Simon Rich’s “Guy Walks Into a Bar”

From The New Yorker's archive: a Shouts & Murmurs that flips the joke on its head, published in 2013.

From The New Yorker's archive: a Shouts & Murmurs that flips the joke on its head, published in 2013.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   View in browser | Update your preferences     Shouts & Murmurs Guy Walks Into a Bar And all of a sudden there's this big cloud of smoke—and a beat-up Plymouth Voyager appears! By Simon Rich The writer Simon Rich specializes in a compelling mix of off-kilter, brainy humor. Since 2007, Rich has contributed more than thirty pieces to The New Yorker, eliciting laughs on subjects such as the saga of Paul Revere's horse, Neanderthal dating stories, and the brief life of a condom. A former president of the Harvard Lampoon, Rich became, in 2008, one of the youngest writers ever hired at "Saturday Night Live," at the age of twenty-four. He's now the author of nearly ten books, including "Spoiled Brats" and "New Teeth," a collection of stories released last month. Rich adapted the film "An American Pickle," starring Seth Rogen, from a series of his own humor sketches published by The New Yorker eight years ago. Much of his fiction offers a high-low literary take on a classic comedy setup. One of my favorite pieces by Rich is "Guy Walks Into a Bar," a Shouts & Murmurs published in 2013. Rich's story flips the joke on its head: "So a guy walks into a bar one day and he can't believe his eyes. There, in the corner, there's this one-foot-tall man, in a little tuxedo, playing a tiny grand piano," Rich writes. "So the guy asks the bartender, 'Where'd he come from?' And the bartender's, like, 'There's a genie in the men's room who grants wishes.' " The protagonist ends up hanging out with the miniature pianist and the bartender; personal revelations and trippy misinterpretations ensue as the tale builds to a tiny crescendo. There's no grand message, and no completely unexpected reveal. The story is just, as with most of Rich's pieces, funny as hell.   —Erin Overbey, archive editor More from the Archive     Daily Shouts Sell Out: Part One From 2013: One day at work I fall into brine and they close the lid above me. When the lid is finally opened, everybody is dressed strange. By Simon Rich     Daily Shouts The Big Nap: Part One From July: The detective stared at his reflection in the mirror. He wasn't getting any younger. He was two years old, and soon he would be three. By Simon Rich You're receiving this e-mail because you signed up for the New Yorker Classics newsletter. Was this e-mail forwarded to you? Sign up.   Unsubscribe | Manage your e-mail preferences | Send newsletter feedback | View our privacy policy    The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products and services that are purchased through links in our newsletters as part of our affiliate partnerships with retailers.    Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.