY STORE. OR THE LOBSTERMEN COMING IN OFF@
THE DOCK.
AND SEEING IT.
SO WHAT 4@IS GREAT FOR
STORYTELLING IS YOU HAVE THE
DETACHED NARRATOR KIND OF, I'VE
SEEN THAT.
THEY COME UP THROUGH HERE LAST
TIME.
AND OF COURSE ALWAYS A LITTLE
DIALECT 4@AND ECLECTIC SMALL-TO
PERSPECTIVE.
>> YOU HAVE BEEN A PIECE OF
MAINE'S 200 YEARS.4@4@
YOU HAD AN EPIPHANY.
>> YES, I WAS DOING THE MATH
AND I REALIZED MAINE IS 200
YEARS OLD AND FOR MORE THAN ONE
THIRD OF MAINE'S HISTORY, I 4@
HAVE 4@BEEN HERE.
I HAVEN'T BEEN PERFORMING THE
WHOLE TIME BUT I MEAN, IT'S NOT
THE NEW ANYTHING.
IT'S JUST OLD.
>> SO WHEN YOU'RE DOING YOUR
SHOWS AROUND THE STATE, ARE YOU
GOING TO TIE IN BICENTENNIAL
THEMES?
>> I HAVE BEEN SPECIFICALLY
ASKED TO DO THAT.
SO I'M DOING SHOWS LIKE AT THE
PRESS AT BOOTHBAY HARBOR AND
THE WEST 4@BURKE PERFORMING ART
SO I'M DOING SHOWS LIKE AT THE PRESS AT BOOTHBAY HARBOR AND THE WEST 4@BURKE PERFORMING ART@
CENTER AND THE SHOWS THAT
PEOPLE HAVE SAID, I'M DOING ONE
IN PEMBROOK IN APRIL FOR 4@A
BENEFIT FOR THE WASHINGTON
COUNTY FAIR.
AND ALL THE SHOWS, PEOPLE OF
ASKED ME IF THERE'S A WAY I CAN
TYPE IN THE 4@BICENTENNIAL THEM
BECAUSE IT IS THE BICENTENNIAL.
AND I THOUGHT, THIS WOULD BE A
GREAT WAY TO DO IT.
JUST LIKE YOU SAID, PEOPLE SAY,
YOU KNOW, WHAT TRANSLATES FROM
200 OR HUNDRED AND 50 YEARS. 4@
SOME STUFF DOES BUT SOME FALLS
BY THE WAYSIDE.
THEY WERE STILL HAVING MINSTREL
SHOWS IN MAINE IN 4@MY CHILDHOO
BLACKFACE MINSTREL SHOWS.
SO, 4@WHAT REMAINS MAKE WHAT
FALLS AWAY?
WHAT 4@IS ELEMENTAL?
WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THESE
BICENTENNIAL MINUTES THAT ARE
ON THE MEDIA NOW, THERE IS
TALKS ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR DAYS.
AND 4@WHO WAS4@ FOR SLAVERY AND
WAS A SLAVEHOLDER.
AND ALL THAT.
THAT'S THE REAL HISTORY.
AND WHAT FALLS BY THE WAYSIDE
AND WHAT REMAINS IS AN
INTERESTING PART OF STORE.
>> SO WHAT DO YOU THINK IS ONE
OF THE MOST IM4@PORTANT PIECES
THAT YOU NEED TO INCLUDE IN
YOUR SHOWS?
>> I THINK WHAT I AM TRYING TO
FIND IS THAT CONNECTIVE THREAD.
WHAT IS IT DOES MAKE WHAT WOULD
ARTEMIS WARD DONE IN THE 1850S
THAT HOLMAN DAY WOULD HAVE DONE
IN THE 4@EARLY PART OF THE 20th
CENTURY 4@THAT PARKER FAMILY
WOULD HAVE DONE ON ALLEN'S
EMILY. 4@
THAT MARSHALL DODGE AND PAUL
BRYANT WOULD DO IN THE 50s AND
60s THAT I WOULD DO IN MY
CAREER THAT BOB 4@MARLEY 4@WOUL
DO.
WHAT IS IT THAT IS A COMMON
THREAD BECAUSE THEN I THINK 4@I
YOU LOOK AT IT THAT WAY, WHAT
YOU ARE LOOKING AT IS THE 4@
ESSENCE OF WHAT IS THE CULTURE
OF MAINE.
OR THE PERSONA OF MAINE.
AND ONE THING I DO THINK IS 4@
THAT IT'S VERY SELF-CONTAINED
AND DRY.
I WOULD SAY IT AIN'T THAT IT
AIN'T FUNNY, 4@YOU JUST DON'T G
IT.
AND A LOT OF TIMES 4@IT IS EASY
AIN'T FUNNY, 4@YOU JUST DON'T G IT. AND A LOT OF TIMES 4@IT IS EASY@
TO MISS.
BUT THEN WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING
HOME, HALF AN HOUR LATER, YOU
START BUSTING UP AND SAY OH,
THAT IS WHAT HE WAS TALKING
ABOUT.
I'LL BET THAT IS WHAT THE
ARTEMIS WARD SHOWS WERE LIKE.
I BET THEY WERE EASY TO LAUGH
AT IN THE MOMENT YOU WERE
LISTENING.
HARD TO DESCRIBE TO SOMEBODY
WHO WAS NOT THERE.
>> IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE TIM
IS A FARMER DID NOT HISTORIAN
BUT I WAGER THERE 4@IS NO ONE I
MAINE WHO KNOWS THE HISTORY OF
HUMOR 4@4@AND STORYTELLING AS
DEEPLY AS HE DOES. 4@
>> I AGREE.
AND I LOVE HEARING THEM TALK
ABOUT HOW THAT MAINE HUMOR IS A
DRY HUMOR.
BECAUSE GROWING UP IN MAINE,
THAT IS SO TRUE.
THAT'S HOW PEOPLE JUST TALK TO
EACH 4@OTHER.
>> IT IS. 4@
IF YOU'D