Friday, January 30, 2009
Journal Entry 2
Journal Entry 2: In our only class this week we watched a small clip about a stand-up comic named Eddie Izzard. Although I did not think he was as funny as Carlin, Izzard parallels Carlin’s technique of poking fun at strange traditions in the world society today. Where Carlin focuses on swear words and cuss words, Izzard dedicates most of his act on the ridiculous religious and social traditions that exist in our world. From the indistinguishable verses that exist in the American national Anthem, to qualms of indifference that exist in the Anglican church, Izzard loves to point out the cultural calamities not only in his home, but around the world. One thing that I found interesting was the character that Izzard portrays in his stand-up act. Although unclear to me, he seems to take on the persona of a transvestite. I am not too sure whether it makes him less likely to receive criticism from females for feminist jokes but just his appearance seemed to put me in a humorous mood because of how ridiculous he looked.
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I had actually never been exposed to Izzard before this class and am so glad I was, I went back to my room that evening and just watched video after video of him and thought he was so funny. I also do not quite understand the transvestite thing, maybe someone will cover him in their presentation. I actually found him equally as funny as Carlin, just in a different way like you pointed out. I almost give him a little more credibility for his jokes, I feel like it is much harder to make a joke about religion because you actually have to know your stuff, but anyone can make a fart joke. The "cake or death" skit really makes me laugh!
ReplyDeleteYou might also enjoy the comic Gallagher, who deftly combines physical comedy with more intellectual wordplay--haven't seen much of him recently, but he used to have at least one special a year on HBO.
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