“Two nudists were discussing politics. One asks, ‘Have you read Marx?’” (“red marks” joke)

“Have you read Marx?” (author Karl Marx) sounds like “Have you red marks?” A popular joke is:
     
“Two nudists were discussing politics. One asks, ‘Have you read Marx?’ The other replies, ‘Damn it! It’s these darn wicker chairs!’”
 
The joke was told by Australian stand-up comedian and actor Shane Bourne and printed in The Age (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) on December 26, 1995.
   
     
Newspapers.com
26 December 1995, The Age (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), “Ho Ho Ho” compiled by Victoria Gurvich and Kelly Chandler, pg. 12, col. 1:
Shane Bourne,
actor-comedian
TWO naked professors are sitting on a veranda at the local college talking about life, death, God, and general theory of existence.
 
One turns to the other and says: “By the way, have you read Marx?” to which the other replies: “Yes, aren’t these cane chairs murder?”
 
Google Groups: mn.general   
ass me know ?
Mike Obrien
Oct 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM
The professor of psychology and the professor of history sitting on the porch of the nudist colony watching the sun set.
The professor of history said to the professor of psychology “Have you read Marx?”
To which the professor of psychology said “Yes, I think it’s the wicker chairs!”
     
Google Groups: alt.penpals.forty-plus-yrs
Pun #2
Isle of Skye
Oct 9, 1998, 3:00:00 AM
How about the professor of psychology and the professor of history sitting on the porch of the nudist colony watching the sun set. The professor of history said to the professor of psychology “Have you read Marx?” To which the professor of psychology said “Yes, I think it’s the wicker chairs!” (From Maurice Smith)
   
Google Groups: alt.tv.x-files
OT: OK all you math experts: HELP!
JazzieBee
May 26, 1999, 3:00:00 AM
(...)
Two naked philosophers were sitting on the porch reading. One of the philosophers turned to the other and asked; “Have you read Marx?” The second philosopher answers: “Yeah, these cane chairs are killing me.”
 
Google Groups: alt.humor.puns
The Wicker Chair
Stan Kegel
Oct 20, 1999, 3:00:00 AM
From: “Profusions of Puns, Gaggles of Groaners”
How about the two old men, one a retired professor of psychology and the other a retired professor of history… their wives had talked them into a two week stay at a hotel in the Catskills. They were sitting around on the porch of the hotel watching the sun set. The professor of history said to the professor of psychology, “Have you read Marx?” To which the professor of psychology said, “Yes, I think it’s the wicker chairs!”
 
Google Groups: alt.humor.puns   
Professors
Gnu Bee
Nov 3, 2000, 3:00:00 AM
A history professor and a psychology professor were sitting on a deck at a nudist colony.
The history professor asked the psychology professor, “Have you read Marx?”
The psychology professor replied, “Yeah, I think they’re from the wicker chairs.”
(Posted originally by Renee)
 
Reddit—Jokes 
Posted by u/etbk July 25, 2012
A joke my Dad made up (says lots bout Dad): A philosopher and a nudist are at a beach resort…
The philosopher asks the nudist, “have you read marx? And the nudist replies, “why, yes! But I think it’s the wicker chairs.”
Edit: completely possible my Dad heard it somewhere else, or perhaps it came to him originally like the many other examples posted. Gotta trust yo pops tho.
 
Reddit—Jokes     
Posted by u/yoghurt March 24, 2013
Two elderly men are lounging on the porch of the Socialist Nudist Club, and one says to the other….
“Say old chap, have you read Marx?”
“Why yes. It’s these bloody wicker chairs!”
 
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/ToGryffindor October 2, 2014
Two nudists are sitting on the porch
Two older nudist men are sitting on the porch, having a discussion about communism. One man turns and says, “Have you read Marx?” The other man replies, “Yes, I believe it’s these wicker chairs.”
     
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/themagicclap August 13, 2016
At a nudist colony for intellectuals, two old men are sitting on the porch…
One turns to the other and says, “I say old man, have you read Marx?” The other man replies, “Yes, it’s these stupid wicker chairs.”
     
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/srinivas-seshadri October 17, 2016
Two communists are in a nudist club, reclining in the nude in bamboo chairs, when one turns to the other and asks “Have you read Marx?”
The reply he gets: “Yeah; wouldn’t have happened if these were couches!”
 
Reddit—Socialism
Posted by u/FullMarxPodcast February 6, 2017
One nudist turns the other and says, “Have you read Marx?”
The other says, “Yes, it’s these wicker chairs.”
 
Twitter
Bob Golen
@BobGolen
Two nudists discussing politics:
“Have you read Marx?”
“Yes.  It’s these wicker chairs.”
10:23 PM · Apr 16, 2023
 
Twitter
Bob Kostic
@causticbob
Two nudists were discussing politics.
One asks, “Have you read Marx?”
The other replies, “Damn it! It’s these darn wicker chairs!”
6:17 PM · Apr 20, 2023