Sue Ball had a great performance and line-up at her variety show The Rochelle Show yesterday. The title of this blog is a play on her name. As in Sue has a ball when she's on stage, Sue's got a pair of testicles, Sue be ballin' shot callin' 20 inch rims on her Impala. Whatever you want. The point is this: she kicks up dust on a topic that I hope is rocking the feminism courses in colleges across America...
Anybody have any thoughts on "women in comedy?"...I really could care less about comedy as liberation as much as comedy as a way to crack myself and others up. I know there is a bias. And I'm not looking to overcome it. When I can't keep a straight face cause I'm crackin' myself up onstage, I'm not worried about whether Norman Mailer or Charles Bukowski, or f*** it, Johnny Depp find me complex, or sensual or compelling or confusing or Winona Ryder-esqe or worthy of a liquor binge or a painting or a poem, or a nervous breakdown.
Step into my 8-foot tall, iridescent and undulating circle of parallel universe travel. In this world, all women refuse to give interviews on women in comedy. Reporters are at a loss and just interview female comedians to talk about their work.
In our current world, however, listening to women complain about singling out "Women in Comedy" makes me think of the minoritiest minority performer (a homosexual, disabled little person with vitiligo? An 800lb blind leper with a British accent?) insisting people acknowledge their comedic skills first. "So I cough up gold. SO WHAT? I have a joke about pita pockets that will change your life."
I'm not telling ladies to stop seeking a comparable foothold in the biz, I just don't want to deny my past. We are achieving something that a few generations prior we could not have, so why pretend as if we were always equal? Just because we're beyond slavery doesn't mean blacks should forget it ever happened. Then again, when interviewed, we also should not have to hear, "Let's talk about how unusual it is that you're not a slave anymore."
Women are glorious. Comedy is glorious. Let's celebrate the union.
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4 comments:
Wanna know what else is glorious? The silky sheen that my hair gets from Revlon Colorist revitalizing formula.
Stop reading from my diary Matt!
What you have not said about SUVs in this post speaks volumes.
I take your point: let's all talk about SUVs, but in moderation. Not every blog post has to be about SUVs. It's a good point, Abbi, and nicely made.
Nice use of "vitiligo," too. My mom used to say "vitiligo" sometimes. She is a nurse.
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BONUS S.A.T. QUESTION:
VITILIGO is to VERTIGO as...
1) GALAXIAN is to GALAGA
2) YENTL 2 is to YENTL
3) HITCHENS is to HITCHCOCK
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(Answer: #2. Just as there was never a VERTIGO sequel called VITILIGO, there was never a YENTL sequel called YENTL 2.)
SUVs. They're going the way of the bowhead whale. I just want people to know.
The kid with vitiligo from my gradeschool went on to become a dancer in a Blu Cantrell video. Who's laughing now?
If you don't score a 1600 on a standardized aptitude test, does that mean you are below standard?
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