Pick Axe Humor... Was it Funny or was it Just Me?
Remember the scene in Sling Blade when Billy Bob's character Karl sat down in the living room with the horrible hillbilly who asked, "What the hell are you doing with that lawnmower blade?" Karl replied in a dead-pan drawl, "I aim to kill you with it." At this point in the film, the entire audience was on Karl's side and we sat in our seats, thinking, Yeah, in this fantasy movie-land, that hillbilly deserves it.
For years after that movie, many - from my friends to famous TV actors - attempted to do impressions of Karl in Sling Blade. It became a sport. We all tried to mimic Karl who jawwed-out poetic Haikus like, "That boy lives in his heart. Hits an awful big place."
My mom was particularly fond of my attempts to mimic Karl's grunting request for biscuits and mustard. She and I would break down into hysterical giggles together. My mom passed away a few years after Sling Blade, and I still miss having those deep belly laughs with her.
The memory of those moments with my mom rushed back to me the other night at the most unexpected time, leaving me with a bad case of "church giggles" that lasted, well, let's just say way too long.This story might be one of those "had to be there" things, so I'm going to give you a tiny bit of background, though you might still say "you had to be there."
My son regularly tells his twin sister mean things, like "I'm going to chop your head off." or "I want to punch you." Maybe it's normal sibling behavior, maybe it's more on the mean side. I fine him allowance money every time he does this and if there is any repetition of the comment or physical follow-through, I send him to his room.
Of course, there is a lot of tit for tat. Most recently my daughter disassembled the wings off a Lego Star Wars ship her twin brother had just completed. But, like Karl, make no doubt about the fact that she is the underdog in their exchanges.
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