Tuesday, December 06, 2005

 

It's Not Funny

I was listening to a morning drive radio show the other day when I heard something that never fails to raise my blood pressure. The DJs were interviewing Jeff Garlin, and when the subject of female comedians came up they all moaned about how there were no funny women in stand up. It still amazes me that people can make absurd statements like that with a straight face. How could anyone who knows anything about the stand up scene really believe that?

Anyone who allows such a ridiculous comment to escape their lips should be tied to a chair and forced to watch an episode of “Two and a Half Men.” Ok, maybe that’s a bit too harsh. I don’t even think I’d have the stomach to wish something like that on my worst enemy. Seriously, if someone were to put a gun to my head and tell me that I could either watch an episode of “Two and a Half Men” or eat a bullet, I’d grab the gun and guide the barrel towards my mouth before he even finished the sentence.

Garlin was just as shocked as I was when he realized the DJs were totally serious. He made a great point when he asked them “Well what’s your exposure to comedy? I mean, you live in Atlanta. It’s not like you get the same kind of exposure to stand up as someone who lived in LA.” He was right. But that’s still no excuse. I’ve been stuck in “The ATL” for most of my adult life, and I can name plenty of edgy- and most importantly- funny female comics off the top of my head. Comedians like Margaret Cho, Laura Kightlinger, Maria Bamford, Jessi Klein, Kathy Griffin- the list goes on and on.

Whenever I’m around someone who insists that there’s no such thing as a funny female comic, the only thing I hear is “I’m a sexist, narrow-minded tool who enjoys the comedic stylings of Tim Allen and Bill Engvall.”

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