Thursday, August 04, 2005

"Dig It! Give Me Two Slices!"

So, nobody has requested an explanation for our beatnik joke. There are 3 possible reasons for this:
  1. Everybody got it.
  2. Everybody who didn't get it is keeping their mouth shut.
  3. Nobody cares.
I have no way of knowing what the true explanation is (although my money's on #3), but like the tiresome host of a lame party I will now graciously answer a question that nobody has asked.

So you see, "gone" in beatnik slang means "really good" as in, "that Charlie Parker is one gone cat".* It's just like the way you or I would say "awesome", "rad", or "badass". Crazy, huh? But those were crazy times. Of course they were all so "hopped up" on "tea", "goofballs", and "bennies" that they barely knew what they were saying anyway.

Now, back to our joke. When the beatnik asks for some apple pie and the waitress says the apple pie is "gone", the beatnik thinks she's saying the apple pie is "really good", and hilarity ensues. Ha, ha! "Dig"?

Wait. Where's everybody going? I've got lots of other jokes I can explain. Come on, guys. Things were just getting fun.

* Of course, the beatnik is not actually calling Charlie Parker a cat. "Cat" is beatnik slang for "cool guy".

7 comments:

  1. Wesley1:34 PM

    Googling for "beatnik joke" turns up:

    A man who owned a hand-operated rotisserie was barbecuing a chicken when a beatnik walked by. "I don't want to bug you, dude... but your music has stopped and your monkey is on fire."

    Although you could probably replace "beatnik" with "stoner" and it would be just as funny.

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  2. lucylocket1:54 PM

    I got it, but didn't want to admit it. It might have given an indication of my age. I even remember when hep meant hip.

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  3. Slimbolala2:18 PM

    wes:

    Lovely. Thank you kindly for doubling my beatnik joke repertoire. And, of the two, I think this is my new favorite. Aaah, the magic of Google!

    lucylocket:

    Dude-ette, you're old. But that's hep.

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  4. R J Keefe10:56 AM

    The summa comedica of "hep" humor is Syd Caesar's "Progress Formsby" routine, available on DVD. When asked if he will answer a question, the jazz musician whom Caesar is impersonating replies, "I would be most hydraulically lifted to do so."

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  5. Slimbolala8:20 AM

    Uh, oh. I must be perpetually thick when it comes to "hep" humor (I'll probably get it sometime next week). Either that or I need another cup of coffee. But I don't get this. I'm trying to run through my brain thinking of synonyms for "hydraulically lifted", but I'm coming up with scratch. Is it that kind of joke?

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  6. Slimbolala8:21 AM

    Oh and thanks for the tip. Will have to add it to my Netflix list.

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  7. Wesley6:14 PM

    Just hazarding a guess--

    jacked?

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