I Used to Be Funny

Cutter's Log - Supplemental

In my long-time struggles with verbal communication, I often found that when I did talk it was trying to say something I thought was funny.

In the rare times I would interject in conversation (as I found this to be both difficult and rude at the same time), I would always wind up saying something funny. Sometimes it would get a laugh, and sometimes it would get a "shut up."

I would feel very bad about being rubbed the wrong way when it came to trying to be funny. So this was when I started to create funny things without the need of talking.

One of the first things I did was in 6th grade social studies class. On homework worksheets, there would be a "name" line at the top of the sheet. Instead of putting "Cody Cutter" I would put down some fake name. "Donbardo." Of course when the graded assignments were being handed out, this would cause a roar through the class. The next assignment was "Floyd R. Turbo." This was a great headache on the teacher, but gave the class a good laugh.

In 7th grade, I had a knack of impersonating people and things, such as Mr. Stripling and Mr. Nesbitt. This carried over to 8th grade when our science class had to write a fictional lab safety story - my cup of tea.

I wrote this lab safety story with a bunch of humorous stuff in it, and made it realisitc to the point that it took place within Challand. I had a lot of fun with this, which was probably the only science assignment that I had fun doing.

All of us had to recite the story in front of the entire 2nd hour science class. I wrote about experimenting with hair tonic, and this was around the time "Strip" was losing hair. So I am reading the dialogue and then I have to yell out, in my Mr. Stripling impersonation ... "WHOAAA!! THAT'S BAAAAAAAAAAADDDD!!!!" The class is in an absolute roar after I did this dead-on. Quickly word spread around and when I had Stripling for 8th hour I had to face the music. He loved it! At one time, he was testing the radio booth in his tech lab and would do his fast-talking announcer voice. "ThetalkingCodyCutterdoll, talksjustlikeme!"

Another 8th grade science class memory involved "spirit reading." Someone in the class would start to read a chapter of text from the book and when they were done, someone else would pick off. I remember Josh trying to be a goof by interrupting someone and picking up from there. I was not to be done in by this. So when Michelle finished a sentence, I said "period." We never did spirit reading after that.

But let's go back to 7th grade, when I found my impersonations being bundled into a collection, and thus worthy enough to try out for the talent show. I had this 7-11 clerk impersonation and apparently told a different scene to the tryout judges than I did during rehersal at the Auditorium. I mentioned "tampons" at rehersal, and this outraged Mr. Neff, who proceeded to grow devil ears on his head (so it seemed) and kicked me out of the show right there on the stage in front of everyone else (especially in front of Parris, Sarah and Jenna - and this pissed me off!) I went back to Challand to get my things out of my locker and I kicked and slammed every locker I walked near.

Several friends of mine were interested in me trying out for the talent show, and I did something that I rarely ever do - call them and tell them the bad news.

But that didn't stop me from doing impressions.

Middle School is a time that I don't speak much of. People thought I was funny, with those classroom bursts of laughter, because I was ALWAYS so quiet ... and all of a sudden I was doing something spontaneous. Sooner or later I was beginning to find out that I was simply making a joke of myself and crawled back into my shell.

My humor was on display for classmates for one last hurrah during a final project for sophomore drama class. I had done a solo speech on this history of the Sterling and Rock Falls athletic rivalry. But I was asked at the last minute to be an extra for this play that Nathan Pratt, Ben Beach, Brandon Long and Brandon Smith were running. Nathan killed the crowd with his deadpan. Then came a bunch of evildoers from "look, over there!"

I let out the loudest ninja voice that I could possibly do. I now hear that some people actually fell off of their seats after I did this. I did it once more going into my 3rd hour spanish class, entering the classroom as this ninja. Spanish class was also where I would sometimes slide in the doorway as the final bell was being rung, expecting the teacher to call me "safe" or "out."

These were brief moments that I was out of my shell of shyness. I knew I could do so much more than that, but didn't want to because I felt like I was going to embarass the entire class. Or have everyone look at me negatively as someone who seeks attention.

That was why I quit being funny. I have so much more in me, but I'm kind of afraid to perform. I don't want to BE a joke.

The ONLY comedy honor I recieved a "funniest person" nod on a girl's Expage website in 8th grade. I think that happened when I took off my shoes and socks and dove into a creek in Rochelle to retrieve softballs that were hit out. Yeah, that was it.

***

Writing this brought back a memory from high school ...

I'm building up some fictional dialogue between me and some girls. I start.

"Rachel, remember when you nearly killed Jenna and I?"
"Nooooooo. When. Was. This?"
"You don't remember? You were driving and Jenna and I were in the backseat ..."
"Whoa Cody! What were you and Jenna doing in the backseat????"










"This was Driver's Ed. Rachel ran a red light."



I'd like to think that the above dialogue is something called "comedic suspense." This happens when only a few things are said and people jump to conclusions. Then I bring the fall down when I say "This was Driver's Ed. Rachel ran a red light."