Dennis Leary, Dane Cook and Carlos Mencia
April 27th, 2007
I just named three comedians that are funnier than Joe Rogan. Notice I didn’t say original. That’s because none of them are quite original. They were all done better and earlier by Bill Hicks, Brian Regan and every racist-voice comedian before. Carlos Mencia is the Hispanic version of Dat Phan, one of the most annoying and at the same time tragically hilarious comedians.
All comedians have similar material because all comedians are human. The fact that two individuals can come up with similar ideas separately should not be a surprise to anyone. The reason observational humor is funny is because it covers topics that are common to all of us. It’s funny because it’s true. It’s also possible for more than a single person on the planet to discover these common and true things.
Yes there are joke thieves but they are few and far between. It’s not a case of plagiarism every time two comedians tell similar jokes. Even when it is, we the audience don’t need to be told about it. We know how to spot lame hacks just fine. Just because a few mediocre comedians are successful is no reason to think we need crusaders like Joe Rogan picking pointless fights for a little attention. Yes people have bad taste but so what? If they’re too stupid to recognize the difference between the original and an imitation then there is no hope for them. Stop analyzing every stand up routine ever performed and trying to prove Carlos Mencia is a thief. It doesn’t matter, his act sucks anyways. Nobody cares who he stole it from. He did them a favor in my opinion. Besides, I’ve seen Joe Rogan’s act. I’d rather listen to the “dee dee dee” song than watch Joe Rogan fumble over his hammy jokes and argue with the audience. The saddest part is that they bill him as “Fear Factor’s Joe Rogan”. That’s his only claim to fame. No one remembers him as the janitor on News Radio. He’s just wandering around the country now, trying to hang on to what’s left, hoping someone will give him an extension on his career. I don’t think it’s happening. I hope Joe Rogan, Pauly Shore and Gilbert Gottfried pool their money and rent a bus together because they’re all going to be touring the circuit for a very long time. I’m sure the simple minded tough talking closet homosexuals on Joe Rogan’s forums would tell you otherwise but then again, what the fuck do they know?