Introduction to Stand Up Comedy Part VIII: Historical Ranting

Content: Robin Williams stand-up comedy, particularly Live at the Met

Introduction: After getting some crap from a longtime friend who remembers sitting in my parents’ den, listening to Live at the Met instead of doing a chemistry lab, I decided to add some material to Dream’s extensive introduction to stand-up comedy. (Happy, Mike?) When we were 15, nothing cracked us up more than Robin Williams. We were in tears listening to his rants. In theory, they’re similar to Chris Rock’s or Dennis Leary’s. But Rock and Leary base their scathing rhetoric in anger, in a sense of injustice and hypocrisy. Williams’ rants are less based than they are fueled. Fueled by knowing that he’s got something funny to say and he’s really excited about it. Fueled by an internal comedic energy that threatens to him apart if he doesn’t get it out fast. And of course, fueled by coke. (Williams was never as funny after he kicked the Peruvian marching powder.) He was visceral and hysterical and so referential that we could hardly keep up. He spoke in such a way that he gave the impression of someone speaking off the top of his head, and I think to a certain extent he was. Live at the Met was recorded in 1986, so by the time we listened to in 1995, it was already a decade old. But with Williams’ energy it felt like current events. By the time Dream listens to it, it will be ancient history, which excites me: a history lesson in the visceral and spontaneous comedic style of Robin Williams.

Dream’s Age at Introduction: 15

Reason for That Age: I know I said that I would stop giving Dream media and content after age 14 because he or she wouldn’t want or need me leading the way to culture, but I like the idea of Dream discovering Williams at the same age that I did. Plus, for some of the historical references, he or she will need to be older than 14.

What I Want Dream to Get Out of It: I want Dream to shake with the same laughter my friends and I felt at that age when we listened to Live at the Met for the first time. I want Dream to feel the energy that Williams exudes on stage that makes his audience off balanced, not knowing what to expect next. Listening to this album, Dream should understand that part of comedy is the unexpected and that that is what makes riffing in comedy, when done well, so potent. And as a bonus, Dream will get a primer into the history of the 1980s.

Be content,
John