At a time, when I was younger and had less discriminating taste, I loved Dane Cook. I was even privileged to meet him face to face in 2003 at Caroline’s comedy club in NYC. I giggled inside when I met him and had no idea that in a few years later, he would be considered a god among mere comedians.
In 2005, Cook made a great mark in the comedy world when his second comedic CD, “Retaliation”, reached No. 4 on the Billboard pop chart. With the help of his growing fan base, Cook’s CD outranked all other comedy CD’s except Steve Martin’s “A Wild and Crazy Guy.”
Before his big break, I was just another fan, pretending that Cook’s jokes existed only for me. Now, I am surprised if someone doesn’t know who he is.
So, where did this popularity stem from? I guess it was partly my fault.
As a once die-hard Dane Cook fan, I always was playing PR for him, saying “I love this guy. You HAVE to check him out!”
I figure a lot of people were doing this, because now every college student in America knows him.
Now, just a year after his billboard record, people are losing faith in him. Why?
Besides the expected loss of fans that celebrities seem to experience when becoming a “sellout”, there are many reasons why this sudden drop in support has occurred. Some say it’s the over-exposure with his new HBO special or maybe it’s his cinematic debut in “Employee of the Month,” but he’s making people question his innovative ability. I think it’s simple.
He’s a fad.
We’ve all heard Harmful if Swallowed, Retaliation, maybe even dabbled with the disappointing Tourgasm series on HBO. Dane has also been quite busy building a fan base through MySpace, which allures his fans into supporting him for numerous events, like his appearances on Saturday Night Live. Most recently, he has been busy preparing for his “Vicious Circle” DVD release with HBO. Plus, he is receiving much more publicity by entering the cinematic field by doing movies (bad movies, may I add). Dane Cook is everywhere.
Even I am getting sick of him.
At one time, we could relate to his stories about car accidents, past job experiences, and crazy things seen on the news. These “has this ever happened to you” jokes are great because everyone can relate to what Cook is saying. Stepping back once and a while to look and laugh at life can be a good time.
Over time, students are becoming sick of Cook and some realizing that Dane is just a craze.
“He seems to really connect with our generation, but I don’t think he will be considered a classic comedian or even famous on a long-term scale,” said Greg Tulipani ’09
But don’t rely on just students. CNN reported, “A number of comics and critics are wondering if Cook might be more of an energetic talent and savvy self-promoter than any kind of comedy great.”
Still, some students continue to foster their hope in the comic.
Robert Scansaroli ’09 isn’t concerned about his passing popularity. “He’s hilarious and that’s all that matters to me. When he is on TV, I watch him,” he said.
Although Dane has had some good moments, college students are slowing moving on to other stand-up comedians. The power Cook once had on all of us is starting to fade, because with many things, the things you like come to be personal to you. If everyone also loved all the things that you loved, would you love them anymore?
Be an individual and find a new comic, or something. Just try not to tell everyone you know about this new comic.
Leave a Reply