Here in the Corner the other day, I told a joke about sopranos. In Impromptus today, I relate a joke from a reader, who used to play in a wedding band: “What’s the difference between a terrorist and a ‘chick singer’? You can negotiate with a terrorist.” This morning, a friend writes to say that he has heard a famous soprano tell that same joke, only about sopranos: “What’s the difference between a terrorist and a soprano? . . .”
She went on to say, “Why are the jokes about sopranos all one-liners?” Answer: “So the tenors can understand them.”
Buh-dum.
(I guess the “terrorist” joke is a two-liner — question and answer. Forgive me, and the famous soprano.)