Yesterday, I had the pleasure of joining my buddy, Kay, in celebrating her 30th birthday. People who meet Kay for the first time usually think she is quiet and introspective, but she is actually the most social out of all my friends. Each year, she finds a new way to celebrate her birthday, be it a party, a ski trip or a night clubbing. But because she rarely invites me to her bashes until the last minute or because they typically fall on nights where I hate people, this was my first time joining her soiree. And not surprisingly, I had an excellent time.
The plan for Kay's 30th birthday was to gather at her house and eat, drink and be merry for a few hours. Then at 8 pm, a stretch limo would take us into the city to a comedy club. The white limo was fabulous, complete with satellite radio, champagne and a television set. It was a true treat, especially since I haven't been inside a limo since prom.
When we got to the comedy show, several of my partygoers began to get disappointed. We come from an era where we view Def Comedy Jam and Kings of Comedy as things that make us laugh, so we were a bit surprised when the program featured three white comedians. Nevertheless, we kept an open mind. And during the three hours we were there, I couldn't stop laughing. This was not because the comedians were funny, but it was because Kay kept talking about how terrible each one was and that she wanted her money back. (she treated us to the show) I kept telling her to calm down because we didn't want a KKKramer experience, but she wouldn't listen. After each man spouted a terrible joke, we all just shook our heads and laughed.
The overriding theme of the night was sex. Each comedian got up there and started talking about boobs this and boobs that and who was getting 'laid' tonight and how often they masturbated. One comedian even asked a guy in the audience if he shaved his balls. It was pretty pathetic. When we talked about the performances later, I wondered if the men simply weren't funny or because we're now too old for that kind of humor. I don't know if the ritual of creeping downstairs late at night and watching Def Comedy Jam in secret was what made those comedians appeal to me so much or if it was because they were truly funny. They all cussed nonstop and sex was a frequent subject. I wonder how I'd feel watching some of those performances now.
Lately, I've been disappointed with the popular comic scene. Call me crazy, but I'm one of the few people who doesn't think the Dave Chappelle Show is funny. Don't get me wrong, I've liked a few individual skits like most of the ones on Rick James, but overall, he doesn't do it for me. I can't think of any comedian that really makes me laugh nowadays, but in recent years I have been treated to a few funny people. When I visited a friend in Atlanta a few years ago, we saw an overweight comic who recounted a conversation he had with a little boy who was amazed at how large he was. Another lady talked about how she became so frustrated on her job that she now only performs tasks that are in her job description. For example, if she was hired to make copies, that's all she's doing. She's not stapling the papers, not refilling the copier, not distributing the papers either. Nothing. It was hilarious and much funnier to hear her perform it than to read my words.
Once the clock struck midnight and it marked the true date of Kay's birth, we stopped this conversation only to console Kay as she progressed to have a breakdown on being 30. She was only half kidding when she listed the things she didn't have, but desperately wanted -- kids, a hubby, or even a fiancee'. Then she went on about the obstacles she had to face as a black woman, while the men sat silent. We lifted her up as best we could and then it was time for me to go. I went home and listened to Jay-Z's "30s the new twenty" on repeat. Only nine weeks to go until my own crisis, er, birthday. Can't wait!
The plan for Kay's 30th birthday was to gather at her house and eat, drink and be merry for a few hours. Then at 8 pm, a stretch limo would take us into the city to a comedy club. The white limo was fabulous, complete with satellite radio, champagne and a television set. It was a true treat, especially since I haven't been inside a limo since prom.
When we got to the comedy show, several of my partygoers began to get disappointed. We come from an era where we view Def Comedy Jam and Kings of Comedy as things that make us laugh, so we were a bit surprised when the program featured three white comedians. Nevertheless, we kept an open mind. And during the three hours we were there, I couldn't stop laughing. This was not because the comedians were funny, but it was because Kay kept talking about how terrible each one was and that she wanted her money back. (she treated us to the show) I kept telling her to calm down because we didn't want a KKKramer experience, but she wouldn't listen. After each man spouted a terrible joke, we all just shook our heads and laughed.
The overriding theme of the night was sex. Each comedian got up there and started talking about boobs this and boobs that and who was getting 'laid' tonight and how often they masturbated. One comedian even asked a guy in the audience if he shaved his balls. It was pretty pathetic. When we talked about the performances later, I wondered if the men simply weren't funny or because we're now too old for that kind of humor. I don't know if the ritual of creeping downstairs late at night and watching Def Comedy Jam in secret was what made those comedians appeal to me so much or if it was because they were truly funny. They all cussed nonstop and sex was a frequent subject. I wonder how I'd feel watching some of those performances now.
Lately, I've been disappointed with the popular comic scene. Call me crazy, but I'm one of the few people who doesn't think the Dave Chappelle Show is funny. Don't get me wrong, I've liked a few individual skits like most of the ones on Rick James, but overall, he doesn't do it for me. I can't think of any comedian that really makes me laugh nowadays, but in recent years I have been treated to a few funny people. When I visited a friend in Atlanta a few years ago, we saw an overweight comic who recounted a conversation he had with a little boy who was amazed at how large he was. Another lady talked about how she became so frustrated on her job that she now only performs tasks that are in her job description. For example, if she was hired to make copies, that's all she's doing. She's not stapling the papers, not refilling the copier, not distributing the papers either. Nothing. It was hilarious and much funnier to hear her perform it than to read my words.
Once the clock struck midnight and it marked the true date of Kay's birth, we stopped this conversation only to console Kay as she progressed to have a breakdown on being 30. She was only half kidding when she listed the things she didn't have, but desperately wanted -- kids, a hubby, or even a fiancee'. Then she went on about the obstacles she had to face as a black woman, while the men sat silent. We lifted her up as best we could and then it was time for me to go. I went home and listened to Jay-Z's "30s the new twenty" on repeat. Only nine weeks to go until my own crisis, er, birthday. Can't wait!
3 comments:
thanks for checkin' me out! and i love your line about missing your girls' past parties b/c they fell on nights that you "hated people." lol. i heard that :o).
yeah, 30 can possibly feel like a crisis; glad she (and you) has(ve) good people all around.
this was a wonderful post in so many ways. funny is a funny thing. wow, i'm DEEP this morning. what a week of no writing can do to you... frankie once took me to a comedy show after i broke up with randy and it was a horrific experience. a bunch of really angry men talking about how women had screwed them over, starting with their mothers. it made me feel like going home and feeling sad about my breakup would be a more pleasant experience. there are nights when i hate people too. actually, most days i hate people. actually it's mostly one people. the nights do go better because i'm not around that one people. but hate is such a harsh word. i take it back. i don't want to have bad karma. i'm rambling. i'll go back to my blog and ramble over there now.
oh wait, i'm not done rambling. my 20s were nowhere near as glorious as my 30s. that is a fact. as an oldie just 4 years from 40 (fuck), i can tell you that it only gets better.
sorry about the cussing. it just came out. i think i am more afraid of 40 than 30.
Post a Comment