This wasn't an April Fool's joke, as the New York Post's Page Six made Dane Cook its lead item on Tuesday with the banner headline, "Seriously, This Guy Isn't Funny." They report on the ongoing Unfunniest Comic bracket contest conducted up in Boston by radio jocks Toucher & Rich (which I documented on Saturday after reading it on Gawker, where Page Six also probably picked up on it). Page Six goes on to lump some odd diva allegations on Cook. The backlash against Cook, who remains hugely popular as a touring standup comedian if not entirely successful on the big screen, isn't altogether surprising. But what continues to surprise me is how it's a Boston radio station that's going after its own homegrown star, who has sold out Boston's TD Banknorth Garden on his past two tours. You'd think more than a few of Cook's fans also listen to the station (WBCN-FM).
Here's the quote from WBCN-FM afternoon radio jock Fred Toucher:
"We were talking about how people laugh out loud at nonsense and Dane is a good example of that," Toucher told Page Six. "We'd listen to him and at the end of four minutes he'd change subjects, and that was it. We couldn't figure out when the joke was.
"And he's actually hated. People don't hate others they way they do him. At least Foxworthy panders to rednecks. Dane's stories are so weak you wouldn't want to hear them over lunch."
most of the people that bash Dane have no clue about comedy. their opinions are largely recycled fragments of other people's thoughts that have been in the ether for years now. bashing Dane is an easy way to get yourself some press and is now a popular concept. so it's not going to end anytime soon. it's amazing to me that people are still interested in reading diatribes against dane cook. we get it. he's not the best actor. is this shocking? he's a stand-up comedian. it's going to take more than a handful of movies for him to get proficient. dare i say Adam Sandler is actually a decent actor these days and is able to do halfway serious work? same with steve martin... also, we get it... dane cook tells stories instead of a series of 200 five second jokes. there's many respected comics out there that tell stories: ron white, lewis black, christopher titus, mike birbiglia, david cross, etc.. all tell stories. there's no shame in that. but Titus was also on T&R's list of worst comics of all time. really? do they even know his material or are they just assuming that since the guy had a sitcom for a few years and some wild success, he must be a sellout, no talent asshole?
Posted by: dylan | April 03, 2008 at 02:33 PM
most of the people that bash Dane have no clue about comedy. their opinions are largely recycled fragments of other people's thoughts that have been in the ether for years now. bashing Dane is an easy way to get yourself some press and is now a popular concept. so it's not going to end anytime soon. it's amazing to me that people are still interested in reading diatribes against dane cook. we get it. he's not the best actor. is this shocking? he's a stand-up comedian. it's going to take more than a handful of movies for him to get proficient. dare i say Adam Sandler is actually a decent actor these days and is able to do halfway serious work? same with steve martin... also, we get it... dane cook tells stories instead of a series of 200 five second jokes. there's many respected comics out there that tell stories: ron white, lewis black, christopher titus, mike birbiglia, david cross, etc.. all tell stories. there's no shame in that. but Titus was also on T&R's list of worst comics of all time. really? do they even know his material or are they just assuming that since the guy had a sitcom for a few years and some wild success, he must be a sellout, no talent asshole?
Posted by: dylan | April 03, 2008 at 02:35 PM
Dane Cook is terrible
Posted by: terri | July 11, 2008 at 01:17 PM