The Aristocrats
"The Aristocrats" is a taboo-defying, off-color joke that has been told by numerous stand-up comedians and dates back to the vaudeville era.[1] It relates the story of a family trying to get an agent to book their stage act, which is remarkably vulgar and offensive. The punch line reveals that they incongruously bill themselves as "The Aristocrats".[2] When told to audiences who know the punch line, the joke's humor depends on the described outrageousness of the family act.[3][4] Because the objective of the joke is its transgressive content, it is most often told privately,[5] such as by comedians to other comedians.[6]
Format
[edit]This joke typically has these elements—alternative versions may change this form.
- Setup: A family act (or a representative, usually a head of household) goes in to see a talent agent about booking their act. The agent asks what their act consists of.
- Act: If the whole family is present, the act is performed for the agent; otherwise it is described, in as much detail as the teller prefers, typically ad lib. Traditionally, the description is tasteless and ribald, with the goal to significantly transgress social norms. Taboo elements such as racism, animal cruelty, incest, rape, child sexual abuse, coprophilia, coprophagia, bestiality, necrophilia, cannibalism, and murder are common themes.
- Punch line: The shocked (or intrigued) agent asks what the act is called, and the proud answer (sometimes delivered with a flourish) is: "The Aristocrats!"
History and Usage
[edit]While the exact origins are unknown, the joke originated from the late 19th century to early 20th century. Despite the lack of public retellings of the joke, it is very popular among comedians, including George Carlin, Chris Rock, and Robin Williams. It was Johnny Carson's favorite joke of all time.[7]
It came to wider public attention when Gilbert Gottfried told it during the Friars' Club roast of Hugh Hefner to recover after losing the crowd and eliciting "booing and hissing" with a joke about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which had occurred just 18 days prior.[8] Bob Saget's retelling of the joke was also popular.[9]
It was the subject of a 2005 documentary film of the same name by Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette. Notably, this movie featured a scene in which South Park character Eric Cartman tells the joke, with the scene being animated and voiced by Trey Parker and Matt Stone as a contribution to the film. Rock band The Aristocrats named themselves after the joke[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Gini, Al (2015). "Dirty Jokes, Tasteless, Jokes, Ethnic Jokes" (PDF). Florida Philosophical Review. XV (1): 50–65. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ Germain, David (July 25, 2005). "Hilarious 'Aristocrats' gets the joke". Today. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Seabaugh, Julie (July 28, 2015). "One big joke". Nevada Public Radio. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Czajkowski, Elise (August 15, 2012). "Diving Deep Into the Dirtiest Joke Ever in 'The Aristocrats'". Vulture. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Rosenberg, Joyce (August 2010). "The Aristocrats". The Psychoanalytic Review. 97 (4): 695–700. doi:10.1521/prev.2010.97.4.695. ISSN 0033-2836. PMID 20804331.
- ^ The Aristocrats (Motion picture). Mighty Cheese Productions. 2005.
- ^ Penn Jillette (August 21, 2005). "Letter to Roger Ebert". Movie Answer Man. RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
- ^ Fox, Jesse David (September 9, 2019). "After a 9/11 Joke Bombed, Gilbert Gottfried Told the Dirtiest Joke in Comedy". Vulture. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ^ Graves, Wren (January 10, 2022). "Revisit Bob Saget's Take on The Aristrocrats, One of the Filthiest Jokes Ever Filmed". Consequence. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Lawson, Dom (January 10, 2024). ""You get a few people that bring notepads and binoculars, but a lot of people find the fun aspect appealing… It's not prog because it's silly, it's not jazz because it's loud and it's not rock because it's weird": So what are The Aristocrats?". Loudersound. Retrieved August 29, 2024.