Loyal fan base over 16 years of traveling the country and harnessing the power of the Internet. It's not unusual for someone not to have heard of him yet. The surprising part of Cook's success is that, unlike many other comedians, he achieved it with very little mainstream exposure. Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world, he hosted "Saturday Night Live" (with nothing to promote) and he commands almost $1 million for a movie, of which he has about four coming up. All that and Cook's ability to brand and market himself, mostly via the Internet, have made him arguably today's most popular stand-up comedian. The fact that he's good-looking doesn't hurt either, especially with the female fans. His humor is pure pop culture as he effortlessly coins catchphrases and throws in details that people in their 20s and 30s adore. We are now at that threshold with Dane Cook, an energetic 34-year-old comedian from Boston. Steve Martin, Richard Pryor and George Carlin also did it back in their day. Dice actually did it (Madison Square Garden, twice), though his adult language kept him from staying in the mainstream. Andrew Dice Clay took stand-up from the stage to the front page and Bill Cosby made his humor into one of the most successful television shows ever.Īt a certain point in these performers' careers, each may hypothetically have had the popularity to sell out an arena. Eddie Murphy turned comedy into a huge movie career. And once or twice in a generation, a comedian busts out in a big way to become a superstar. Bigger-name comedians tour plusher theater stages. Stand-up comedy is generally relegated to small clubs, back rooms and late-night television. And if watching it is anything like experiencing it live, you'll never look at comedy the same way again. This was the taping of the HBO "Stand Up Event" (not Special, mind you) "Dane Cook Vicious Circle." The edited result of the two performances airs tonight at 9 p.m. Do the math: That's 36,000 people (including those who saw both shows) paying upward of $100 each to see a comedian. He'd perform at 7 p.m., then again at 10:30. Each anxiously awaited a comedian about to tape his first HBO special. In attendance were frat boys in Ninja Turtle T-shirts, preteen girls to 40-year-old women all dolled up like they were going to a club, and everyone in between. They came to see one man talk for 90 minutes. They weren't there to see a game, or one of those bigger-than-big bands such as U2 and the Rolling Stones. At the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston on April 15, stand-up comedy became rock and roll.Įighteen thousand people packed into the former Boston Garden, home to the Boston Celtics and Bruins.
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