First of all, I want to make clear I have nothing against people with brain damage and deficiencies. Whether present at birth, or acquired later in life. That having been said…
In case you don’t know, comedian and former SNL alumnus Tracey Morgan was in a automobile accident, not too long ago. And he apparently got significant brain damage from the ordeal. Anyways, the story could end there. But it doesn’t. He wants to still be in comedy.
I have to tell you, Morgan was hilarious on SNL. His comedic timing, plus his regular characters, were what made the show what it was at the time. Now, he has lost most of his comedic timing, I would say. (You have to admit that much.) And when I see him, I don’t laugh. I only think of the tragic accident and how funny he used to be.
So I guess my question is twofold. Is he still funny? Now, this is a legitimate question. Cause you have to admit, one of the requirements of a comedian is that he be funny. And also, should he just quit show business, and maybe go into some different (dare I say it) less-demanding form of work? Or at least something where he is only behind the scenes, as it were?
Again, please don’t take my questions the wrong way. I think they are legitimate.
Even though I’m an avid SNL fan, I don’t recall ever finding him particularly funny. In my mind’s eye he always played someone who was crazy or just a little bit off. That being said, I am so glad that he not only survived but that, at least to this casual viewer, he’s regained all his faculties. To me, their’s really not any difference in his performance (but again, I’m not an expert)
Yeah, he’s pretty much the same actor/comedian that he has always been. It’s up to you to decide if that’s funny or sad, but I don’t think it’s different.
I thought he was brilliant on 30 Rock
I tried to watch his new show The Last OG but couldn’t make it through season one.
But I don’t think it has anything to do with his accident, just a bad show.
Other comics find him hilarious. Not because he plays characters that are crazy or just a little bit of but because he is crazy or a little bit off. It’s not an act.
He may not be everybody’s cuppa tea, but IMO he’s definitely still got his comedy chops. Watch his episode of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” as my cite.
Actually, I liked The Last OG. (His character is a guy who just got out of prison after 10-15 years for drug dealing and is trying to establish a relationship with the now-teenage children from before he went in, along with his ex and her current husband. Part of the story, particularly in the second season, is about the gentrification of Brooklyn.)
I expected him to reprise his 30 Rock character in The Last OG, but he actually showed some range. He showed a lot of depth as an ex-con who’s trying to make it in a world he doesn’t know, and genuinely wanted to make amends for his past sins. He was presented with conflicts that he could have resolved with violence or prison justice, but he managed to do the right thing when all was said and done. He had some funny lines, but he was mainly the straight.
Sure, the story was an excuse to do his impression, but I have no doubt it’s genuine.
I cannot remember which comedian talked about it in his act, but he said Tracy doesn’t start funny, but he keeps saying the same stuff over and over again and it somehow becomes funny.
I found him funny when he was on SNL and 30 Rock (though I could see how his schtick might not work for everybody), but I haven’t seen him recently.
On SNL, he was one of those cast members (like Chris Farley and Leslie Jones) who were sort of characters themselves, rather than just disappearing into the characters they played. Which can be fun, if it’s not overused.
He has intrigued me, because I’ve wondered how much of what I see in him is self-aware and deliberate, and how much is the “he is crazy or a little bit off” coming through.
He could be funny in small doses on 30 Rock. But the “dumb guy who says weird things out of the blue” shtick doesn’t work well in major doses … nor going on for decades.
Yet another weird thing popping out of his mouth doesn’t seem all that novel after a while.
You’re being too kind:). He seems brain damaged now, which to me at least seems sad. But it is nice how everyone is still giving him a fair chance now.
I used to think he was truly mentally off, but then I realized when they made 30 Rock that he must have shown up on time, with his lines more or less memorized, and prepared to give a performance as good as what he did on that show.
