Boston is Funny...

HBO’s Soprano-less Sunday night line-up is strong. Strong like bull-dyke. “Deadwood” requires undivided attention, and a Wild West flowery prose glossary. “Deadwood’s” meaty character driven storylines and dialogue, in between the gratuitous use of “cocksucker” of course, are riddled with symbolism and subtleties which can be draining. The mindless “Entourage”, is a nice shift: a sorbet to cleanse the palate after a rich entrée. “Entourage” is one-dimensional and way too scripted, but it’s fun. “Lucky Louie”, a newcomer is a welcome surprise. “Lucky Louie”, peppered with the comedy stylings of Boston rooted CK’s stand-up act is an often clever look into the bright-blue-collar lifestyle accompanied by bright-blue material. It’s real and the situations are rooted by the plight of struggling working family man, not by the minds of Ivy League sitcom writers.

At 11:00, “Tourgasm” is the Sunday night headliner. The show, a documentary of a comedy tour with an eponymous name, features Dane Cook and three other guys as they tour America in a bus in 30 days, performing 20 shows.

(Ironic because last year it was rumored that Cook was stealing Louie CK’s material - Google for more info, that’s what Google is for.)

The show is not interesting because of another Boston native, Dane Cook. Dane Cook is the star of the show, and the tour revolves around the fact that he is Dane Cook; the biggest comedian in America right now. But there aren’t any surprises here with Cook. This show solidifies the fact that Dane Cook is not only funny on stage, but also, that he’s a funny person. He was born to be a comedian. He is this generation’s Carlin, and while I’m not comparing the two, they are both Comedians. Capital C. They may have some success in movies and television, but their passion lies in making stadiums of people laugh – that’s the reason they have been put on this earth, and there are only a few people like them.

The show is interesting because of the three other guys; Gary Gulman also from Boston, Jay Davis, and Robert Kelly, another Boston guy.

In the premiere episode, Cook mentions twice that he chose the three comedians for specific reasons, and that they are each in different stages of their careers. Obscure, Obscurer, and Obscurest perhaps?

Gulman, the big dude from Last Comic Standing is still telling the same old jokes, and seems to fly under the radar. He has an air of indifference, as if to say he has other things to fall back on if the comedy thing doesn’t work out. This is apparent in the fact that he has done little to improve his act over the last few years. He seems like a cool laid back, guy’s guy, and he’s probably just along for the ride.

Robert “Bobby” Kelly seems to be the most obvious of the comedians, hitting obvious topics with obvious results. He’s brash and rough around the edges, but is the type of comic who audiences seem to appreciate, if only for a while.

Then there is Jay Davis. The “newbie.” Jay Davis managed to mention he is in the process of finding God, work on his tax returns, and cried – all on the first 2 days of the tour. Yes. He cried on day two of a 30-day tour. His tears were not for losing a parent, which is just about the only acceptable time to cry. He cried because he was getting picked on. A comedian brought to tears because someone was making fun of him. I’m emphasizing this fact because this is how Jay Davis makes his fucking living.

The interaction between Jay Davis and Bobby Kelly is what makes this show interesting. These guys are two nobodies outside of their industry, vying for the approval of Dane Cook. Kelly is a recess bully and bullies prey on the weak. Davis is the most fragile of the four. Kelly preys on Davis. Kelly pushes Davis’ buttons until he breaks down, and then Kelly makes nice with Davis, for damage control, the way bullies do. The process is awesome, as these two flawed characters give and take.

The highlight of the show was one particular exchange. The four comedians were on the bus. Cook and Kelly were having a lively discussion about porn, specifically, one red tape owned by Kelly that was too good to ever let anyone borrow (In the world of porn exchange – once you let someone borrow a flick you will never get it back – fact – so, if you’re smart, you keep the good porn safe, in a cool dry place, that only you know). Cook and Kelly and mute wallflower Gulman were in on the chat, when Kelly asked Jay Davis about the best porno he had ever seen. This was towards the beginning of the show, and we don’t yet know what these guys are about. Jay Davis replies by asking how much longer they are going to talk about porn, and that the subject had been beaten to death – time to move on.

At this point I’m thinking, this Jay Davis guy is all right – he’s unique and has an opinion on something and is genuinely irked by the repetition of a clichéd subject. Attaboy! Right? Wrong. As quickly as he had me on-board he loses anyone who was hoping he was going where they thought he was going. Instead, he talks about God, and gets defensive. Kelly wins us back by telling him to loosen the fuck up. At this point it’s hard to root for either of these guys.

I don’t know if it’s particularly good TV, but if you like comedy and the dealers of comedy, this stuff is interesting. More so than the Comedians of Comedy, a feature film released last year by Patton Oswalt and friends with a similar concept. Comedians of Comedy, had the idea first, but theirs was without the tension. They were all real friends (not show-biz friends like on “Tourgasm”) who respect each other; there were no “stars” and certainly no star treatment on their bus. The Tourgasm bus, on the other hand, has a visual class system, and the petty bullshit we all know exists in the business. Cook has his own Fredo suite on the bus. The other three have bunk-bed cubbies and a curtain for privacy (a cubby that Davis climbs into for a good cry and a unintentionally hilarious exchange with Cook, as we see Cook talking to an inaudible Davis choked up by tears behind a drawn curtain in the premiere episode).

I can’t wait to see where it all goes, and if the first episode is any indication of what’s to come, expect to see the soft white underbelly of three struggling comedians exposed. Pay special attention to how the three treat each other opposed to the way everyone treats Cook. It’s a fascinating study of Hollywood behavioral bullshit, and you’ll get a few chuckles along the way.

Filed under: Today in Boston

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