4 Comments
Mar 7, 2023Liked by David Chen

Hi Dave. I appreciate your thoughtful, measured response to Chris Rock’s Netflix show. You actually put words to how I felt about the performance, that I couldn’t quite articulate at the time. Mainly: how Rock seems to have lost his edge, maybe primarily because extreme wealth has distorted his perspective. But also: the discomfort I felt at some of the bits (and not the usual, giddy kind of discomfort I used to get from Rock, when he would push an audience to see things differently, or voice uncomfortable truths). And yes, the last ten minutes were scalding.

I got to thinking: what comedians have NOT lost their edge over the course of a decades-long career? (Or did not, if they’ve already passed.) Or, if they didn’t get better, at least stayed consistently sharp? It’s a short list, but I’d put Carlin up there, who somehow kept going deeper and stayed relevant. Also: Rodney Dangerfield, Joan Rivers, and especially Mr. George Wallace (bless him) are up there in this category. In fact, there are two main reasons why I would make a return trip to Vegas: to see George Wallace and Penn & Teller. Well, I guess that’s three. Any others?

Thanks again for the well-observed writing.

Expand full comment

> Over on Decoding Reality, Justin and Deejay are continuing to recap the continuing misadventures of Zach Shallcross, or as he’s also known, “The Nickelback of Bachelor Nation.”

Mother of God... We appreciate your sacrifice lol

Expand full comment