The V&A's archive (which is mainly post-1920) includes jokes that would have been rejected by comedians on the working-men's clubs circuit, even in the Seventies.
When Alternative Comedy Experience was launched, he defined its appeal by stating that "the comedians on this show do not wake up thinking, 'How can I develop something that will appeal to people in marketing?'" When it was cancelled, the consolation, he told one interviewer, was that "now there's some really good footage of great acts out there".
When SNL announced another round of all-white comedians would be joining the show in 2014, cast members Jay Pharoah and Kenan Thompson and a host of critics protested the ongoing lack of diversity on the show.
Comedians on television joked nervously about stupid people being as thick as a soldier without a car.
Byrne may sound flippant, but scientists have long been fascinated by the question of whether comedians have a common psychology.
Many comedians drink to maintain the easy confidence that everyone assumes comes naturally.
Instead, whenever Kennedy's name has been invoked on topical news shows – by half-assed comedians, by too many members of the public – it has been followed by a joking reference to his drinking problem.
But the arts scene buzzes all year round: Helium Comedy Club and Buffalo Ironworks in the Cobblestone district attract rising comedians and bands, and the Babeville music and arts complex, created by local musician Ani DiFranco, is a former Methodist church now home to a record label, an intimate basement club and a music venue that has hosted such luminaries as St Vincent and Modest Mouse.
Beginning in 2003 with only three members: Gergely Litkai, Tamás Ardai and Zoltán Sáfár, Dumaszínház has expanded since to include over 20 comedians.
"Comedians probably experience more intense highs and lows as everything on the stage is their own work, whereas in theatre there is a less individual burden," Ando says.
I'm reminded of the line from a character in the play The Comedians: "There's something running down my leg; I hope it's sweat".
