The 2018 @netflix Comedy Review
(I haven't done a piece on Comedy in a while, so allow me to rectify this).
Since the beginning of the PC Age (a subject for another time) we now find ourselves in, I've heard a massive number of people proclaiming things like:
"Comedy is dead."
"You can't make jokes about anything anymore."
"Political Correctness is the quietus of comedy." (Not exactly those words, but that meaning).
The only word that comes to mind whenever I hear someone make this claim is a simple, two-syllable one: "Bullshit."
Where there is humanity, there will be stupidity; where there is stupidity, there will be comedy.
Where there is humanity, there will be stupidity; where there is stupidity, there will be comedy.
In my personal (and humble) assessment, 2018 has been one of the best years in comedy thus far. And, I make this assessment based solely on the comedy specials that were released this past year on Netflix.
I don't have Cable, and I don't have the kind of money to maintain more than just my Netflix and my Amazon Prime accounts. So, the comedy I get to see comes from a narrow source. However, from that source alone, I can see that the world of American Comedy and American Humor is alive, well, and thriving.
Many veterans in comedy, and a handful of "new-comers" (I say that only because they've only begun to release specials, but they've been performing for years), have released new hour-long comedy specials this past year. And the results speak for themselves.
Comedy vets, like Tig Notaro released her first special, Happy to Be Here, thrilling her audience with her masterful deadpan delivery. Katt William unleashed his signature frantic stylings in his special Great America. And, recently, Russell Brand, a comic master of the vulgarly insightful stand-up set, released RE: BIRTH. Joe Rogan took the stage again in Strange Times, and Iliza Shlesinger killed big time in her special Elder Millennial. Ricky Gervais returned to stand up after seven years, in Humanity; Ron White, the redneck king of raunchy comedy, hit hard in his special If You Quit Listening, I'll Shut Up.
All of these specials are available for viewing on the streaming service right now, and they're only the tip of the comic iceberg. Netflix is really one of the prime places to find great comedy that rivals what HBO, EPIX, and Comedy Central have done.
I, of course, do have my favorites; the specials I've gone back to several times in the last year since their initial release. Here, I'll just list off a little more than a handful and explain why they're worth watching and re-watching.
1. Chris Rock: Tamborine
Chris Rock was one of the old comedy greats who retook the stage this year in his special Tamborine. Rock is one of those comics who comes out of the tradition of the raw and honest truth teller, in the footsteps of those who proceeded him like Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. It's clear from this special that his skills at the mike have not rusted in all these years. If anything, like a good wine, they've gotten better.
In special, Rock skewers the hierocracies of American society with regard to race (particularly the attitude of law enforcement), the differences in black culture and white culture, the big orange elephant in the room (who might end up giving us Jesus), and, most characteristic of Rock, his own recent personal failings.
The set is full of wonderful catchy jokes. They're like catchy tunes, but better because they make you laugh. My favorite has to be his joke on relationships from which the special takes its name:
"When you're in a relationship, you're in a band. And when you're in a band, you have roles you play in the band. Sometimes, you sing lead, and sometimes, you're on tamborine. And if you're on tamborine, play it right. Play it right--play it with a fucking smile."
2. Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable
DeGeneres's special has only recently come out on Netflix, but like Tamborine, Relatable marked a return to stand up for another comedy great. Our blonde heroine takes the st
age with a slight chip on her shoulder (just a slight one). It's been fifteen years since she's performed stand up, and her friends seem to think her radically altered lifestyle isn't relatable anymore. But, in just over an hour, she goes on to show the world that the woman behind the blue fish who got everyone of my generation to hum "Just keep swimming," still has it.
Unlike a lot of modern comics, DeGeneres keeps her act fairly clean (no dirty words or overly suggestive subjects), and she's able to carry it off with her chipper and deadpan delivery.
My favorite joke from this special (one of them), has to be one that completely clashes with the title of the special itself:
"We look at somebody and we decide we know all about them. We put someone in a box...I think everyone thinks all celebrities live exactly the same. Like we all live behind big gold gates down a long winding driveway and to a big round motor court with a fountain in the center shooting up in the air, and double doors leading into a two-story entrance and matching curved staircases leading to the second floor, and a chandelier made of crystal, and gold toilets...what else do I have."
3. Hari Kondabolu: Warn Your Relatives
I'd only watched one bit of Kondabolu's comedy back in 2014 when David Letterman was still hosting the Late Show. And that six minutes of sharp, cerebral comedy made me an instant fan, and I was on the look out for any of his stuff. So when I heard that he was going to record a special for Netflix, I was going to watch it. The result was Warn Your Relatives.
Hari's comedy is extremely socially engaged, and much of his material relates to the topic of race. He tends to keep it clean, but every so often, he'll whip out a swear bomb to make the joke pop even more. And the results are hilarious.
If you're a white supremacist, you might not want to watch Hari's show because he goes after the hang ups of ignorant white culture HARD...and hilarious. Although, if you are a white supremacist, you'll probably dodge this show anyway just by looking at Hari. Actually if you are one reading this...well, let me hand it over to Hari,
"Nazis are walking around. Oh, that's another thing I got fact-checked for. "Here's the thing, Hari All these racists aren't Nazis. Some of them are Nazis, but you also have Aryan Nation, KKK, Proud Boys..." I'm like, "Are you kidding me? They think we're all the same. You think I give a fuck what they call themselves." I'm sorry Nazi, did I insult your identity? Fucking snowflake. I like how I get called a snowflake by these people. You white motherfuckers melt in the sun, but I'm the snowflake. Nice."
Many veterans in comedy, and a handful of "new-comers" (I say that only because they've only begun to release specials, but they've been performing for years), have released new hour-long comedy specials this past year. And the results speak for themselves.
Comedy vets, like Tig Notaro released her first special, Happy to Be Here, thrilling her audience with her masterful deadpan delivery. Katt William unleashed his signature frantic stylings in his special Great America. And, recently, Russell Brand, a comic master of the vulgarly insightful stand-up set, released RE: BIRTH. Joe Rogan took the stage again in Strange Times, and Iliza Shlesinger killed big time in her special Elder Millennial. Ricky Gervais returned to stand up after seven years, in Humanity; Ron White, the redneck king of raunchy comedy, hit hard in his special If You Quit Listening, I'll Shut Up.
All of these specials are available for viewing on the streaming service right now, and they're only the tip of the comic iceberg. Netflix is really one of the prime places to find great comedy that rivals what HBO, EPIX, and Comedy Central have done.
I, of course, do have my favorites; the specials I've gone back to several times in the last year since their initial release. Here, I'll just list off a little more than a handful and explain why they're worth watching and re-watching.1. Chris Rock: Tamborine
Chris Rock was one of the old comedy greats who retook the stage this year in his special Tamborine. Rock is one of those comics who comes out of the tradition of the raw and honest truth teller, in the footsteps of those who proceeded him like Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. It's clear from this special that his skills at the mike have not rusted in all these years. If anything, like a good wine, they've gotten better.
In special, Rock skewers the hierocracies of American society with regard to race (particularly the attitude of law enforcement), the differences in black culture and white culture, the big orange elephant in the room (who might end up giving us Jesus), and, most characteristic of Rock, his own recent personal failings.
The set is full of wonderful catchy jokes. They're like catchy tunes, but better because they make you laugh. My favorite has to be his joke on relationships from which the special takes its name:
"When you're in a relationship, you're in a band. And when you're in a band, you have roles you play in the band. Sometimes, you sing lead, and sometimes, you're on tamborine. And if you're on tamborine, play it right. Play it right--play it with a fucking smile."
2. Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable
DeGeneres's special has only recently come out on Netflix, but like Tamborine, Relatable marked a return to stand up for another comedy great. Our blonde heroine takes the st
age with a slight chip on her shoulder (just a slight one). It's been fifteen years since she's performed stand up, and her friends seem to think her radically altered lifestyle isn't relatable anymore. But, in just over an hour, she goes on to show the world that the woman behind the blue fish who got everyone of my generation to hum "Just keep swimming," still has it.Unlike a lot of modern comics, DeGeneres keeps her act fairly clean (no dirty words or overly suggestive subjects), and she's able to carry it off with her chipper and deadpan delivery.
My favorite joke from this special (one of them), has to be one that completely clashes with the title of the special itself:
"We look at somebody and we decide we know all about them. We put someone in a box...I think everyone thinks all celebrities live exactly the same. Like we all live behind big gold gates down a long winding driveway and to a big round motor court with a fountain in the center shooting up in the air, and double doors leading into a two-story entrance and matching curved staircases leading to the second floor, and a chandelier made of crystal, and gold toilets...what else do I have."
3. Hari Kondabolu: Warn Your Relatives
I'd only watched one bit of Kondabolu's comedy back in 2014 when David Letterman was still hosting the Late Show. And that six minutes of sharp, cerebral comedy made me an instant fan, and I was on the look out for any of his stuff. So when I heard that he was going to record a special for Netflix, I was going to watch it. The result was Warn Your Relatives.Hari's comedy is extremely socially engaged, and much of his material relates to the topic of race. He tends to keep it clean, but every so often, he'll whip out a swear bomb to make the joke pop even more. And the results are hilarious.
If you're a white supremacist, you might not want to watch Hari's show because he goes after the hang ups of ignorant white culture HARD...and hilarious. Although, if you are a white supremacist, you'll probably dodge this show anyway just by looking at Hari. Actually if you are one reading this...well, let me hand it over to Hari,
"Nazis are walking around. Oh, that's another thing I got fact-checked for. "Here's the thing, Hari All these racists aren't Nazis. Some of them are Nazis, but you also have Aryan Nation, KKK, Proud Boys..." I'm like, "Are you kidding me? They think we're all the same. You think I give a fuck what they call themselves." I'm sorry Nazi, did I insult your identity? Fucking snowflake. I like how I get called a snowflake by these people. You white motherfuckers melt in the sun, but I'm the snowflake. Nice."
4. Ali Wong: Hard Knock WifeLike Kondabolu, I'd never heard of Ali Wong before I saw a bit of her comedy. I say a bit, I mean her 2016 smash hit first comedy special Baby Cobra. Immediately, in my mind, she became the contemporary Queen of Raunchy Comedy.
Ali isn't a cerebral comic. She's part of that tradition of the raw, real female comics who let it all hang out about their lives. She talks about all the "pleasures" of parenthood, the "joys" of married life, and the "glories" of balancing professional life with parent life. And she does it, as the best of these kinds of comics do, in the more graphic, cringe-worthy detail.
"A lot of people like to ask me, "Ali, how on Earth do you balance family and career?" Men never get asked that question...because they don't. They just neglect the child for 90% of the day and that's perfectly socially acceptable, but the standards for dads are so low that they get so much praise for doing so little."
5. W. Kamau Bell: Private School Negro
(That's a really awkward title for me to write, but it's a funny one).
Bell is the comic who, easily, has the best overt material on Trumpy--which you can guess is the reason I enjoyed this special so much. For the first half of his special, Bell tackles the orange elephant in the room to the ground and tears into it with the jugular.
The era ("Or error," depending on your pronunciation, as Bell says) of George W. Bush show the rise of a number of great comics and comedy shows, particularly The Daily Show under Jon Stewart and Lewis Black. I have a feeling, if Bell keeps this kind of work up, he's going to be the definitive Trump-era comic.
Now, if you're a "Trumpster" (a word for Trump supports I'm partial to because it rhymes with dumpster), you'll probably want to steer clear of Bell's special on Netflix. However, if you're like me, and you love political comedy about people you don't like, then check him out. Among his best, and harshest, jokes,
"Donald Trump appointed as the Attorney General of the United States a man named Jeff Sessions. Jeff Sessions was once found to be too racist to be a judge... IN ALABMA!...And I'm not even trying to make fun of Alabama when I say that...but I also know that Alabama is still, in large part, Alabama. There's black people walking around going, 'Are we free? I heard we're free.'"
6. Hannah Gadsby: Nanette
(A controversial choice among the anti-PC crowd, but it's my list on my blog, so bite me).
Now this special was, again, considered controversial because it was seen as "the death knell of comedy," since Gadsby takes the opportunity of being on stage, with a live mike, to address an issue that's only grown more important since the rise of the #MeToo movement: her status as a sexual assault survivor and how, as a comic, she's never been able to tell her story.
Yet, like the masterful comic she is, Gadsby doesn't just address it straight away. She builds up to it. She suckers the audience into believing, initially, that they're merely in for a typical hour of comedy, with jokes like,
"I love Tasmania. I loved growing up there. I felt right at home, I did, but I had to leave as soon as I found out I was a little bit lesbian. And you do find out, don't you? I got a letter. Dear Sir/Madam..."
The special is a stick of dynamite with a fuse that burns for the first 50 or so minutes until she at last addresses the subject head on for the final 10 minutes. And it's a heart felt, emotional address that tackles a dark and contemporary subject (very much like some of George Carlin's late work). Even though she seldom gets laughs when she finally talks about her trauma, the power of her words never turns the audience off. And the ovation she gets at the end of the show is well deserved.
Comedy, of course, like any artform is subjective. What I find funny may not very well be what other people find funny. But funny is funny, and I found all of these shows and numerous others on Netflix hilarious. With comics producing this quality of work at this time, when people still think that comedy is a dying artform, I'm not worried.
Like I said, where there is stupid, there will be comedy, and as Albert Einstein said, "Only two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity."
