Yeah, that is much more convincing, cheers ArchiveGuy. When I saw the first video (a while back, posted on a UK comics’ forum) my reaction was exactly the same as duality72’s - that the allegedly stolen “joke” was so obvious (not to mention lame) as to prove nothing.
My god, though, Mencia absolutely raped that football joke in the delivery. That was embarrassing. Rogan hardly seems any better. Are these guys really top drawer comics in the States? There are better guys doing free spots in pub back rooms here in London (and before you think I’m being parochial, half of 'em are Americans… :))
You’re right, they both suck. I think I heard it here from someone, that when Comedy Central hired Mencia they though they were getting a Hispanic Dave Chappelle, but they ended up with a Hispanic Larry the Cable Guy.
No, they aren’t. There’s a big difference between the best comics in America and the most famous ones. Like in the music industry, there’s more to being a well-known comic than your comic ability. And, just like with the music industry, several notable comedians of national fame really were never that great at stand up, but through successful marketing of themselves have made tons of money/fame through television sitcoms and etc.
In my experience when it comes to stand up, it’s actually rare that comedians who I’ve really thought are great at stand up gain widespread fame/success in television/film (which these days tends to be the primary way for a comedian to reach national notoriety.)
I’ve actually found little correlation between ability as a comic and entertainment value of a given comedian’s film/television works. For example I’ve seen Bob Sagat live and thought he was pretty funny, but I thought Full House was pretty unwatchable (then again I was nowhere near its target audience.) Likewise I really loved Seinfeld but have always found Jerry Seinfeld’s stand up to be more or less bland and unfunny.
Certainly. It’s weird, though; in the UK the standups that get well known typically are actually very good indeed. There are a few exceptions, and a couple of guys living off former glories, but by and large the top standups are just that. Again, I’m not trying to start some UK/US one-up thing; I just find it’s interesting. Quite a lot of American comics seem to come over here to ply their trade, and aren’t too complimentary about the American standup scene. Rich Hall, for example, doesn’t get the time of day back in the States, but knocks em dead over here.
Oh, I totally agree; I was taking the fact that these guys seem to be sometime headliners/residents at the Comedy Store as an indication that they were valued specifically for their standup. I didn’t realise Rogan is known mostly for Fear Factor, which would’ve explained a lot :). Over here the journeymen/hacks tend to either get crappy TV shows or descend back down into third-rate comedy club obscurity; headlining the Comedy Store isn’t something you can half-ass, hence my surprise.
There’s another clip on youtube accusing Mencia of stealing a bit from Sam Kinison. After seeing the Bill Cosby clip, it looks pretty cut and dried to me. Mencia’s a thief.
I think this used to be the case in the United States, too. I honestly think the biggest difference is in the U.S. there are dozens of cable channels/networks versus what is available in the U.K., meaning there are more opportunities to get your own television show.
Plus, ultimately it’s not impossible for the truly great stand ups to get notoriety, in fact some of the most “timeless” comedians in American history were some of the best stand up comedians who have ever lived, and that is what they are known for primarily. In the United States just because you have a TV show doesn’t necessarily mean you are well known, do a poll with a random American sampling and I’d wager under 5% would know Joe Rogan by name (even people who like Fear Factor, the host is very often over looked) and only a bit more would recognize Carlos Mencia. Do a similar poll with say, George Carlin or Rodney Dangerfield and you’d get a much higher response rate.
Well, look at Michael Richards as a counter point. The guy is an actor who tries to do stand up sometimes, and not very well. He got on stage at the Comedy Store because he’s a very well known comedic actor who is guaranteed to make the club a boat load of money with his appearance. The Comedy Store, like any other club, is in it to make money, and a famous comic will probably get a spot on stage over one who is superior but less famous.
Rogan was actually quite good on Newsradio, though admittedly he was pretty one-dimensional. On one of the commentary tracks for the Newsradio DVDs, he mentions that he was really just doing Fear Factor for the paycheck.
The funny thing about the clip is when Mencia pulls out his drivers license that says ‘Carlos Mencia’ to “prove” that is his real name, because “beaners” can’t have a name on their license that is not their real name. A lie of course, and the hilarious part is when Joe asks him “is your real name Ned” he says yes, even after the drivers license bit.
This is a great article about the topic and it even includes Dane Cook on the list of comics known to steal from others. My favorite part is how Robin Williams, when confronted, would pull out his checkbook without hesitation and give $1000. Guilty.
Apparently George Lopez pushed Mencia up against a wall because Mencia was stealing.
Whether you think these guys are funny or not isn’t the point, they work hard and having something you’ve spent weeks shaping taken from you has to suck.