Nick Greco's Top Five Favorite Comedians - Interview

Photo pulled from Greco's Facebook

It is well-known among his peers that twelfth grade Ringgold High School student Nick Greco loves stand-up comedy. Not only does he pour tons of time into watching stand-up online and on television, but he also aspires to be a comedian himself. He loves a wide variety of different styles of stand-up, so in turn, he loves many different comedians. After a talk, his top five favorite comedians were revealed. In no particular order, here they are:

1. Dave Chappelle

After a lot of thinking he was ready to say his first performer, the loud-mouthed Dave Chappelle. “As a child I remember always watching him,” Greco said. He said that four to five years ago he started watching his stand-up. He also enjoys the comedian’s show, “The Dave Chappelle Show,” having said it is “about the same [quality].” He said he likes Chappelle because “he appeals to a wide variety of people.”

2. Bill Hicks

Bill Hicks

He likes the politically-motivated and often dark Bill Hicks a lot, as well. Hicks does “philosophical comedy” that is “truthful,” Greco said. “He had really good material” that was “never the same,” he went on to say. One bit he remembers in particular is from the “early 90s,” according to him, about Jay Leno. Greco explained that the bit would poke fun at Leno’s strange behavior and lack of talent, despite success. Hicks was explained as “somewhat like” the next performer he discussed…

3. George Carlin

George Carlin, a comedian best known for his talent as an intricate wordsmith, was described by Greco as very personally inspirational. “[Carlin] makes you want to do standup comedy,” Greco said. Greco described Carlin’s quality as “very consistent” throughout the many years he performed. He especially enjoys Carlin’s bits on “euphemisms” and something called “free-floating hostility.” “He went too early,” Greco said, even though he does realize that the man lived a long life.

4. Eddie Murphy

The next comedian he expressed his love for was Eddie Murphy, a talent who got his start on “Saturday Night Live.” Greco said he “like[s] his really early movies,” such as “Beverly Hills Cops” and “Coming to America.” The special “Delirious” is one of his favorites, he also said. One bit that he thought back on was about Murphy’s “uncle’s wife looking like a gorilla,” he explained. “Also an influence,” Greco said.

Dane Cook

5. Dane Cook

The most controversial pick from Greco is Dane Cook, a very popular comedian surrounded by multiple claims of plagiarism. He said he “never really noticed” the joke stealing even after looking into it, but noted it would be a “big ethical issue” if he did do so. He described Cook as “very relatable” and “very consistent,” and said “I like that he’s very loud.” “I’d like to see more of him,” he concluded.

Greco’s love for standup comedy is certainly apparent. It was clear that he could have discussed more comedians he loves, but these are his top five favorites. These men have a special place in his heart, because of the laughs, memories and inspiration they provided for him.

Louie: Season 3 (TV) - Review

It's not controversial to say that Louis CK is the most successful contemporary comedian; it's also not controversial to say he may be the best. I love his standup, but he also has a television show which I somehow appreciate even more. When I first got into Louie, I did pretty much nothing else with my free time other than watch the show, as I was so engrossed. I remember thinking that the first season was absolutely incredible, although I thought, as a whole, the second was just okay. But even during the large rough bits of the second season, it was easy to watch because Louie is truly unique. I recently watched the third season; there are some issues, but overall it is very funny, very moving, and very great. 

Typically, on the surface, the stories told in episodes of Louie are seemingly mundane. Louie follows Louie CK, a fictional character based heavily on the real-life dude who plays him. He is a fat, middle-aged, divorced comedian with two kids and an awkward demeanor. We watch him be a father, date women, and work. Louis CK writes and directs the show, on top of playing the lead role. Popular comedians like Chris Rock and Sarah Silverman also have [great] cameos in the series, showing just how tapped into show business CK is.  

Louie is both a drama and a comedy, and it balances the two remarkably well in the third season. One of the best episodes is the third, in which our protagonist finds himself in Miami for work and befriends a hunky, friendly lifeguard. Against what Louie has always considered his sexual orientation, he gets some tension around the lifeguard, which makes for smart, awkward humor but also captivating storytelling. Another highlight of the season is a two-episode story arc in which Louie dates an eccentric woman with a depressing past - something that really shows. She acts wacky which garners laughs, but her phenomenal acting means that we can see the tortured part of her soul just by watching her facial expression. And then also Louie's reaction to her through his facial expression. This season of Louie can have me cracking up one moment and then tearing up a few minutes later. What I find most remarkable about Louie in general is its intimate grip on realism, and its control of such which allows it to create something that is truly compelling to watch. Much of the humor and drama rests on displaying the realistic in a way that affects.

This is why my biggest complaint with this season is the unrealistic curveballs that get thrown into the mix every now and then for shock laughs. These moments are downright cartoonish: For example, in one episode, a naughty kid whom Louie is babysitting shoves a baby carriage into oncoming traffic, creating a dangerous, toxic gas leak, and Louie's response is to head home and let someone else deal with it. Moments like this contradict and cheapen the actual, realistic characterization of Louie as well as the realistic set up of the show's world. My other complaint, which is lesser but still notable, is that it's not just consistency in tone that isn't properly respected, but also consistency in story continuity. Louie occasionally (and effectively) pulls from past episodes' plots, but sometimes it intentionally goes against past plots just for the heck of it. Continuity flubs can be forgiven when the changes make sense, but these changes seem pointless. Either respect continuity or make each episode its own thing; you can't have both. 

The curveballs really don't happen too often - think once every other episode, more or less, but some episodes are affected more than others. One otherwise excellent episode's climax is one of these moments, making it one of the weaker episodes. The continuity changes are annoying in their pointlessness, but being pointless does mean that things aren't changed in a way that really alters the story. These two things are problems, but not deal-breakers. At the show's best, witty comedy mashes with captivating drama to form a tour de force of exemplary, truly special television; it's just a shame that tonal and continuity inconsistencies bring it down sometimes. 

Anchorman (Film) - Review

Anchorman should be so much better than it actually is. It casts Will Ferrell alongside the likes of Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, to parody 70s-style misogyny in news broadcasting.  It's produced by Judd Apatow. Maybe by the standards of 2004 this was better, but today, at least, this is bad. What could have been a hilarious ride of mocking sexism is a joyless mess of a film that is only occasionally funny.

Ferrell's character Ron Burgundy is the beloved lead anchorman for a San Diego news station, along with other respected anchors for sports and weather and such. I can't tell you their names, because they're too boring for me to remember. One's gimmick, the one played by Carell, is that he is mentally retarded with an "IQ of 45," but the only real difference between him and just about every other character is that his mental problem has been diagnosed.

They're on top, so when a woman is hired on the station and garners some success, they become enraged, because she's a woman! This premise lends itself to an ongoing joke in the film; the anchors are sexist! They treat women like means for sex, and this is acted out in a very juvenile fashion. Prejudice is funny when it's made to look ridiculously bad, but here, it feels like just another joke. Initially the film-makers try to make the woman, played by Christina Applegate, a straight-man to their idiocy, which was functional until they gave up on that idea. Eventually her character becomes a whole lot less strong, and she falls for sexist dope Burgundy because that's what the dumb script calls for. I cringed and literally face-palmed throughout the film.

The core issue here is that the movie really doesn't know what it wants to do. Is it really trying to smartly satire old-school misogyny? If so, why is the woman turned into a submissive (and even damselized, at the end) joke? Is it about Burgundy's station beating out its competitors, like a very involved fight scene towards the middle, and an important exchange of dialogue at the climax, both seem to allude to? If so, why is it so underdeveloped? There's a colorful bit of animation abstractly visualizing sex, is it really just supposed to be a senseless, ludicrous collection of comedy?  If so, why ground the movie in troubling, serious subject matter?

The movie also has a habit of pretending its actors are much more talented than they actually are. And that isn't a slight at the talent here, because it really does bring together impressive performers. It's just that most of the jokes are one-man shows. We're usually watching an actor act towards the camera. To sustain a movie, it would make more sense to have the cast working off of each other more.

I can be a bit positive about the movie. It's not actually offensive, it just doesn't work. And it is occasionally funny. The attempts at satire don't really work, but when it's just trying to be humorously stupid, it tends to work a good bit. That animation I mentioned earlier is quite funny, and there's some good laughs when things get very ridiculous towards the end.

But the high points really aren't enough. I was surprised how much of a mess this movie is. Anchorman sports an all-star cast alongside its fantastically talented leading man. It's a shame that it's so awful.