"when you're watching TV, especially shows like the Tick, which is clever
and
well written, how much of you can just watch the show, and how much takes
mental notes and analyzes and second-guesses the writers?"

It's about 50/50. In terms of comedy, I'm always subconsciously working
out the punchline as soon as the setup comes in. I'm not one of those
people who laughs out loud most of the time at TV shows or movies because
I often get there early. Where I do lose it is when the comedy is totally
unexpected and unpredictable. I love being surprised.

But in general, part of me is always studying, whether I'm consciously
aware of it or not...structure, rhythms of dialogue, that sort of thing.
I didn't know quite how much I do this until one evening back in
college...see, I have this habit of tapping my fingers to the rhythms of
dialogue, on my knee, or on the desk, I'm not aware of it most days, it's
just a way of physicalizing spoken rhythms, and we all have different
rhythms when we speak that tell a lot about us...and I was at a movie with
a young lady, and didn't realize I was tapping out the rhythms of the
dialogue on her shoulder until she WHAPPED me a good one.


jms