There are few comedians that have left such an impact on comedy as Carlin. He told jokes that tore down the social barriers that society creates for us. He loved to lift the curtain of these barriers and show everyone the ridiculous wizard behind them. I know many older readers know Carlin as a household name, but to many young readers and people from my generation he may be faceless.

I remember being shocked as a kid by two traits of Carlin’s. One: I had never heard some of those cuss words he was saying, let alone how often he was saying them. Two: I never heard someone make people laugh by just standing up on stage and yelling things you find true at people and get a laugh.

George Carlin was introduced to me at a very early age, which if you know anything about Mr. Carlin’s work, that may not have been a great decision. Carlin’s material, crude in some natures, would tackle subjects like politics, race, and religion with an artful form. He would make broad and outlandish claims and through his wide vocabulary and argument you would be right at his side laughing.

Carlin was a man who loved to make others laugh. He was always self-proclaimed “Class Clown”. His comedy started in the late 60s and he performed up till his death in 2008. His work is very famous due to its ability to take a very dark and cutting look at things, and bring them front and center.

He gets his laughs due to his great way of expressing the anger people are feeling at that time in words. His humor might not have worked in today’s world, but during his time, his comedy gave a voice to the frustration of the time. His comedy came out in great strength after great draw backs in our nation, such as the War in Vietnam, President Nixon’s Resignation, and 9/11.

Carlin had the skill to dive into a topic and find a truth in it. He used humor to tear into these conversations, and sometimes they came out as rage filled rants. All of them said something sincere about the that moment in time and how many were feeling.

Check the links below for some of George Carlin’s Work.

Religion is Bulls**t

Stuff

George Carlin on Muhammed Ali and the Vietnam War

The post Ozzy’s Spotlight – George Carlin appeared first on KRUI Radio.

My goal in this column is to put a spotlight on artists and help show them to people of my generation. That’s why I made the choice of Mel Brooks to be my first. Brooks is responsible for some of the biggest comedic movies in this century. He has created such classics as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Space Balls, and High Anxiety. 

Mel Brooks is a world famous director, writer, and actor. He has span generations and his humor is a timeless explanation of humor having no barriers. Mel Brooks is my biggest influence in comedy and writing so I thought it was only right to have him be my first Spotlight.

Mel Brooks started out being a comic writer for Sid Caesar when he was young, then had his huge break with The 2000-Year-Old Man in the mid 1960s. This Comedy act starred Mel Books as the 2000-year-old man and Carl Reiner as an interviewer.

Throughout this act Brooks and Reiner would improvise this ancient man’s experiences and adventures throughout his life, which covered everything from the Roman Empire to the birth of Jesus.

Brooks has such a ruthless absurd humor that it truly struck a chord with me as a child. I remember being in 6^th grade and watching Blazing Saddles and being in awe of just how wacky this movie was. I couldn’t believe how they actually let a person make it. If you haven’t seen Blazing Saddles, it’s a spoof on western movies of the 60s and 70s.

By the end of it the villain, Hedley Lamarr, is literally chased off the movie set of Blazing Saddles and into the Warner Bros lot where the film is being filmed. All the while, the good guys and bad guys fist fight through other movies and even through the company’s cafeteria.

This scene has stuck with me since a child and I still find it outrages and humorous. The movie ultimately ends with Hedley Lamarr being caught by the hero sheriff at a movie theater watching the movie Blazing Saddles. That’s right! They destroy the 4^th wall in this movie! As a child this melted my mind.

My second big encounter with Mel Brooks was The Producers, a movie where two producers find out they can make more money with a flop of a musical on Broadway than a hit. So they try to find the worst musical, director and actors to ensure this will be a flop.

Their musical is a massive success and they go into bankruptcy and end up going to prison. The funny thing is that their “Guaranteed flop” musical that turns out to be a huge hit is called “Spring Time for Hitler”.

Truly a ridiculous and offensive idea for a musical and that’s why they think it will fail yet because of how funny and ridiculous the music and acting in the play is, it’s a huge hit and everyone loves it.

Brooks has always had a way with muiscal numbers in his movies and many of which are about incredibly dark topics. These topics range from Hitler or the 15th century, The Spanish Inquisition.

In his movie ,The History of the World Part Two, Brooks has a giant 1950s style music dance number with himself singing about the Infamous Spanish Inquisition. Click Here for a video of it. This was yet another reason why I deeply love his movies and the use of dark humor found in them.

As you can tell his movie may offend a lot of people if they are told about them and haven’t seen them but the humor comes from a very sincere and warm place. Brooks, a proud Jewish man who fought in World War II has always seen humor as a way to make tough things you don’t talk about easier and funnier to talk about.

When asked why he makes fun of Hitler so much Brooks said, “By using the medium of comedy, we can try to rob Hitler of his posthumous power and myths.” Mel Brooks loves to make comedy out of all situations.

He’s famous for a career that pokes fun at all things no matter race, religion, or background in his movies but is always known to be kind and caring with others no matter who they were.

When it comes to making movies, Mel Brooks has taken huge chances and needed a lot of courage. Over my years of being a fan of him I have learned that Mel Brooks truly loves making his movies and making people laugh and I think that’s why I admire him so.

I think it’s important for people of our generation to know about this man because he can teach up how humor connects us all. He is a guy who caught the bug for laugher and showmanship at a young age. Once you catch that bug there’s no getting rid of it and that’s why at 91 years-old he is still fierce and courageous when it comes to his comedy.

For more information on what Mel Brooks is currently doing check his website out Here.

Starting Movies

• Young Frankenstein
• Blazing Saddles
• The Producers
• Spaceballs

The post Ozzy’s Spotlight: Mel Brooks appeared first on KRUI Radio.

He garnered, and to a large extent still does, a certain cult following to his films, which are also heaped with critical praise. Tarantino has followed a similar path, creating a certain kind of unique cinematic style that simultaneously enraptures college boys and impresses film critics. Scorsese’s films are often filled with coarse language, the glitz and glamour of the criminal underworld, hyper-masculine performances, excess, emotion-driven storytelling, and moments of extreme and cathartic violence.

However, Scorsese offered a rather different filmic experience with one of his lesser known works; 1982’s The King of Comedy. When it was first released, it was met with general confusion and dislike. People didn’t quite understand what the film was trying to do, especially considering its director, who had previously released films like Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull.

This confusion is certainly understandable; The King of Comedy is a black comedy, but it elicits more cringe than laughter. It is not a particularly enjoyable viewing experience, and it is filled with moments of acutely painful awkwardness. That being said, it is still a masterfully-made film, and it remains one of Scorsese’s most under-appreciated works.

The King of Comedy follows Rupert Pupkin, played to perfection by Robert De Niro. Rupert is a lonely and potentially disturbed man who is fixated on the idea of “making it big” in the comedy world. The fact that he has never performed for an audience is no detriment to him, and when he annoys famous TV show host Jerry Langford to the point harassment, he sees it as his big break. Unfortunately, Rupert is unable to take the innumerable hints that are given to him that his dream is a bust, and when reality finally hits, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

Robert De Niro gives an incredible performance in this film. While Scorsese’s other collaborations (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Casino, Goodfellas, Mean Streets) with the actor may receive more praise, I firmly believe this is some of the duo’s best work together. De Niro gives a brilliantly understated performance, and one that is so relatable at the beginning of the film. This room for identification is exactly what makes his break from reality so deeply unsettling for the audience to watch. At what point can they break away? At what point has Rupert finally gone too far, to the point where he is no longer a subject for identification for the audience?

This is another reason why The King of Comedy is so great, and so unique. It may technically be called a black comedy, but it doesn’t have the usual sense of laughing at something rather morbid. The laughs aren’t brought on from slapstick violence, one-liners, or clever word-play. In fact, there really aren’t many laughs to be had at all. Instead, the audience is forced to squirm in their chairs through long scenes of painful awkwardness. And these tense and languishing moments drag on and on without any release. This is a particularly interesting facet of a film directed by someone like Scorsese. Nothing every boils over, there is no moment of cathartic release. Instead, the film smolders and constricts on the audience, never allowing for a moment of true relief.

The King of Comedy is available for download here. Check out a trailer for the film below:

The post Cinema Spotlight: The King of Comedy appeared first on KRUI Radio.