Dave Barry Knows a Thing or Two About Being Funny

As students, we're taught to play by the rules and listen when our teachers are talking. Yet for one graduate, goofing off has actually paid off.

“I thought I was hilarious. I certainly thought I was a lot funnier than a lot of the teachers,” said Dave Barry, a self described "obnoxious" member of the PHS Class of 1965, now a popular humor columnist and author.

Barry's latest book, I’ll Mature When I’m Dead, is a collection of essays on topics like aging, parenting and even the popular Twilight series. In honor of the book's paperback release, the author will be reading at Barnes & Noble in White Plains, with a portion of the proceeds going to his alma mater.

“I had a good time at Pleasantville. I remember the town fondly, I remember the school fondly and it just seemed like a good idea,” said Barry, voted Class Clown in 1965, who grew up in Armonk and attended PHS from 10th-12th grades.

When he wasn't fooling around in the classroom, Barry excelled in his studies. Although he wasn’t thinking about his career at the time, he was encouraged by several English teachers he encountered in Pleasantville.

“Gloria Adams, who I’m sure is long since retired, taught my English class and she encouraged me to write funny, which is something I liked to do, but was reluctant to try when I was in high school,” he said. "A lot of people don’t realize this, but William Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway, all went to Pleasantville High School. They were several classes before me, but they were all there. It’s a hotbed of literary talent," he said dryly. 

Naturally, Barry was also an avid reader, devouring humorists like Robert Benchley, and the writers of National Lampoon and Mad magazine. But it was writing for the Pleasantville High School newspaper that would become his first foray into what would later become his trademark writing style.

“I wrote a couple of humor columns, and that was sort of cool to see my name get published and see kids—at least some of them—enjoy and laugh at what I wrote,” he said. “It certainly encouraged me. I knew that I enjoyed it.”

After attending Haverford College, Barry took a job as a general assignment reporter for a Pennsylvania newspaper, gaining valuable "traditional" journalism experience.

“I had to write obituaries, cover fires, meetings and stuff like that," he explained. "I was writing constantly and that was all good experience and then when I could I would write a column, and I realized I liked it, but I never thought I could make a living that way.”

He's certainly proved himself wrong. A humor columnist for more than 25 years with a internationally syndicated column appearing in more than 500 papers, Barry won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1988 and is the author of more than 30 books, including The Taming of the Screw, Homes and Other Black Holes, and the young adult series Peter and the Starcatchers.

Barry will also be appearing at the on Tuesday, April 5, for a Q&A session of his favorite film, This is Spinal Tap. Attendees will receive a copy of his new book.

Despite the sheer volume of his work, Barry believes humor to be one of the more difficult genres of writing.

"It's the only kind of writing where you promise a result," he explained. "When you write a serious essay or any sort of a regular [thing] you’re not promising anything. [Readers] can agree with you or disagree with you, but they can’t really say you failed when they can when you write humor and it doesn’t work." 

As for Pleasantville's current aspiring writers, Barry recommends patience.

"Make sure you have a day job," he laughed. "It takes a long time, that’s been my experience. I know a lot of writers and I just don’t know anybody that got there too quickly. Usually you have to struggle trying to get published at first. But stick with it," he explained. "By the time you get a break it’s usually because you earned it."

Barry currently resides in South Florida, and is working on his next comic novel, or as he'd like you to believe, fighting a giant scorpion.

"But I'm not, I'm just writing a novel," he said modestly.

Dave Barry's book signing is Wednesday April 6 at Barnes & Noble White Plains (230 Main Street at the City Center Shopping Mall, corner of Main St. and City Place) at 7:30 p.m. Each time a supporter mentions the Book Fair at the Barnes & Noble City Center check out, a percentage of the sale will be donated to Pleasantville High School. If you can't make the book signing, shop online at www.bn.com from 4/6 to 4/11 and present the Bookfair ID #10438943 at checkout for a percentage of the sale to be donated by Barnes & Noble to Pleasantville High School.