Carlin's voice of persuasion

I don't know a comedian who's has done stand-up for as long as George Carlin has. Anyone who has been around since the seventies and has been that successful has got to have some credibility in his act. Unfortunately, Carlin past away last year due to heart failure, but his memories and comedy routine will be remembered forever. 

I have heard about George Carlin since I can remember. That is just one of those names you will hear regardless of of whether you want to or not. He's that popular and has been so for over so long. But I never really appreciated his routine until recently, that is, until I started thinking for myself for a change, outside of the box. Anyone who has heard a part of his act for more than five minutes would know that his entire genre is "thinking outside the box."

After I watched a couple of his acts I had suddenly turned into a Carlin fan and wanted more more more. However, I have learned that when watching Carlin, his words can start persuading you to judge and rethink your beliefs, morals, ideals, and everything else that you hold dear. So, if or when you do watch his performance(s), do so with a grain of salt, and know that it is just an act used primarily for entertainment. It is only comedy, in the end. Nonetheless, Carlin is very enthusiastic and persuasive during his comedy as he tears apart what society deems is right and politically correct. I really love it when Carlin goes on his rampage with words and elevates his voice more and more to drive a message across. I don't think there is a better comedian out there who can use the device of persuasion quite like Carlin. It it his "bread and butter" as the saying goes. George even had an act about his act and why he has been successful doing so. 

There are some opinions that I don't entirely agree with Carlin, like religion, for one. But I know when he comes around to that part, which he inevitably will, I just respect his opinion and know it is just part of his act. I don't let it boggle me up inside with frustration or anger like some people might get when watching Carlin. Saying that, pretty much anything else outside of religion I love and agree with entirely.

Even with Carlin no longer living or passed away or "dead" as he would of bluntly put it (inside George Carlin joke) we can still see a lot of his routine in other comedians, realists, and even in ourselves at times. I had a college professor at my old school that reminded me of Carlin. My teacher wasn't as lively as Carlin though, more dry-humored. But his realistic and mostly negative mindset about the world or "people in the world" we live in was opposite of what you would normally hear. My teacher talked about the flaws in the educational system, parenting system, government, politics, religion, and even as depth as the way our brains are wired from childhood until death. He really opened my eyes to a lot. I felt I got more out of that one class, which had nothing to do with my major, than all my other classes combined. That same concept goes for Carlin. Even though his act is primarily for entertainment, I feel like I get more out of his comedy than almost any other comedian out there.

I know George would hate me saying this but, he's probably down there now, smiling up at us.

      

          

The Good and Bad of Dane Cook

Just about everyone and their mother has heard of Dane Cook. Whether if it's his stand-up or the movies he's been in, the man is "on the map" as they say when it comes to show-business. However, there are speculators out there that find Dane more annoying than funny. So how did Dane turn from average Joe-schmo into Mr. popular all of a sudden? Is he really the premier stand-up of our time for his act and talent or is it that he knows how to play the strings just right? Hmmm.... I say a little bit of both. 

The first time I watched Dane was on a Comedy Central special back in 2000. This was when I first started watching stand-up seriously, when I really starting appreciating stand-up for what it was. Yet, I didn't find Dane all that amusing. He was funny at times when he did his impersonation of "Alien" and the pains of going to the DMV; but the rest of the time, he just seemed like he was trying too hard to make his jokes funny. I felt he was more of an entertainer than stand-up comedian. When most think of comedians, they think of Cosby, Pryor, Hicks, Carlin, etc. Those comedians and others like them are/were able to smoothly operate the crowd, like a composer does his orchestra. The greats didn't need to flail around the stage desperately just to squeeze a drop of laughter from their audiences. After saying that, Dane was able to squeeze more than just a drop-full that night. No, Dane squeezed gallons full. And what started as off-beat comedy ended with me wanting more. That part is hard to explain in words. I guess it's the uniqueness in his act that I find appealing. It's refreshing to see new faces, new material, and more importantly: a new style of comedy. I had a feeling this was not the last time I would watch Dane Cook. 

Years down the road I found myself following Dane's career with acts such as: Harmful if Swallowed, Retaliation, Vicious Circle, Rough Around the Edges, and his newest act, Isolated Incident, which I went to see live on Jan. 31st. It has been fun watching Dane and his act change throughout the years. His first two acts, Harmful if Swallowed and Retaliation, were your more traditional Dane Cook where his humor was based more off of his observations in everyday life. Funny things like: trying to order fast food, car accidents, and controversial situations with people at Walgreens. Somehow, Dane Cook can turn what should be a 30 second story into a 10 minute extravaganza with jokes jam-packed inside of jokes.  

In Dane's latest stand-up, he's been more personal with his audience letting them in on the intimate stories from his childhood, the death of his father and mother, relationship problems, and sexual encounters. Dane talks to his audience as if he's talking to a small group of close friends. This style leaves the crowd feeling attached as if they know Dane personal. Well, they pretty much do.

 

Other than the personal story telling of Dane Cook's act, female interaction is another reason why Dane has become so popular. Although there is not a face of a female stand-up superstar, Dane Cook is by far the most popular comedian in female opinions. This gives Dane a larger fan-base than other comedians since he's got both sexes watching him. A major part of his act has to do with relationships/sex in which Dane will talk about the female's view of things. This is a risky tactic for it can backfire if the slightest contradiction occurs and you loose all credibility. However, Dane is able to execute these jokes to a tee leaving the female audience feeling like he understands them. Dane also has a logo called the "superfi" which stands for super finger. I see this logo on t-shirts, bumper stickers, people's myspace, binders, and other places. This logo makes people feel like they're part of a group which gives even more meaning to watch and follow Dane. All these small little gimmicks add up to a campaign to stardom.   

Dane's act pretty much follows the teenage and young adult life. If you're outside the age of thirty, it's hard to relate to the humor and therefore, "get" the comedy of Dane Cook. I noticed this when I watched him live. I would say about 95% of the audience was 30 or younger. And when you have the attention of that many teenagers/young adults, it's no wonder why you become the stand-up juggernaut. 

Although I would say Dane Cook is not an intellectual comic that can be compared to the greats before his time, his styles does, however, relate to the majority of stand-up viewers and grabs the attention of all people whether you like him or not.. Keep being yourself Dane

Difference between men and women

Dave Chappelle is one of the world's greatest intellectual comics of our time. Although, some find Dave's vulgar language and risque antics improper, it is through his unique approach he can relay his message across the masses. While other stand-ups attempt to reach their audiences in the more traditional and elegant fashion, they just seem to come off dull, boring, and more of a preacher than a comedian. "C'mon! I came here for laughs, not to be lectured by my mother!"

Dave has the ability to talk about difficult subjects fluently that most people would rather not approach. One of his speals that I find most intriguing is how he intwines himself in the psychological mindset on how men and women think of one other. I'm talking about the idea
"Men are from Mars and Women are from.. well you know."

Chappelle starts off with the phrase "chivalry is dead."

Immediately, the women start cheering in an agreeing type manner. Dave condescendingly answers back, "That's right, chivalry is dead... And women killed it."

Dave basically summed up his whole bit with that strong statement. Ironically, it is the men, this time, who start wailing and applauding in agreement.

It's amazing to me how Chappelle was able to capture his whole audience, both the men and the women, on a topic that force opposite sex in disagreement. He goes on how each sex have different tests in life. "A women's test in life is material. A man's test in life is a women." Now, obviously Dave is not insinuating that all women care in life is material and all men care in life are women. That's not what he's trying to get across. Any veteran comedian or public speaker, in that matter, would know Dave is simply hooking the audience with that blunt statement. He's leaving the audience baffled, in a good way, and wanting to see where the joke is going to.

I love the next part, mainly because I believe it to be true. Women magazines are becoming so ridiculously deceptive and superficial nowadays, that it leaves people reading them baffled, in a bad way. They encourage you to become someone else outside your own element. I absolutely hate this idea. I would rather be disliked for being me then to be loved by someone I am pretending to be....

See how self-righteous this sounds. It is even hard to talk about a topic, such as women magazines, without sounding arrogant and even a little annoying. However, Dave Chappelle turns it into golden comedy. Right from the start, he gets the audience laughing and at the same time, he tears Cosmos rag-azine to shreds... (figuratively speaking).

Chappelle goes on about how women, not all women, disrespect themselves by throwing sex out to men so easily. Also, he informs the women viewer that when females dress scandalously, like most women do at clubs, bars, parties, etc., that men will perceive them as whorish, for lack of a better word. I, a stand-up fan, personally loved how Dave was able to relate to the men, but at the same time not offend the women audience, or at least not the mass majority. He did it in a modest approach by not bashing and discouraging women; but at the same tim, getting across that women who dress revealing should expect men to think that way about them. Later on, he uses an analogy to compare this idea to: how a distressed person might mistake a regular citizen dressed like a cop, as a cop. Hilarious isn't it?

This last part I'll write about is the exact conversation our class had: How men like to get to the basics of events and how women like to get more into the descriptive detail of things. This is a big reason why men and women don't understand one another in conversations/arguments. Women don't think we are good listeners, mainly because we subconsciously tune out all the important detail. We see this (important detail) more as dramatic, exaggerated, and unnecessary. On the other hand, men view women as naggers, whiners, overly chatty, and judgmental. But in reality, men don't know how to handle the value of feelings and emotions quite like women do. We just can't. This is why alcoholism is two and half times more common among men than women and drug abuse is about the same ratio...

Uh oh, this conversation is getting serious again... However, Dave embellishes this same conversation into a comical, yet influential speech.

Whether it's a topic as broad as chivalry to the conflicting problems of conversation, Dave Chappelle has the ability to bring the truth out of both men and women. He can teach us about how the opposite sex thinks and maybe even teach us a little bit about ourselves. There's not many comedians that have the influential talent as Chapelle which is why he's one of my all time favorites. Thanks for the laughs, Dave.

Some of the comedians that I am interested in watching, analyzing, and blogging are: Woody Allen, George Carlin, Eddie Murphy, George Lopez, Rodney Dangerfield, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Mitch Hedberg, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Cosby, Bill Hicks, Martin Lawrence, Jim Carrey, Andrew Dice Clay; and some of my personal favorites: Dane Cook, Demetri Martin, Jamie Fox, Richard Pryor, Jim Gaffigan, Brian Regan, Robin Williams, Katt Williams, and Dave Chapelle. This form of comedy is something I hold dear to me and these special people are the ones who made it that way. I am pretty sure I will not be able to blog about all these comedians but I will use these men as my platform for my blogging experience

About Me...

I decided to write blogs about stand-up comedy. It's funny, entertaining, and can even be useful in everyday life. The reason why I'm so fascinated with this unique form of art is the ironic truth behind the humor. Although, stand-up can exaggerate some of the