Modified On June 20, 2006
When we said nice things about Dane Cook’s docu on HBO, we expected that some folks would disagree with our assessment. But we were taken by surprise at the virulence of the disagreement, the personal nature of the attacks and the propensity of those who disagreed with our assessment to not so much offer a counter to it, but to defend the media (who, in our opinion, said some indefensible things).
After watching episode two of the show, we still felt the same way as we did after watching the premier installment. We found it fun to watch, it moved quickly, and, when we were able to separate our TV-viewing selves from our comedian selves, we concluded that it was probably interesting enough and entertaining enough even for those who don’t make their living doing standup… for the fans, in other words.
And, if an unscientific examination and analysis of our site’s stats are any indication, the show seems to have stirred up a good amount of excitement out there about standup comedy. The buzz generated by Tourgasm is comparable to, if not more than, the buzz created by this season’s other standup-related juggernaut, Last Comic Standing.
Which means that, when viewed objectively (when examined with the aim of answering the question, Is it good for live standup comedy?), Tourgasm is a good thing– a great thing, even– for live standup comedy. And we would probably grudgingly admit that LCS is, too. (Although that remains to be seen as the season grinds on.)
One of the overriding ideas contained in Tourgasm, one of the things we liked about the concept even before we saw a second of it, was the idea that Cook, at the height of his power, chose not to horde his formidable juice but instead chose to slather it onto three other comedians (when he could have just as easily done a special featuring only him and his standup). We’ve always touted that kind of thinking. We “get” it. And, if the following is any indication, Cook himself gets that we get it. From the official Dane Cook website:
Every once in a great while (which means never) someone writes something that captures exactly what was in your heart when you did it. They articulate it and describe it in a way that you HOPE someone sees after putting all your time and energy into such an undertaking. SHECKY MAGAZINE (an online magazine supporting the world of stand up comedy) has written such a thing. They have always been a place that doesn’t pussy foot and puts it out there in plain site. Not to bash or over pat a back … they just say what is on their minds concerning this world we live in called stand up comedy. In fairness they have not always been “by my side” but I respect that. Here they review TOURGASM in a way I could only have hoped it would be percieved for what it is.