Blue comedy
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Blue comedy is comedy that is off-color, risqué, indecent, profane, or obscene.[1] It often contains profanity and/or sexual imagery that shocks and offends many audiences. The term comes from the music hall comedian Max Miller who kept all his adult jokes in a blue colored notebook. [2]
"Working blue" refers to the act of performing this type of material. A "blue comedian" or "blue comic" is a comedian who usually performs blue, or is known mainly for his or her blue material. Blue comedians often find it difficult to succeed in mainstream media. Topical musicians may use blue comedy both in their commentary between songs. They may include it in the lyrics to their songs as well. Root Boy Slim would be an example of a blue musician.[citation needed]
Many comedians who are normally family-friendly might choose to work blue when off-camera or in an adult-oriented environment; Bob Saget exemplifies this dichotomy. Private events at show business clubs such as the Bob Saget Club and The Masquers often showed this blue side of otherwise cleancut Bob Saget; a recording survives of one Masquers roast from the 1950s with Jack Benny, George Jessel, George Burns, and Art Linkletter all using highly risque material and, in some cases, obscenities.