As our relationship with comedy has shifted, so has the role of comedian in mainstream culture, says author Jesse David Fox
When Chris Rock wants to figure out if a new idea is funny, he performs without the aspects of his persona that make him distinct: he doesn’t repeat the premise several times throughout a joke, or pace the stage, or make certain words two syllables as opposed to one. He delivers the joke flatly.
Rock feels that’s the only way he can take the temperature of what is actually funny, since the popularity of his standup over the last 33 years has made him so famous, audiences give him the benefit of the doubt when he walks on stage. It’s a process of bombing as a means to combat fame.
Continue reading...
0 Comments