Top 5 Reasons to not Like Dane Cook
Jan. 29Before anyone reads this list, I would like to point out that this list was created for those who have been (Like I have) told that I hate Dane Cook because he is famous. I know I am not the only one out there who does not like this guy. And in this list I tried to be as logical as I could and not just rip this guy a new one because I can. That would be rude. I think I make valid points. If you disagree I suggest you get a job writing for a blog on the internet as well.
"Good comedy helps people know they're not alone. Great comedy provides an answer."- Bill Hicks
5- He (probably) steals jokes
This is a huge internet debate. And there is reason to believe this claim because the evidence is somewhat compelling. Stealing jokes is the worst crime in comedy. You just don't do it. If you're caught it's like wearing the scarlet letter around your neck. I've seen comedians kicked out of clubs because of that. Some of his material is really close to Louis C.K. who is a comedian from the same city as Cook. In my opinion I think they are too close to call, but I have seen comics touch on similar topics with almost the same accuracy in terms on content. I mentioned this fact to a Superfan and was told in response "That he did [Louis C.K's] material better anyway". If that's how people are going to look at things then go ahead. Even if he didn't steal his jokes verbatim the material is uninspired.
4- Lack of respect for other comedians
Its hard to be a comedian when other comedians hate you. And I don't mean because you're famous and open mic comedians rag on you. I'm talking about professional comics. Robert Klein, Jim Breuer, and David Cross have all openly talked about their hatred for Mr. Cook. Why? Mostly it's because of the material, but it has to do partially with Cook himself. In a comedy club in Rhode Island Cook did a surprise set before a headliner and ran past his time bleeding into the other performers act. That's a lack of professional courtesy. It doesn't matter how famous you are you NEVER do that. If you look at people from "The Comedians of Comedy" it is all a social network where people respect other peoples material. No matter how many fans you fill in a stadium, it must be hard to go home and have people you respect not respect you. I kind of feel bad for Dane, but there has to be a reason why his peers won't respect him.
3- Dane Cook "Superfans"
I do not hate every Dane Cook fan. Let me just point that out. I have friends who love Dane Cook and listen to him on a regular basis. But for some reason when I tell Superfans "I don't like him", I get my ear chewed off. The level of fan devotion is almost as bad as thirteen-year-old BackStreet Boys fans saying they don't like N'SYNC. When I do come across a Superfan and I talk about Dane Cook they love to pick a fight about why I don't like him.
Me: I just don't think he's that funny.
Fan: Whatever man he's hilarious.
Me: I don't think he is hilarious at all. He's just loud to me sometimes.
Fan: You don't like him because he is famous.
Me: No I DON'T! I just like other comedians better. Their material is stronger. Fan: Psh. Fuck you. (Fan sticks up super finger) Fuck me for having an opinion and listening to other comics. Geez. Set them up, Knock them down. Set them up knock it down. That's the basic formula of a joke. Setup, and then a punchline. But watch Dane Cook's stand up material and you will see something bizarre. There are hardly any punchlines. Where there should be a joke, there is a noise, or a funny face. Where is the joke? There is no joke. Dane Cook is the master of manipulation. He would of made a great cheerleader in high school. In terms of energy I have never seen anyone control a crowd so effectively. But in terms of telling a joke he falls flat. If you drank a shot of liquor for every punchline uttered from Dane Cook, it would take you three comedy specials to get drunk. Believe me, I tried. Two comedians before Cook have achieved his level of success. Steve Martin and Richard Pryor have both played to thousands of people but their material pushed boundaries in comedy. Pryor engaged both white and black audiences discussing race relations and his own troubled personal life. Martin created a stage character that was wild and wacky but was also inventive and personable. And after realizing the price of fame can be a disaster, Martin wrote and starred in a catalog of films that are now classics. Cook? Well, that's the thing. In terms of being a comic the only thing to learn from him is that you can create a franchise and sell t-shirts. Fifty years from now Pryor's material will still be valuable by touching on universal themes, while jokes about Burger King may not. Only time can tell.
2- No punchlines
1- No relevance or longevity
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Comments
#6- He broke Dave Chapelle's record for longest comedy set. Seeing Chapelle perform off-the-cuff for six hours would be a real treat. Seeing Dane Cook for six hours would be torture. Does he even have that much material?
Point 5 - I think you missed the other half of why some commedians are famous. Much of the humor in comedy is in the delivery of a particular joke. If you've ever heard the entire "struck by a vehicle" skit, you would see that it's not only the content itself (which is VERY different from the bike joke) but the delivery that gets the audience going. Also, if every time a commedian used a subject it would subsequently prohibit all other comics from saying anything like it... comedy would suck. There would be nothing left. If Dane's itchy asshole joke had continued to Indian or Mexican food, I would agree, but all he does is say he documents them in his diary and moves on. Get over it.
Point 4 - When your comedy is as caustic as Dane Cook's, you can't always have people like you. It's hard to watch his act and think "I bet this guy's really nice in real life!" In every sport there are rivalries, in every public forum there are disagreements. So you named three people of the profession that don't like Dane Cook... congrats, does this prove your generalization? And what in god's name is the point of that video?? It has absolutely nothing to do with Dane Cook... other than the fact that some of his footage is randomly thrown in there with pictures of Avril and Carlos Mencia.
I think he's just polarizing, which is why people love him or hate him. He's definitely out there and you dont like it. Let the rest of us enjoy it.
I don't like Dane Cook's delivery at all. If I wanted to hear someone loud and unfunny, I'd live in a frat house. The better comics are the ones who the 15 year old girls haven't heard of: Doug Stanhope, Lenny Bruce, David Cross, Jim Jeffries
As a guy just starting to cut his teeth on the open mic circuit here in NYC, I think some of these points are pretty valid, but could be expanded on.
First, I didn't really see the similarities in Cook's and Lewis's material. Yeah, they were on similar subjects, but anyone who has spent time in the comedy world has heard almost everything there is to hear. Hell, most of us have heard all of Lewis Black's material (through other small comics) before Lewis exploded on the scene.
On not delivering a punchline, I tend to agree - Dane, for the most part, doesn't deliver a killer classical punchline (and after seeing a few of his specials, I'm beginning to wonder if he knows what a punchline is); however, he found his niche in a lighter version of physical and psychological comedy - tapping into the evil psyche of a person (the car joke) and then selling the laugh by physical manipulation (big, evil smiles, lots of hand pointing, body twisting).
I have second hand experience with not respecting other comedians: after a Tuesday afternoon open mic session the MC is supposed to perform about 10-15 minutes of filler. Well, the regular MC that had been there for a few weeks went over his limit by about 5 - 10 minutes. That's pretty bad form (especially since the lighting guy keeps shining the damn thing in your face for the last 2 minutes of your time). I gotta respect this MC though because he knew he went over the limit (he had family that night), apologized on stage and privately, and bought the headliner dinner that night.
All I've ever heard were stories and rumors about Cook's work, but if they're accurate then eating into another comic's time is nothing new for him, just another day at the office. Comics hate it, but nobody in management complains because he sells drinks and tickets.
Cook Superfans frighten me. They're blindly dedicated to Cook and do not like to try other comic flavors. Good for them, but man they can be annoying when they try to convert you to cookism.
As for that last point, well, I can't say. Time will indeed tell; but, if 10 years from now Cook is a "living legend" I'll be surprised.
Yeah De_Blenniss, you must have a lot of time to waste wondering why a comedian makes people happy...but not you...
Steve martin doesnt even make me smile what more laugh...
Good title though, makes people look at what you wrote(especially people who like dane cook)...that makes you a blogger who doesnt have content but rides on the title because theres a famous name in it. oops im becoming more like you...
I dare you to write why people like about dane cook maybe youll find a lot ^^ (you know different angles...)
just chill mayne its just comedy...nothing science,longevity or relevance.
so take it easy maybe youll find what they call "life"...lol
i agree with you that he isn't funny. at least not funny enough to be where he is. his comedy is just not very creative and witty. i dare him to sit still and do 15 minutes of material.... he would bomb. this guy is all nonsensical spaz!
Hey nice job man; tell it like it is. I think the best part was the video where he rips off the hit by car joke. I remember seeing him deliver that and thinking 'heh that was mildly funny actually' but after seeing the original (which made me really laugh) it's amazing how badly he butchers the timing and delivery... how can you like this? Then again; look who is president. I sometimes wish I lived in cavemen times when stupid people were tiger food and not dragging down all our standards of entertainment; because why bother making something good when you can make something stupid and make more money doing it?
5- He (probably) steals jokes
I don't know.. stealing jokes seems to have worked out quite well for Carlos Mencia. He's built a whole career around it.
staticfive - sounds like you're one of those typical dane cook lovers awwww did the article hurt your poor baby? :(. As far as for delivery, who cares? It dont matter if it's a different delivery, it's still a very similar joke. On top of that, did you listen to the other stuff he stole from Louis, and no not just on the video. There are lots of other similar jokes that Louis CK used that Dane started using.
i used to be a dane cook fan until I saw his live performance twice close to each other. He used most of his material from his previous performance on his next one. I mean come on, you can use some of it, but MOST of it were repeated. Even Carlos Mencia dont use his materials close to each other performances.
Stealing materials, repetitive, thinking he's the best comedian out there, what else? This is why none of his peers respect him, and this is why he's losing a lot of his old fans.
cry all you want, face the truth.
Most great comics will never be popular because they are different. Dane Cook is popular for the same reason pop bands are popular, they found something that rings true to the lowest common denominator and it works for him.
Comedians like Bill Hicks, Patton Oswalt, David Cross and others have never gotten the respect they deserve because they don't use "Seinfeld" material.
What's the deal with that anyways?
By the way, my current favorite comedian, Daniel Tosh. Funny dude.
I recognize Bill Hicks' voice in #4. What a genius. More than ten years after dying he still nails shitty comedians like Dane Cook and Carlos Mencia.
hey man, Cook stole Louis CK's jokes, not Lewis Black's. Louis CK is funnier and smarter than Dane Cook, because he doesn't have to steal jokes, he can make them up himself because he's intelligent. Dane Cook looks like an idiot and as for his comedy being caustic and controversial, wow, he's making fun of farting and the new burger at burger king... way too far over the line for my tastes. (I'm being sarcastic... if you think Dane Cook is edgy, you're a moron)
My husband and I have had many discussions about this Dane Cook situation. I saw his first comedy special on Comedy Central around 1999 maybe, something like that. The entire bit was hilarious, I had a feeling he would start showing up a lot more because he really was great. We even saw him live in DC a couple years ago and I laughed my ass off (he did a bit about spying on couples who get into heated, snippy arguments at the grocery store, "Well do we have jam or not?? Do we need to get some? What do you mean you didn't check!!"). Then, he got really big. And the problem isn't that he has a million fans and is uber-famous, the problem is that he became a caricature of himself and his own routines. He has great delivery but now that's all he relies on. There's nothing in his material, it's true that there are no real punchlines anymore, or even observations. He just talks but talks like he's telling jokes but there's nothing there. I think the real shift came when he did that HBO tour special where he was on the road with 3 other comedians. The way he was talking about comedy, it's like he moved into this realm where he saw himself as some sort of spiritual comedy leader. It was weird. It's like he has no perspective on comedy anymore and if you lose your perspective on life and your job, you lose your sense of humor, which is key thing to have when you're a stand up comedian! It's a shame because I really found him funny and every now and then he comes up with something funny but for the most part, it's all flat. The last time I saw him do funny material was for Dave Attel's Insomnia Tour. So this is an observation from someone who once found Dane Cook funny, and would still like to find him funny, but I think he needs to maybe fall on his face, get a dose of reality, and climb his way back up again into the comedy world before he can be funny again.
WOW. HAHA. ALL THE DANE COOK FANS ARE DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE AUTHOR SAID THEY WOULD DO. HAHA. THE GUYS A HACK, I'VE SEEN HIM LIVE, ITS DUMB COMEDY FOR STUPID PEOPLE. THE SAME PEOPLE THAT THINK BRITTANY SPEARS IS A MUSICAL GENIUS. THE SAME PEOPLE THAT THOUGHT GHALLAGER WAS FUNNY SMASHING FRUIT IN THE 80'S. THE GUYS 36 YEARS OLD AND HIS TARGET AUDIENCE IS 14- 18 YEAR OLDS. IM NOT SAYING HE CANT BE FAMOUS, BUT CERTAINLY DON'T INSULT THE MEMORY OF RICHARD PRYOR BY SAYING HE'S ANYWHERE NEAR THE PROLIFIC COMIC GENIUS OF BILL HICKS, PRYOR, ROBIN HARRIS, MITCH HEDBURN, ETC. ART IS SOMETHING YOU CREATE NOT STEAL. AND FOR ANYONE WHO WAS DUMB ENOUGH TO SAY, "LEAVE HIM ALONE, AND LET US ENJOY HIM" IN CASE YOU DIDNT KNOW, THIS ARTICLE IS CALLED 5 REASONS NOT TO LIKE DANE COOK. SO NEXT TIME DONT CLICK ON AN ARTICLE THAT U KNOW IS ABOUT HOW CRAPPY SOMEONE IS. GOOD ONE, AFTER THIS WHY DONT YOU GO ON HITLERS MYSPACE AND SAY, "HEY LEAVE JEWS ALONE" IM OUT.
the video for no.2 isnt even dane cook...
its a madtv spoof of him, you think you could find an actual clip of dane cook to prove your point
but still a great list
I agree with most of this, and in the last year I've hated Dane Cook more and more, especially the corporate crap he's put out. But comedy is comedy, and he usually makes me laugh on his albums, even if there's is no punchline or joke structure. Who's to say a joke needs a punchline anyway? It's OK to make people laugh by other means, right? The best solution is to just ignore his commercial shit and he will disappear in time if he's cant keep funny. All these other comedians look lesser when they put so much effort into complaining about Dane.
Look i can understard number one, even tho Dane dose them better. And number 3 superfans are gayyyyy but almost ever mainstream comic has them carlos mencia for example who i think sucks. But number two who cares if other comics dont like him. AND 4 Steve Martin is the man who created the no punch line jokes and look how far he got, why because its funny as hell it brings the audience in more witch in turn makes it funner so who care that theres no punch line comedy is what makes people laugh, who gives a fuck hous its done man.
Just so you know, I am not a Dane Cook superfan I do however find him entertaining at times. I'm sure you are a nice guy, and who knows, your blog might have valid arguments, however what it all boils down to is that you do not like Dane Cook. By writing a 5 Reasons to not like Dane Cook entry you are basically just as bad as the people that you claim... "love to pick a fight about why I don't like him."
#5 - There is no such thing as original material anymore. People have been re-using material for ages in all forms of media, for our imagination is driven by or environment and our influences.
#4 - If you are good at what you do, then it is inevitable that you will gain enemies for the entertainment industry is a very cut throat business. I think you are looking way too much into this. You should like a comedian if they successfully entertain you, and not necessarily who they are in real life. For, just as your quote above... Mr. Bill Hicks, who is incredibly talented, is known for how much of a drunken A-hole he was professionally and personally. These people are entertainers, not saints.
It all boils down to personal opinion, and none of your 5 arguments are valid enough to change other peoples opinions. Yet I am glad that you have made yourself feel better about your opinions by cutting someone else down, because thats not elementary at all.
ok, i mean forget that you don't like him because of his FANS???
consider your number one reason for not "liking" him.
you say he doesn't push boundaries. he doesn't add to comedy. i might agree that his material isn't evolutionary or anything. it doesn't blow me away philosophically. i go to church for that.
it is his that gets people. it's his that pushes boundaries.
so he doesn't perform comedy in a conventional way, with punch lines. doesn't this statement explain, in a way, that his unconventionality is pushing boundaries and has pushed boundaries. He achieves great success through an unconventional method. Some people call that innovation, and some would say that innovation PUSHES BOUNDARIES.
His is telling stories (many immature, yes) through verbal and mimming class. consider if an average, random person took the exact script from dane cook and proceeded to act it out...he would hit the same corporate achievements of dane cook.
he has talent. that's why he's popular. and that why TIME Magazine placed him in an article titled: "The TIME 100: People who shape our world." LINKS OMITTED
now consider this whole crappy discussion going on is merely made up of people throwing out their opinions as if they were fact.
i respect someone who has a disaffection for dane cook. you obviously don't like his and/or material and/or how many people like him and/or that he has crazy fans (which doesn't seem like an adequite reason to dislike a comic) and/or the notion that he might have unoriginal work.
and i respect someone who does enjoy dane. how immature would it be to say someone is stupid for their taste in comedy or comic. i personally enjoy him. i like his it seems in a way...UNCONVENTIONAL to me.
i enjoy that you are bold enough to go against the grain and speak your mind as to why you dislike dane. he is a pretty popular dude. i respect your opinion, to me though, i see some flaws in reasoning. which is the whole reason i made this post.
to point out that he might in fact be pushing the boundaries of comedy as you suggest he has not and is not.
the forum did not insert the word " anywhere in my last post. that is weird. (s-t-y-l-e)
gotta agree with you stysa. I don't always like his jokes and sometimes they get really drawn out but he's successful for a reason. gotta wonder about people who dislike others because of their success. he can be hit or miss on some of his jokes but the way he presents himself is what makes me laugh. he's more into his jokes than those other comedians who just stand there. It's hard for me to like comedians who don't look like they're into what they're doing. anyways, in short i've heard better jokes and I enjoy watching a variety of comedians but a lot of your points are pretty... shallow.
lol I think hes funny and thats all I care about you might not, and thats fine but you are acting like a "superhater" hell maybe a troll, if you wanna call it that
i think dane cook's stand-up is funny but his movies blow harder than 5 dollar crack whore about to go through withdrawal. waiting was ok (simply because he wasn't the main character), employee of the month was awful, and good luck chuck was a waste of 10 hard earned dollars and 2 hours of my life that i'll never ever get back. i'm actually surprised that the last two movies i mentioned aren't the first two reasons on this list.
I don't think he is funny. In fact, he is a poser.
he used to be very funny.
now he has a big frats-n-skanks following...
but he's certainly not as bad as Carlos Mencia.
Oh man. he's terrrrible.
My reason for not liking Dane Cook is because he removed me off of xbox live, after me sitting on his friends list for about 4 months, because when he asked me to get on vision camera for him (repeatedly) I said no >.<
I posted a blog about it a year ago, and the other day I had a shit ton of random messages from 10 year old, die hard Dane Cook fans yelling at me about it because apparently Dane's manager saw my blog, and now Dane isn't allowed to play xbox with any girls anymore.
I rofled pretty hard when I heard that I, little ole me, got Dane Cook in trouble.
haha
Good times :)
So now I hate him.
Seriously Britini? Thats awsome
i hope nobody listins to this douch i think he drank to much hateraid but the jokes in the first video has a lot of similar versions espically kid names and how r you gonna list it as probaly stealing jokes either he does or dont make up your mind fucktard... in the second video when does any of the comdians use his name u can make a video clip of any new comedian and but that in the back ground and it will work get a video where they talk shit using his name de blenniss or da douchbag... and u talk about his superfans acting like there in middle school better than u acting like there in elementry trying to bring people down you are prolly one of those people that have seen, heard, or done better than what everybody has to say and/or tell... he prolly would had been a great cheerleader like u made a great masterdebater but if he did use punchlines in more jokes, u would consider him "proble stealing jokes" so it lose lose with you... and on your list video why do you need someone pushing boundaries dont we have enough problems without someone starting up something new but am strating to feel like you now a lonely loser that has nothing better to do than try and bring people down but gottta go have friends to talk to in person but hope you and your web cam friends have fun cause thats the only friends you got... and find some better videos to use so you can try to argue a point the only that allows that is the first video and like i said before you can find a lot more comedians then dane that have similar jokes to the those in the first video... p.s. i dont need a job writing for internet blogs i get paid to write columns for newspapers i think its a lot better than internet blogs and try to lay off the hateraid...
this is prolly wanna the dumbest lie i have ever heard it worst than going a million miles an hour and if he did ask you to get a vision cam idk why cause my mans is slippin
well first off you got to calm down man, theres no real point of being a pussy about what other people say about what you think of Dane Cook. Besides he is funny and teens and young adults understand him the best anyway. unless your completely stupid. Oh, and by the way it seems like you have never probably drank anything ever. Just because someone disagrees with what you say and flicks you off doesn't mean you have to worry about it anyway.
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