Either I'm an idiot or Jack Handey is a genius. Or maybe we're both idiots. OrI guess it's possible that we're both geniuses, butIpretty much doubt it. In any case, I would argue thatMr. Handey is one of the funniest writersof our time and thatSaturday Night Live was vastlyimproved by his employment. It's been a few years since I've picked up one of hisbooks, but his 2008 collection What I'd Say To The Martians: and other veiled threats left me laughing out loud, just as his Deep Thoughts did when I was a teenager.
If you watched Saturday Night Live at all in80s and 90s, chances are you're already familiar with Jack Handey's work.You'll remember the bizarreDeep Thoughts that popped up between sketches like mental palate cleansers (e.g. "Laurie got offended when I used the word 'puke', but to me, that's what her dinner tasted like"), andrecurringcharacters like Unfrozen Cave Man Lawyer andToonces,The Cat WhoCouldDriveACar.What I'dSay To TheMaritianscontains a nicesampling of theseHandeyclassics as well as a number of previously unpublished essays, most of which left my eyes watering asIstruggled not to laugh out loud. His humor tends to come out of left field,but sometimes that's all it takes to inspire a fit of giggles.
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