Is Chris Rock right?

[Methodical]

About a month ago, in an interview with Judd Apatow, Rock said this about the current crop of comics

Are today’s comedians better now than yesteryear? Director Judd Apatow asked Chris Rock, and his response was, “Hell f****** no!”

In an email interview with Apatow published by Vanity Fair, Rock shared his thoughts on the present state of comedy. And when comparing the current comedic lot with the likes of George Carlin, Bill Cosby and Joan Rivers, the veteran comedian says today’s comics are cursed with being too “situational.”

"Show me one guy or woman as funny as Rodney Dangerfield or as good as George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby or Joan Rivers," Rock wrote. "There are a lot of good comics out there, no doubt, but as far as the quality of the comics goes, I think what you have is a bunch of situational comics."

"What we have now is Black comics that work only Black crowds,” Rock continued, “Gay comics that do only gay crowds, and Southern comics that only work down South, and so on with Asian, Latino, Indian, midgets, etc. The previous generation's comics were better because they had to make everybody laugh. Richard Pryor could do The Ed Sullivan Show and play the Apollo."

So who are the comedians that come close to this standard? Rock has a couple of names.

"Seinfeld can work any crowd. Ellen [DeGeneres] can work any crowd. [George] Lopez can work any crowd," Rock concludes. "And a few more, but the rest of them are just situational comics."

So, a comic who is sort of known (maybe in the black world) posted this response.
Rodney Perry -- Responds to Chris Rock Vanity Fair Article
[ame=http://youtu.be/AYF_GI4o0HY]Rodney Perry -- Responds to Chris Rock Vanity Fair Article - YouTube[/ame]

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So, what do y'all think? Does Rock have a point, or is he wrong?



I agree with Chris Rock 100%, he's spot on

 

[Bud Bundy]

Chris Rock is right.

point of entertainer is to entertain everyone.

 

[Artificial Intelligence]

.......................

 

[Berniewood Hogan]

IT'S NOT REALLY SENSIBLE TO COMPARE TODAY'S CROP OF COMICS, WITH TODAY'S ALMOST TOTALLY OPEN FREE SPEECH WORLD ENABLED BY THE INTERNET, TO THE OLD COMICS WHO RISKED THEIR CAREERS JUST TO SLIP THE WORD "DAMN" INTO A CARSON SET, BROTHER!

IRONICALLY, INCREASED FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND TOLERANCE FOR VULGARITY HAS MADE THE MARKET TOO SATURATED FOR COMICS TO STAND OUT AS GREATS, DUDE! IF YOU GET A SITCOM, YOU'RE SUCCESSFUL! BUT YOU WON'T SEE THESE GUYS INFLUENCING POP CULTURE OR CHALLENGING SOCIETAL NORMS, MEAN GENE!

 

[TNC]

IT'S NOT REALLY SENSIBLE TO COMPARE TODAY'S CROP OF COMICS, WITH TODAY'S ALMOST TOTALLY OPEN FREE SPEECH WORLD ENABLED BY THE INTERNET, TO THE OLD COMICS WHO RISKED THEIR CAREERS JUST TO SLIP THE WORD "DAMN" INTO A CARSON SET, BROTHER!

IRONICALLY, INCREASED FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND TOLERANCE FOR VULGARITY HAS MADE THE MARKET TOO SATURATED FOR COMICS TO STAND OUT AS GREATS, DUDE! IF YOU GET A SITCOM, YOU'RE SUCCESSFUL! BUT YOU WON'T SEE THESE GUYS INFLUENCING POP CULTURE OR CHALLENGING SOCIETAL NORMS, MEAN GENE!

Brother..... ohhhhh brother

 

[Methodical]

I think the response by Rodney Perry missed Rock's point. The rebuttal addressed that today all comics are situational, which is really affirming Rock's point that today's comics are not as good as those in the past.

 

[I SEEN THAT LIGHT]

Chris Rock is a fakkit.

Some of the best and most beloved comedians of our time, like Dane Cook, Carlos Mencia, Katt Williams and Steve Harvey, have all had material that transcends cultural lines.

 

[VladTheImpaler]

Chris Rock is a fakkit.

Some of the best and most beloved comedians of our time, like Dane Cook, Carlos Mencia, Katt Williams and Steve Harvey, have all had material that transcends cultural lines.

All of these comics that you named are awful though.

 

[RajWatts]

Chris Rock is a fakkit.

Some of the best and most beloved comedians of our time, like Dane Cook, Carlos Mencia, Katt Williams and Steve Harvey, have all had material that transcends cultural lines.

 

[WOAHMYGOODNESS]

seinfeld cannot work no damn black crowd the fukk

 

[Buckeye Fever]

I dont want to hear my favorite black comedians having segments in their stand up that would be my signal to go to the bathroom or go to the kitchen to get a snack because he's catering to a different demographic cuz im not interested in it.

If yall agree with chris rock, then that is basically the same thing as saying 2 Chainz should do country, polka, and opera music for the sole purpose of "entertaining everyone"

 

[newarkhiphop]

Dude Perry made a good point.



Random question has anybody on here ever done stand up?

 

[VladTheImpaler]

I dont want to hear my favorite black comedians having segments in their stand up that would be my signal to go to the bathroom or go to the kitchen to get a snack because he's catering to a different demographic cuz im not interested in it.

If yall agree with chris rock, then that is basically the same thing as saying 2 Chainz should do country, polka, and opera music for the sole purpose of "entertaining everyone"

You really gathered that from what Chris Rock said? Wow.

 

[WOAHMYGOODNESS]

Dude Perry made a good point.



Random question has anybody on here ever done stand up?

i've done an open mic and flopped so god damn hard
shyt really is an art to making people laugh consistently and taking them to a vulnerable, creative, etc. place

 

[Buckeye Fever]

You really gathered that from what Chris Rock said? Wow.

He put down comics that worked only one type of crowd. Maybe that's what theyre comfortable at.