In the piece, there's a long passage (about 20 minutes) where the double basses have nothing to play. Rather than sit around feeling stupid and useless for 20 minutes, the two bassists decide that they will sneak out, go to the pub across the street, and grab a pint.
After a few beers, one of them looks at his watch and says they should head back. The other one laughs and says they have some time. "No need to panic, I thought we might need the extra time, so I tied the last few pages of the conductors score together with string. It should take him a few minutes to get it untangled."
A few minutes later, they stagger back into the orchestra line. About this time, an audience member notices that the conductor looks flustered, and points it out to her companion.
"Well of course he is flustered", says her friend. "It's the bottom of the ninth, the score is tied, and the bassists are loaded!"
Joke Poo: The Code Review
A team of programmers at a Silicon Valley startup is rushing to meet a deadline. Their lead developer has assigned them to review a complex piece of code.
There’s a long section (about 200 lines) where the junior programmers have nothing to contribute. Rather than sit around feeling stupid and useless, the two decide to sneak out, go to the fancy coffee shop downstairs, and grab a latte.
After a few lattes, one of them glances at the ticket and says they should head back. The other one laughs and says they have some time. “No need to panic, I thought we might need the extra time, so I inserted a Thread.Sleep(300000) call into the code. It should take the program at least five minutes before it moves on.”
A few minutes later, they stroll back into the office. About this time, the lead developer notices that the code reviewer looks stressed, and asks him about it.
“Well of course he is stressed,” says the other developer. “It’s the bottom of the ninth, the code’s tied, and the Java’s loaded!”
Okay, let’s break down this joke and then build something new from it.
Joke Dissection:
- Core Concept: The humor stems from a pun playing on baseball terminology (“bottom of the ninth”, “score is tied”, “bassists are loaded”) applied to the classical music setting of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the actions of rogue double bassists.
- Key Elements:
- Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony: A monumental and well-known piece of classical music, famous for its length and its “Ode to Joy” finale.
- Double Bassists: Often perceived (perhaps unfairly) as having less to do in orchestral pieces, lending itself to the idle time scenario.
- Pub/Beer: Represents a break from the high-brow world of classical music, indulging in something more down-to-earth and, in this case, leading to inebriation.
- Conductor’s Score: A symbol of order and control in the orchestra. The sabotaged score adds a layer of mischievous chaos.
- Baseball Analogy: The punchline hinges entirely on this, creating a surprising and incongruous connection.
- Humor Type: Pun, situational irony, character-based humor (the mischievous bassists).
Comedic Enrichment: A Witty Observation & A Hypothetical Headline
Based on this, here’s a witty observation:
“You know, the brilliance of Beethoven’s Ninth is often overshadowed by the fact that it’s basically an elaborate excuse for double bassists to invent new ways to procrastinate. I bet if Beethoven knew, he’d rewrite it specifically to require them to saw furiously on the strings for the entire duration, just out of spite.”
Explanation:
- It directly references Beethoven’s Ninth, acknowledging its importance.
- It subtly mocks the “idle double bassist” stereotype.
- It adds a layer of hypothetical humor by imagining Beethoven’s reaction.
Comedic Enrichment: Hypothetical Headline
Here’s a hypothetical headline:
“Local Orchestra Suffers ‘Major’ Setback: Beethoven’s Ninth Interrupted by ‘Minor’ Key Crisis (and Possibly an Intoxicated Bass Section)”
Explanation:
- Uses musical puns (“Major”, “Minor Key”).
- Hints at the core joke scenario, while avoiding giving it away entirely.
I think the best way to improve the humor and make the joke more accessible would be to make sure the terms “Bottom of the Ninth”, “the score is tied”, and “the bassists are loaded” are all commonly understood baseball terms.