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Mormons Can Be Funny

Sometimes, Mormons can be funny. And I’m not talking funny as in the great punchline to a joke; they can actually be good comedians. New York Magazine, one of the only mags worth reading these days, has a great blurb up on 27-year old Mormon comedienne Elna Baker.

Though Baker doesn’t have me rolling on the floor laughing with her “virgin humor,”  she’s good for a wholesome chuckle or two. I’ll admit that I laughed at her joke on the challenges of dating an Atheist when she doesn’t believe in sex before marriage. She quips, “As a Mormon, I don’t believe in having sex. And eventually, as a guy, he didn’t believe in that. So Atheists do have beliefs.”

Baker’s main comedic obstacle is really one of timing. Her storytelling M.O. is probably better suited for the page, not the stage where the audience’s attention span can last for a maximum of about 20-seconds between funnies. Or if she does decide to appear before an audience, she’d probably shine in an anecdote-friendly environment, like “This American Life” or The Moth (both of which have hosted Baker in the past).

Luckily for us, this fall, Baker will release a new book called The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance published by Penguin. The title alone makes me smile, but the description is pretty good too. On her site, she says the book is “a coming of age story about Elna Baker’s experience as a practicing Mormon in New York City. Elna’s life changes when she loses eighty pounds and gets the sexual attention she’s always wanted…. only to discover that as a Mormon she can’t follow through. The book takes on identity, faith, sex and love as Elna questions traditional values in modern times.”

Good stuff.

July 13, 2009 - Posted by cocoa chanel | faith, magazines | Elna Baker, Mormon, NY Magazine, The Moth, This American Life