He said the wading, the wading is the hardest part.
Okay, here’s my attempt at a "Joke Poo" of that Tom Petty joke, titled appropriately:
Joke Poo: Professor Plum
Professor Plum was a beekeeper with a very specialized collection. A journalist once asked him what the most painful part of his job was.
He said the humming, the plumming is the hardest part.
Alright, let’s break down this Petty pun.
Joke Dissection:
- Core Concept: The joke relies on a pun, exploiting the double meaning of "wading." One meaning refers to participating in the swimming portion of a triathlon, while the other alludes to the song "The Waiting" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
- Setup: "Tom Petty was a tri-athlete" creates an unexpected scenario, leading the listener to assume we’ll hear about his athletic prowess.
- Punchline: The reporter’s question sets up the misdirection. The response is a clever twist, substituting "the waiting" (from his song) with "the wading," creating the pun. The humor lies in the incongruity and the sudden realization of the wordplay.
Key Elements:
- Tom Petty: Rock icon, known for his distinctive voice and hit songs.
- Triathlon: A multi-sport endurance event involving swimming, cycling, and running.
- "The Waiting": A popular Tom Petty song.
- Wading: Walking through water.
- Pun: The core comedic device.
Comedic Enrichment:
Now, let’s use some factual or interesting tidbits related to these elements to create a new piece of humor:
New Joke/Observation:
"You know, Tom Petty always insisted his triathlon times were inaccurate. He claimed the timer was always getting hung up on the end. Said it took him 5 minutes just to convince it the race was really over. Guess he didn’t want anyone knowing he was… running down a dream."
Explanation of the New Joke:
- I play off the similar ending of another famous song, "Running Down a Dream."
- The setup is Tom Petty running a triathlon, and the explanation of how the timer was getting hung up on the end is a reference to the original Tom Petty song, "The Waiting." The last line is the punchline, that Tom Petty "didn’t want anyone knowing he was… running down a dream."
Further Potential:
- Did you know? Tom Petty was actually not a known triathlete. He was, however, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. He probably didn’t wade through too much water to get there. Perhaps just "learning to fly."
- Alternative Pun: "Why was Tom Petty disqualified from the triathlon? He kept getting pulled over for running down a dream on the bike portion!"
The goal is to build on the original pun’s absurdity by layering in more Tom Petty song titles and imagery, creating a self-referential and slightly surreal comedic experience.