I was out in the pub on saturday night with some fellow reds in the burgh when I started discussing the famous aristocrats joke. Of course my friends, being dull of mind and slow of wit, had not heard of this legendary joke. So for the benefit of them and any others out there here is a quick summary.
The Aristocats is an exceptionally transgressive dirty joke that has been told by numerous stand-up comedians since the vaudevillle era. It has been likened to a secret handshake among comedians, and it is seen as something of a game in which those who tell it try to top each other in terms of shock value. It is rarely told the same way twice, often improvised, and is thought of as a badge of honour among expert comedians and is notoriously hard to perform successfully.
- Those who meet the agent can include the whole family, or just one family member (usually the father).
- The agent asks (sometimes after saying that he’s not interested, and a plea from the father) what they do.
- If the whole family is present, the act may be performed for the agent, rather than described.
- There is also the possibility of a neutral observer telling the tale of seeing the performance to the talent agent.
- While most tellings follow one of a few basic forms, the description of the act is meant to be an ad lib
- Traditionally, the description is crude, tasteless, and ribald. The goal is to cross the boundaries of propriety. Incest, pedophilia, scatology, bestiality, and murder are common themes.
- The punchline may be modified in some variants, but generally such variants are told only in a context where the original joke is known.
- Because the sense of what an aristocrat is has faded in many countries, the final line may simply be seen as the end of a rather bawdy joke rather than a punchline.
My own personal favourite is this gem from South Park:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/101422/south_park_the_aristocrats_joke/
… but if you want to see how far some people are prepared to go, or even fancy having a go yourself (I see an opportunity here for you pelirrojo) then check this out:
April 2nd, 2007 at 05:59
Very funny, but you only became aware of the joke last month Mr Comic Guru!