Okay, everyone, today I’m starting a new series. This is going to be fairly short, because it was a fairly brief trip. But it was fun, and we got to see (live) one of our very favorite stand-up comics. His name is Ismo Mikael Leikola, but he performs under the name of ISMO. And he is...no, really, I’m not making this up...a Finnish comedian who lives in the United States and derives much of his material by exploring the raging absurdities of the English language.
And he’s funny. Really he is. Okay, maybe to genuinely enjoy him, you have to be at least a little into linguistic analysis and somehow get a chuckle out of twisted fricatives, delirious diphthongs, and, of course, the odd Epiglottal plosive. Very odd. Downright bizarre, in fact.(1)
We stumbled across Ismo a couple of years back. It’s one of our morning habits to get up, have coffee, and sit in the sofa in front of the fireplace...with the fire on in winter, or just candles in summer. We talk for a while. Or just enjoy the quiet. And then, depending on our plans for the day, we may briefly cruise our phones, checking the news and our email to see if there is anything that absolutely has to be dealt with right away.
About the photos: First, here’s a shot of a bridge over San Antonio’s Riverwalk. You can see why we like the city. Second, here’s Martha in San Antonio in what’s called the La Villita area. In this particular shot, she’s in front of the Starving Artist Art Gallery, one of our favorite shops in the area.
On one particular morning, while Martha was checking her text messages, and I happened to be on Facebook. Or maybe it was Instagram. I don’t really remember, but either way, I found myself watching a video clip from a comedian I’d never heard of...a Mr. Ismo. I don’t recall which of his routines it was. Maybe it was the one where he talks about the strange American fondness for acronyms and officialese, and the way that we assume that everyone already understands all our acronyms and convoluted bureaucratic language, even if they’re from some very different culture.
Thus, he notes, the first time he worked at an American comedy club, he was told he needed to fill out a “W-9.” He replied “What the f*ck is that?” And they answered “It’s a form you get from the IRS.” And he replied “And what the f*ck is that?” They responded, “You shouldn’t say ‘What the f*ck?’ You should say, ‘WTF?’” And he replied...with weary resignation... “And what the f*ck is WTF?”
(Actually, written down like that, it isn’t nearly as funny as it actually is. You really need to see and hear him while he performs the bit. Go to Facebook and watch him there: https://www.facebook.com/reel/514505730958795 )
Anyway, I showed it to Martha and she thought it was funny, too, so we started following him after that. As I say, he’s on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and several other places. And, of course, he also has his own webpage. I’ve placed the links to all these below. (2)
Oh, I should also mention that he has a Wikipedia page... a sure sign that you’ve achieved some sort of prominence in the Internet age.(3)
Shortly after our return from Marfa, I found that Ismo was coming through Texas and performing at various venues. One of these was in Austin, but another was in San Antonio, which, as you know, is one of our favorite towns in Texas. I showed it to Martha and suggested we catch the San Antonio show. She said, “Let’s do it!” And I got the tickets.
So it was that come Spring in Texas, in early March, we loaded up the car and were on the road to San Antonio. And thus began another of our little adventures. Stay tuned for more details...
For, in a short while, we’ll explore the mysterious origins of Finnish, consider the vast and sprawling mess that is English, have a pleasant trip to San Antonio, discover a fascinating theater, enjoy an excellent performance from a talented man...
And...
And...
Endure a day and night of pure, real, and utter terror.
More to come.
Footnotes:
1. Honestly, I have no idea what all these words mean, either. They are, however, common in the academic study of languages. Thus, according to Wikipedia, a fricative is “a consonant produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together” while an Epiglottal plosive is “a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages...” specifically Afro-Asiatic and Caucasian languages, such as Aghul and Tigrinya.
Like I say, I’m clueless. But it all does sound cool, doesn’t it?
I *did* know diphthong, which is a “combination of two adjacent vowel sounds within the same syllable.” Indeed, I’m quite familiar with the term. Why, people have compared me to one frequently. Many is the time I’ve heard folks say, “That Michael Tucker, he’s the biggest dang Diphthong on the planet.” I’m so proud.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fricative, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphthong, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiglottal_plosive
2. Here’s the links: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ISMOcomedy), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ismocomedy/) , Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/@IsmoComedian) and several other places. And, of course, he also has his own webpage, here: https://www.ismo.fun/
3. Which is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismo_Leikola
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