Can you take a joke?

On June 21 Bon Iver, Cloud Cult, Andrew Bird, and The New Pornographers (incl. A.C. Newman and my favorite alt-country singer, Neko Case) play at the sculpture garden at the Walker Art Center. I tried to get tickets, but... it's sold out.

And yet - I'm going! Not crashing it, not scalping tickets - walking in the gate legitimately. Any fans out there a little jealous? ;) Perhaps..)

How did I get into this sold-out show, you ask?

I, um.. wrote a joke?

Yeah, for real. I wrote a joke. Ha.

When I heard about the Rock The Garden concert, I went out on the Walker Art Center website to find out about it. Fabulous lineup, but.. they said it was sold-out. :(

Rats! Now I'll have to try to scalp tickets on the street, and probably not get in. Craigslist had dozens - dozens! - of posts of people wanting tickets, even willing to trade their Death Cab For Cutie tix for this show. Not me! So scoring one that way didn't seem likely.

Then I saw this little link that said "win two free tickets by telling us a joke." Huh?

Yup, they were running a joke contest, and it was my only way to get in. Like the old saying goes, if you don't play... you can't win. So, all right, here goes nothing.

But what do I know from jokes? Especially original ones? I'm no good at that. And the judge is an acknowledged expert, actor, and lecturer on humor? Forget about it, man. I didn't even think that what I came up with was all that funny. But I sent it anyway.

And yayayay!! Score!!

I told the joke at home and got about the same reaction as you probably got from reading it at this link. Um... okaaaay. But who am I to critique the judge? (especially when I win...)

So, no need to go the the Basilica Block Party this year. This show is way cooler, anyway. Imagine - me (and maybe J2, if he's a good boy and does all his lawn chores!) - at one of the hottest tickets in town. All from a half-baked joke, effectively a half-court desperation shot at the buzzer. Hm.

Now that.... is funny. :)