First off, it’s great that a comedy festival is a big enough to advertise on TV. And then, it’s even better than it can hire great creatives to make a spot like this. I kinda wish I was goin’ now.
I’ve enjoyed Tom Shillue’s stand-up for a long time. One of the finest comics working the NY clubs today, Tom is casually himself on stage in a time when screaming and over-gesticulating seems to hold sway. He’s funny without frantic force, a tone mastered by folks like Newhart and Cosby. His first CD “Overconfident” was just released today. Here’s one of my favorite tracks from the album, where Tom finds Philadelphia’s ad campaign to entice lovers to visit the city to be a little disturbing. And possibly unpatriotic.
It’s not currently on sale at Amazon, but you can get it on iTunes or, if you prefer a physical copy with photos of Tom cavorting with Jen Dziura and Molly Crabapple, you can go to Tom’s Online Store.
There was a shadow of doubt possible in prior accusations of Carlos Mencia, but for this latest charge of joke stealing, I have a difficult time imagining how this is defensible.
First the video, which contrasts a joke from 1983’s Bill Cosby: Himself, a fantastic example of the comic working in his prime, and 2006’s Carlos Mencia: No Strings Attached, the same show which brought the accusations of stealing from Ari Shaffir. Here’s the video:
This video fits the exact criteria that I believe makes for true joke stealing. This is material is unique and fits with the personality of the original performer and cannot be transplanted into another. When Bill Cosby tells the story of teaching his son how to play football there’s such a humanity about it, a real awareness of what being a father is like that goes hand-in-hand with the humor. It’s almost touching and makes the twist of not being thanked after the big game that much more hysterical. With Mencia, the material looks shoehorned into the wrong performer. Not only is it not grounded in the small touches of being a parent, but there’s an attitude of anger at his own son which, if it’s a story drawn from personal experience, shouldn’t be there. While it isn’t the word for word plagiarism some have described it as, this is as close to a smoking gun as I can imagine.
This type of video will light the fire in detractors, making them likely to search for more evidence against Mencia. A new video quickly surfaced that contrasted a Sam Kinison bit about Jesus with a Mind of Mencia sketch (far less damaging in my mind because a staff writer other than Mencia could have wrote it). It’s not going to stop, If they are out there, more examples of Mencia’s potential larceny of comic material will come to light. I don’t see much damage yet to Mencia, but an abundance of examples drawing from multiple sources will eventually have its effect, if not on the industry then on fans, certainly many of whom become disillusioned as they have to defend the comic from the latest barrage of accusations.
When the original video came out, I had a short correspondence with a friend about how I was happy to see this brought to light, but I was worried that we don’t want to know how deep this rabbit hole goes. In truth, there’s a lot more parallel thinking going on out there than many comics will want to admit. I watched a Bill Maher special earlier this week and at one point got deja vu about a similar George Carlin bit. Neither of those two comics are thieves. Both are original comics who have similar attitudes to a lot of topics, so there’s a chance in some overlap in material. And if two comics who are as vital, smart and skillful as those two can have parallel thinking, comics who aren’t at that stage of their careers will too. But with YouTube video becoming the judge, jury and executioner for comedic integrity, I’m a little afraid we’re going to get carried away. Or are my fears unfounded?
On Monday’s Late Show, Bernie Mac told Letterman that he’s retiring from stand-up later this year. But not without a last hurrah, in this case the film “The Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Mac”, which presumably will tape a farewell concert performance. There’s no word yet of where that final performance will tape or when, other than the less-than-definitive date of fall.
In his conversation with Letterman, he noted the difficult life of a road comic:
“Oh, man, you miss out on so much, you know, and you live in all these hotels _ I was on the road 47 weeks out of the year,”
He also cited this year would make 30 years since he first started performing in clubs, which sounds like a good round number to me. Still this might turn out to be one of those never say never deals, Bernie Mac is only 49.
Though he’s best known for talking about how he will beat your kids in The Original Kings of Comedy, below is a clip from Def Jam before that groundbreaking tour and film. First you’ll notice the 90’s era red yellow and green clothing. And then, you’ll notice the repetition - it’s not really a catchphrase, more of a moodsetter.
In an effort to promote his excellent book Prank the Monkey, author John Hargrave of the humor site ZUG attempted to pull off a nigh-impossible prank at the Super Bowl. The plan: sneak in over 2,000 lights to spell out a secret message during Prince’s halftime show. His account of the Super Stunt is impressive, full of details of how he and his confederates manage to work under the noses of security and avoid detection and, quite possibly, jail time. The logistics, material and planning required $40,000 of Hargrave’s own money to even get a shot at pulling it off.
So why didn’t you ever heard about it?
Because ultimately, despite circumventing security and distributing their lights to the audience, the message wasn’t legible. Attendees appear to have just grabbed a light rather than one meant for their particular seat. It’s a heartbreaking end to something that would have been a rousing achievement.
Hargrave seems to muddy the issue, describing it as a code that would lead people on a chase to find out a message (which turned out to be zug.com, probably what it was supposed to be in the first place). But who would know there was a message in the first place in all that mess, save for ZUG visitors? Spending 40 grand to reach his own captive audience for a scavenger hunt would be insane.
Some of his readers have said that it would be more interesting to have John come clean about the failure of the prank and his feelings behind it. Talk about the experience of executing something perfectly, only to have it go wrong because of a human factor outside of your control. I’m inclined to agree. It’s epic stuff - the ultimate cosmic joke played on a genius prankster. There’s nothing wrong with making a lemon into lemonade for his readership, but when he talks about a movie being made of the prank, this is the twist at the end that would make a brilliant film. (To be fair, he flirts with this idea when he talks in the end about how risk is essential in life.)
It doesn’t help that John has a video that postures that the media is trying to cover up the success of his prank. If there’s no unexpected message there’s no proof that he did it. In the eyes of the media, almost doesn’t count in pranking. In the parallel he makes the terrorism, almost does count. The media loves fear, but the anticipation of joy? They don’t know what to do with that.
That said, Hargrave has pulled off some incredibly wonderful pranks, including one where he signs his credit card purchases with scribbles, cartoons and “I stole this card” in an attempt to see if anyone would actually call him on it. I think about it whenever I’m signing for something. It’s worth picking up Prank the Monkey, even if his “super stunt” to promote it didn’t pay off.
Tonight the Whitest Kids You Know sketch comedy show makes its premiere on Fuse at 11 PM. Besides the original material they’ve made for the show, the troupe has a huge inventory of sketches. And it’s been interesting to me to see how little the changes are between the original made for web versions to the Fuse versions. It might be a factor of budget, but I think that many of the bits were so well executed and on target before, why mess with them?
For example, here’s two variations on their Hitler Rap. The first is the original and then we have the Fuse version, which clocks in roughly 30 seconds shorter. The main difference being the loss of a throw to Goering - it’s still referenced but the section is gone.
Of course, a lot of their sketches haven’t been put to film yet, so they benefit from a bigger treatment like this one featuring Abraham Lincoln. I believe this sketch used the whole theater when performed live (you’ll see what I mean when you watch it - it’s not about what’s on stage), so it’s fun to see how they made it work for TV.
The sketch comedy is being pinned as the show that makes Fuse break out. I’m not so sure with YouTube, Daily Motion, iFilm, etc. etc. etc. that we’ll have people clamoring to get their cable operators to add Fuse to see the WKYK. But maybe no longer will people have to say, “Fuse. You know, it’s that channel where have that show where people strip to music.”
Another couple of comparisons between original and Fuse versions after the jump.
At the beginning of her new album Self Help, Jen Kirkman describes how she has a stand set up with papers on it, presumably for reference. But after listening to her stand-up, where ideas cascade so fast that you feel you’re rushing right alongside the neurons of her mind as they fire, one might wonder - why does she need the stand of papers? It’s a contradiction that plays over and over in her work - she seems to teeter on the edge of her impulses (just giving her a copy of your key makes her wonder if she might sneak in and kill you) but it camouflages an explosively funny routine that’s obviously been made with care. This slight of hand is a unique component to stand-up and it’s a joy to hear someone like Kirkman master it.
As a New Yorker, I don’t get to enjoy the Los-Angeles-based Kirkman’s work on a regular basis, so the recent release of her album Self Help by the nascent AST Records makes it that much more of a prize. You should pick one up yourself. She’s also a player on VH1’s upcoming viewer-driven sketch comedy Acceptable TV, which airs this Friday at 10PM. You can already watch and vote on some of their programing now. I corresponded with Jen via email, where she talked about Joan Rivers, audiences on dates and the parallels of political dissent and comedic taste.
How much distance do you feel there has to be between “stage Jen” and “real Jen”?
I don’t know if there has to be that much distance. I found the more I revealed myself, or the parts of myself that I’ve come to accept but I realize might be simultaneously weird but relatable I’ve had more people tell me that they liked my set or related. Stage Jen comes from Real Jen but of course, Real Jen does not hold people hostage talking for 8-45 minutes at a time without letting the other person respond. Of course, Real Jen has emotional and personal experiences that with time, distance and a good sense of boundaries could become funny and she doesn’t let Stage Jen take them out until they are ready or else you’re really watching someone’s therapy session on stage. I’d rather tell the audience how the session went, and not invite them into it. It surprises me though that people still feel like I’m ‘baring it all’ on stage but I pick from a small pool of what I deem acceptable to reveal.
Susie Essman: "I don't get heckled that much. Most hecklers are men... When I'm on stage, I'm in control and I don't think men want to be humiliated by a woman. Where with other guys, it's a mano y mano thing, with me I don't think they want to go there." (AintItCool)
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, a fantastic example of the comic working in his prime, and 2006’s Carlos Mencia: No Strings Attached, the same show which brought the 
, below is a clip from Def Jam before that groundbreaking tour and film. First you’ll notice the 90’s era red yellow and green clothing. And then, you’ll notice the repetition - it’s not really a catchphrase, more of a moodsetter.
, author John Hargrave of the humor site ZUG attempted to pull off a nigh-impossible prank at the Super Bowl. The plan: sneak in over 2,000 lights to spell out a secret message during Prince’s halftime show. His 
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