The Tampa thang, part 3 Comedians of Comedy & Meeting People is Easy

Before I start:

"...if you're tired of hack comedy, the Carlos Mencias, Jeff Foxworthys, and Larry the Cable Guys of the world, then you might be open to something creative and hilarious. I defy anyone to attempt at the originality of Zach Galifianakis, both in content and delivery, the amazing undulating idiosyncratic rants of Patton Oswalt, or to be as engrossing as Maria Bamford's characters and stories can be... If you prefer tired old routines about race, married life, the predictably narrow comedy of a comedian who plays up a simple character or stereotype, then you can have your cavemannish Tim Allen, or go to the other extreme with the hyper-pretentious and unfunny Dennis Miller... But if you like creativity, not just because its different, but because it's true to the hilarious personality of the artist who it emanates from, and not just replicated bullsh!t echoing off these soundboards of a homogeneous and mediocre culture, then check out Comedians of Comedy..."

-SKATLOVER, IMDB

Man this person had a lot to say about this movie, and apparently every other comedian on television.

So anyway yes, the following day after lounging around and re-shooting the key special effect shot for our movie Coke of the Crusade I snuck in a copy of Comedians of Comedy while Ryan hit the head. I mainly did it to see if there were any good special features or even a commentary (Eddie Izzard's Glorious had a great one where he dissected his act and the making of the show). When Ryan came out from the can and we watched the conception Zach Galifianakis physical comedy routine.

So after watching this we were naturally in the mood to watch the whole damn thing. And I was suprised once again how this movie wasn't as funny to me. I wasn't bored, but this movie must have made a bigger impression on me than I remember, because I remebered a lot!

This of course could be many things. For example in comparison to Spinal Tap, its not as dense. Its a documentary on four standup comedians, Patton Oswalt Maria Bamford Galifianakis and Brian Posehn, touring rock clubs so its a little more of a personal movie, so its not as farcicle. Its hilarious, as SKATLOVER stated, but I have heard the jokes. And I am guessing the reason for my less comic viewing is much like Spinal Tap, the jokes only get funnier with your friends.

But this is not to say that I didnt have a good viewing of it. This time around I got to study it a little more, examine the coverage of the shows, the interactions in the RV, and the various exploits each comic takes. This is why I went on a limb and borrowed it from Jeremy (by the way its still in good condition and I will bring it in my next excursion up there). But something nagged me after finishing it; I kept thinking of Meeting People is Easy, perhaps the best on the road documentary I have ever seen.

On the surface the two movies are night and day, but at their heart they're one in the same.

For those who do not know this movie, MPIE is a documentary by Grant Gee that follows Radiohead on their "Running from Demons" tour in support of their release of Ok, Computer. The documentary is all over the place, jumping around random interviews, photoshoots, and follows radiohead from show to show into the studio, through bitter arguements, making music videos and sometimes very humurous asides. It also tracks their fame as it ascends to from already massive to ridiculous. The tour initially was only supposed to last about three quarters of a year, but grew larger and larger after the skyrocketing success of the Ok.

This proves to be curse in disguise, because most of the band members are at their wits end. Thom Yorke (the lead singer) grows edgier, lashing out at reporters in interviews and becoming generally more morose and depressed. Colin and Ed (the bassist and 2nd guitarist), the two sanest ones at that moment, take the lead in dealing with the public but soon become fatigued and equally morose. There is a great, and by great I mean rather heartbreaking and shitty but still great, moment when Colin essentially tells a reporter in an interview to just fuck off. Jonny and Phil (the lead guitarist and drummer) remain quiet and in the background, dutifully plowing through show after show and writting new songs in soundchecks.

I really like this movie, and it has been extended loan from Shane Guy (likewise it is in good condition and if you want it I will also bring it up next trip). I initially got into it because I am a fag for Radiohead, but now I am a fag for Grant Gee. He mainly does TV, and he recently did a documentary on Joy Division that I heard was okay, but I havent seen it.

But how is this anything like Comedians of Comedy?

Well aside from the obvious road documentary comparison, they are both about artists who struggle with their work, and the world outside.

Zach Galifianakis has a rather telling moment when he states that society says that you should be here and buy that at his age, settle down. And while that moment is brief as are the rest of these kinds of moments, they not so subtlely tell you that these guys struggle and fight for their lifestyle and profession. Their first love is stand-up comedy, and they tolerate all the acting gigs and promotional work to get to work in it professionally.

Its not all struggles though, because each of them enjoys what they do so much that these pressures dont really break into their lives too often. The case is different for our boys from Oxford. While they love what they do very dearly, its the pressures from the outside that are tearing them apart on the inside.

The two movies are equally telling and interesting documentaries and were made even more interesting when watched back to back.

After I was done I realized what a struggle it is to find something you love, and it could be an even bigger stuggle to hold on to that love once you have found it.