Will the real comedian stand up

Comedy is a strange thing, strange as in why laugh at all. Look at the recent success of for example “The Flight of the Concords”. Why are they so popular? What is it about "Its Business Time" that makes me make this strange and bizarre sound, and why is it that that "Business Time" or any number of skits, gags etc have a similar effect on me and others?

I have done the odd piece of comedy in the past. When I was young I use to do some skits with my brothers. I've also done a couple of pieces of stand-up comedy, one of which was at a singles camp a few years back, and another at a friends wedding. The really strange thing I found was that the feedback is so immediate and that I rode the response and energy of the audience. It was also really scary for what if I died on stage and no one found me funny. Every so often I think about having another go, but I then get busy or find another excuse for the fear of dying on stage is always there. And I've seen some stand-ups die badly.

But why should it be that some die, and others fly? What is it that makes something funny? Is it that comedy captures how ridiculous and painful life can be? Some of the best and funniest people I've met have had the saddest lives. The pain of their lives provides a cynical edge to their stories which we, the audience can relate to, for all of us have been through pain, loss, frustration, and embarrassment. And maybe comedy is a way of letting go of that pain, if only for a while.