Brothers, Sisters, I think you've fallen for the famous
Wiener Schmäh humor. It's a joke animal! They have
36+ jokes in Austria; the cabaret artist
Josef Hader suggests that Schmäh unites charm and a certain kind of unfriendliness that are normally incompatible. It is considered to be subtle, indirect and full of hidden innuendo. For example:
Quote:
An Austrian joke: Arnold Schwarzenegger gets a call from his agent...
Who tells him that an up-and-coming director is looking for German- and Austrian-born actors for a movie.
"It's a little different than the stuff you're known for," the agent says, "It's a period piece about classical music composers. Should I arrange an audition?"
"There is no need," Arnold says. "I'll be Bach."
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It's even funnier in German, I'm told.