# Penn and Teller are NOT funny. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759 "2012-09-15T03:59:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/41 "2012-09-15T17:20:39Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > :Penn and Teller are the Reebo and Zooty of their time. > > Brownie points if you get that without Googling.šŸ˜ƒ Zooty zoot zoot! ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/42 "2012-09-15T17:32:02Z")
Zoot, zoot! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/43 "2012-09-15T17:37:55Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Zooty zoot zoot! > [@Cayuga](#): > > Zoot, zoot! :p:D:) ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/44 "2012-09-15T18:03:02Z")
A little bit of Penn goes a long way. Bullshit! is half a hour too long. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/45 "2012-09-15T18:09:06Z")
Iā€™ve seen them live twice, in Philadelphia back when they toured. They were very funny and very entertaining. They hung out in the lobby afterwards to meet their fans and Teller actually did talk to fans. I donā€™t care for Pennā€™s politics (I donā€™t know much about Tellerā€™s), but I have to admire both of them as performers. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/46 "2012-09-15T20:59:35Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > If you want to know who they are, there are links in this thread and piles of videos, articles, and photos all over the internet. It would take you all of five seconds to find yourself some educational material on the subject. My rock doesnā€™t get internet. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/47 "2012-09-15T21:34:21Z")
> [@chela](#): > > I must live under a rock who is this act you speak of? Ok I have heard of them but only in the last few years and only on the sdmb. What am I missing? > Never mind I donā€™t careā€¦ I havenā€™t seen a good seagull post in a while so thanks for thatā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/48 "2012-09-15T21:56:26Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > :Penn and Teller are the Reebo and Zooty of their time. > > Brownie points if you get that without Googling.šŸ˜ƒ Londo didnā€™t think they were funny either.šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/49 "2012-09-15T22:20:13Z")
But Londo loved Jerry Lewis. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/50 "2012-09-15T22:20:26Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Iā€™ve seen them live twice, in Philadelphia back when they toured. They were very funny and very entertaining. They hung out in the lobby afterwards to meet their fans and Teller actually did talk to fans. > > I donā€™t care for Pennā€™s politics (I donā€™t know much about Tellerā€™s), but I have to admire both of them as performers. They are both pretty Libertarian. Their illusion stage show is far better than any of their TV work - where Penn has every opportunity to come off as really obnoxious and they work their strengths - which is illusions, not skepticism. Tellerā€™s silence is more charming on stage when paired with the obnoxious loudmouth than on TV. But then, Penn makes a fantastic distraction, and part of it is the obnoxious loudmouth bit. Iā€™ve seen them four or five times over the past twenty five years. Their Vegas show is one of the more affordable ones - and the Rio such a great tacky casino. ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/51 "2012-09-15T22:45:40Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > No, I like Penn and Teller but theyā€™re not cool. Penn especially - heā€™s too desperate to be cool to ever achieve it. Well, he has a sex dungeon in his house, so you have to at least applaud the effort. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/52 "2012-09-16T01:53:59Z")
> [@DonLogan](#): > > Well, he has a sex dungeon in his house, so you have to at least applaud the effort. /hijack Come to think of it, didnā€™t Adrianna LaServa of the Sopranos admit to giving a hummer to Penn in one episode of the Sopranos? maybe that is one of the subconscious reasons I donā€™t like them. /end hijack ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/53 "2012-09-16T02:22:00Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > They are both pretty Libertarian. > > Their illusion stage show is far better than any of their TV work - where Penn has every opportunity to come off as really obnoxious and they work their strengths - which is illusions, not skepticism. Tellerā€™s silence is more charming on stage when paired with the obnoxious loudmouth than on TV. But then, Penn makes a fantastic distraction, and part of it is the obnoxious loudmouth bit. > > Iā€™ve seen them four or five times over the past twenty five years. Their Vegas show is one of the more affordable ones - and the Rio such a great tacky casino. I heard it said that Teller is the magician and Penn is his big loud misdirection. Iā€™m trying to remember the names of the two tours I saw. One of them was The Mofo Tour or something like that and had something to do with Mofo the gorilla. I think the other one was something about a bed. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/54 "2012-09-16T02:27:26Z")
It looks like they still do some touring. [http://www.concertboom.com/penn-and-teller/tour-dates](http://www.concertboom.com/penn-and-teller/tour-dates) Either Baltimore or Virginia Beach would be doable for me, but I canā€™t find the dates from that site. Damn. They were in Atlantic City this past May. I could have seen them. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/55 "2012-09-16T02:38:38Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > I havenā€™t seen a good seagull post in a while so thanks for thatā€¦ For you, now with scratch and sniff. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/56 "2012-09-16T02:55:18Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I heard it said that Teller is the magician and Penn is his big loud misdirection. > > Iā€™m trying to remember the names of the two tours I saw. One of them was The Mofo Tour or something like that and had something to do with Mofo the gorilla. I think the other one was something about a bed. Okay, one of them was ā€œThe Refrigerator Tourā€. I guess my brain was thinking ā€œhousehold itemā€ and came up with bed. I still have the signed sweatshirt from that. Tellerā€™s signature is still dark and clear but Pennā€™s has faded away to almost nothing. ā˜¹ The other tour was, I think, ā€œMofo the Psychic Gorillaā€. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/57 "2012-09-17T03:37:00Z")
> [@pricciar](#): > > Why are you comparing Penn & Teller to stand up comics? Theyā€™re magicians (illusionists, Michael!). They might have a strong element of comedy in their act, but theyā€™re magicians nonetheless. > I usually find them funny. And, I find the tricks they do amazing. If I were ever in Vegas seeing them would be near the very top of things Iā€™d like to do. Iā€™ve seen their show. It is fantastic. Teller is one of the best magicians in the world. Penn is good, but heā€™s the straight man and freely admits it. They meet the audience after the show and give autographs. Penn says that he comes into the theater about 30 minutes before the show starts to do makeup and go over the list of tricks. Teller gets there about 4-5 hours earlier and spends that time painstakingly setting up the tricks. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/58 "2012-09-17T13:28:12Z")
I have worked several of their shows as a stagehand over the years. Theyā€™re both great magicians and nice guys. Penn is the voice during the performance, but typically during rehearsals and show prep, Teller is the one on stage planning out the details and blocking everything out. Usually while this is going on, Penn is over at the craft services table hitting on the cocktail waitresses. Teller talks a lot and is a very intelligent guy. They each have a stage persona that is different from their real personality; Pennā€™s is just a lot closer than Tellerā€™s is. You might not like what they do, but humor isnā€™t their primary goal. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/59 "2012-09-17T17:46:52Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > ā€¦You might not like what they do, but humor isnā€™t their primary goal. I read an article Teller wrote for _Scientific American_ (?) that listed humor as one of the ways they trick the audience. People who are busy laughing wont think as critically about the illusions. The humor is a means, not an end. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759/60 "2012-09-17T20:12:10Z")
They could get by doing the same tricks over and over till they retire. They donā€™t. [Here](http://ronbenningtoninterviews.com/2011/10/13/penn-jillette/) is a very good interview with Penn (Ron Bennington is one of my favorite interviewers). He talks about how they pump tens of thousands of dollars of their own money into coming up with new tricks because they enjoy it and think its important to keep the show fresh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penn-and-teller-are-not-funny/634759.md?page=4)