Laugh Factory Presents: Dane Cook w/ Dov Davidoff and Jokoy
Saturday, March 19, 2005
There’s nothing quite like a good laugh to make a night seem so perfect. This is exactly why I decided to go to the Laugh Factory on a dismal Saturday night. Now some may think that sitting in the back of a 2002 Ford Mustang behind a 6’4″ guy, driving through sporadic rain storms, and having people not heed your directional wisdom, thus causing you to get lost as an ideal Saturday night, but they are greatly mistaken. These minor setbacks were nothing new to me and my friends, as we had only on thing (or person I should say) in mind: Dane Cook.
Now anyone who’s anybody has at least heard of this guy, he is probably the hottest new comic to arise since the likes of Steve Martin, Jon Lovitz, Robin Williams, and even, dare I say it, Dave Chapelle. Dane seems to mix a blend of spazmatic stage presence, with witty satire that almost any age can relate to. His stage presence is commanding and very reminiscent of a not so loud and annoying San Kinison. He’s boisterous, charismatic, and definitely knows how to make you laugh your ass off.
This brings us back to Saturday, March 19, 2005. We have braved the rain, traffic and uncomfortable seating positions to finally arrive at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood, Ca. The show was supposed to start at 10:00 PM, so we got there at around 9:30. When we arrived, we noticed mob of people waiting in line for this late night event. We found our friends and waited for a few more minutes (like 50 to be exact) to get let in. After being seated, we all order drinks (two drink minimum, very expensive), and some food (also very expensive, microwave burritos should not cost ten dollars) and patiently await the shows beginning.
Finally, Kenny Johnson (the night’s Emcee) approaches the stage. At first, I didn’t think he was too funny, but slowly he began to feel it. His talks about cell phone options, never being pissed while eating an ice cream cone were hilarious. He also managed to get the crowd into some of his skits, as he warmed us op for the show. Johnson then announces the first official comic of the evening, Dov Davidoff.
What can I say about this guy? Take a little Andrew Dice Clay, some Bobcat Goldthwaite, and a little of his own pizzazz and you get Dov. This guy was hilarious. His random tourette’s-like rambles (“PUSSY” or “I can’t satisfy women”) in middle of his set managed to catch the audience off guard and caused uproar of laughter throughout the building. “Man, Pussy is kinda like hot dogs. Once I found out what in them, I’ll never eat it again” was probably the stand out quote of the evening for me. Now I cannot fail to mention his take on the Michael Jackson trial. “See, it’s not Michaels fault, it’s those 7 year old boys, running around in those hot ass jeans”. Not the most tasteful joke, but still very, very laughable. Now after watching Dov perform, I was afraid Dane may not be able to top it, but I was sadly mistaken.
Johnson comes back up and announces Dane Cook. Dane got the best reaction from the crowd right off the bat. Dane is out touring in preparation for his upcoming CD “Retaliation” which is due out next month (April). I was hoping to see new material, so I could get just a small taste of what “Retaliation” had to offer. Dane comes out and starts to talk about a little mishap at the local Rite-Aid a few days ago. He hits us with the punch line first, then decides to “Tarantino it” to the beginning of the joke. He then begins to tell us how we got to the infamous words said by “that guy” in the store. He brings up cutting in line, the one (and only one) employee who seems to be half retarded who works there, and his mental victories over the previously mentioned cutting in line (or “cutsies”). He also brings up his experience of sitting at home and watching Extreme Makeover, and thinking to himself “There’s absolutely nothing you can do to make this person not hideous”, and sitting in disbelief at the outcomes. “Now though they are not gorgeous, they are by far the prettiest ugly person I have ever seen!” He also brings up the Home Makeover show. “You know that sad little boy that gives you the tour of the house? Yeah, well he makes one small comment about skateboarding, and he gets fucked!” He talks about the contractor’s overzealous imagination, the monstrosities they build, and how now these people actually have way too much stuff in their house. Now, I don’t want to ruin anything for you guys, for you will have to see, or hear these from Dane’s mouth to get the full effect, but he did manage to leave us with a nice little jingle that has been stuck in my head all day. “I Love grilled chee-eese, and grilled cheese loves me-ee”… go see Dane Cook or buy his new CD to get the jist of that one, and many other good times.
Finally Johnson comes up to announce the final comic of the evening: Jokoy. Jokoy is currently opening for Dave Chapelle, and can be seen on VH1’s “I love the 90’s” TV show. Jokoy comes out and stares at the crowd for a few seconds, then mentions that he is, in fact, Asian. He then spills into the numerous Asian stereotypes and tries to crush them all, except for one. He goes over the beauty of having a child, and how tough women really are for having a child. “You know, I thought I was tough, but women give birth. I witnessed it, I was there. I don’t care how tough of a guy you are, once you see that head pop out, your inner fag pops out” This was followed by a hilarious scream and dance followed with the limp wrist and lisp “Oh my God, is that…oh my god, eww, eww, eww!” He also let us guys know exactly how un-tough we really were. “Seriously, it’s the size of a fucking football man. You think you’re tough, try shitting out a football, and then you’re tough”. He ended the night with a little Michael Jackson skit. He managed to stay away form the trial mumbo jumbo, and just talk about his former idol. Apparently Jokoy would perform Michael Jackson songs at talent shows, but still couldn’t get the words to “Man In The mirror” right. His little rendition was definitely the perfect ending to a perfect set.
All three comics (4 if you count Johnson) were hilarious. They all had the charisma and humor that could keep anyone interested. The long line, crappy food, and horrid trip there was definitely worth the final outcome. Laughing can cure any sickness, and mend broken hearts. I’m willing to bet, there was not one broken heart or sick person left after this show. I highly recommend everyone checks out all of these comics, and support them in any way shape or form. They are out there to make us laugh… without laughter, this world would suck. On this last Saturday, my world was a lot less sucky.
By: Jeff Curtis