Chris Rock: Bring the Pain

*bows*

All hail Chris Rock, one of the finest stand-up comedians I have ever seen.

"Bring The Pain" is simply amazing, a total riot from start to finish. Chris Rock discusses life, relationships, racism, society, politics, and controversial figures such as OJ Simpson, Marion Barry, and even the President -- speaking not only from personal experience but also keen observations. You will laugh your arse off -- he's witty, insightful, sagacious, and always brutally honest.

If you want to see a true master of his art, go rent Chris Rock's DVD "Never Scared" (which contains "Bring The Pain"). Oh, and a word to the wise; don't try to eat or drink near punchlines. You *will* get coke up your nose and/or choke. This nearly happened to me during the scene where he talks about Martin Luther King -- one of my favorites, not only because it's hysterical, but also because it's a shining example of his perceptiveness.

So go watch it! ;) - Kate

Chris Rock's Bring the Pain is his best standup yet. Bigger and Blacker had some good things, but Chris' material is so well thought out, planned and executted to hilarious precision here it boggles the mind.

He tackles Marion Barry (the crackhead at the million-man-march), OJ, Domestic Abuse, Tossed Salad Man, Women and relationships, Foood, the ghetto, and one of my faborite stand-up speeches ever- Niggers and Black people. Rock brings comedy that is so hard hitting, side splitting, and controversial, it makes Lenny Bruce seem like Jackie Martling. Along with George Carlin and Denis Leary, Chris Rock is one of my favorite comedians ever, and this sepcial proves it.

I don't know if Rock will be mentioned in the same breath with Pryor, Cosby, or even Murphy. Where Pryor was all about 'it's a black thing', looking from the inside out, and Cosby is about doing away with the artificial divisions of *color* and focusing on the rightness of *personal conduct*, Rock has found his own niche of effortless race humor, although he is perhaps most closely aligned with early Eddie.

By today's standards, even the tossed salad euphemism is tame. But the key is Rock does have talent at building comic architecture; there's a foundation for all the jokes, the first level follows the shape of the foundation, and so on up. And visually, he knows how lead the crowd by stalking from side to side when changing stances.

Pryor only had one note when acting for a movie, Cosby never really made great film headway, but Murphy blazed the film trail for any comics who dared to follow. Not sure if Rock has what it takes to make a real dent there.

Coincidentally, we watched this for the first time when mayor Nagin made his 'Chocolate City' comments that drew so much fire. Note Rock's skill with this notion, in contrast to a bumbling fool like the mayor of New Orleans.

The much-anticipated feature-length debut special from Saturday Night Live alum Chris Rock. Rock would only spend 3 years at SNL before heading off on his own, eventually reinventing himself as a prominent name in stand-up. He had released an album, Born Suspect, while still a cast member of SNL, and enjoyed some success with his HBO debut, the half-hour special Big Ass Jokes, but his success was limited. However, there was a buzz coming into this night, with a captive crowd just waiting for Rock to deliver big. It's an expectation seemingly shared by Rock, himself. Right off the bat, album covers from stand-up greats (Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, Flip Wilson (as Geraldine), Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Pigmeat Markham, Woody Allen and Eddie Murphy) are overlayed on footage of Rock making his way to the stage. Easing in with some material directed to his audience in Washington, Rock takes some jabs at Marion Barry (Note for the kids out there: He's kind of like the black Rob Ford) participating in the Million Man March festivities, which then leads him into a nice little run on crack that easily reels in the audience. From there, he explores politics, prisons, and the OJ Simpson trial before going into his views on the divide in the black community, highlighting the polarizing ways some in the community carry themselves, and unafraid to turn that spotlight inward with some keen criticisms. Once he's done covering these themes, Rock settles in and spends the last 15-20 minutes of his time exploring relationships between men and women, his charisma actually winning women over while he's pointing out their flaws. This isn't surprising as there aren't many who aren't won over by his million-dollar smile. This set turned Rock into a superstar, and it's easy to see why. Years later, it still seems vibrant and vital. Many would go on to emulate his style, but few ever made it work like he did.

I wasn't a Chris Rock fan until I saw this show. I'd catch just a few moments of the show while channel surfing, and didn't think much of it. One night, out of boredom I watched a few minutes of his material and was floored. I couldn't believe how funny he was. On further airings I caught the complete show, and discovered his humour also contained cutting social insights which added to the humor.