Dane Cook: Difference between revisions
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==Controversy and Criticism== |
==Controversy and Criticism== |
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After the release of his CD/DVD ''[[Retaliation]]'', similarities were noticed between Cook's work and material recorded on [[Louis C.K.]]'s 2001 album ''Live in Houston''.<ref name="HS"> </ref> The bits in question are Louis C.K.'s "Itchy Asshole," "Guy On A Bike," and "Naming Kids." In 2005, Dane Cook performed and released three similar routines on ''Retaliation''.<ref>bostonherald.com, [http://news.bostonherald.com/blogs/jokersWild/?p=39 "Louis C.K. vs. Dane Cook"], accessed February 11, 2007 </ref> These are "Itchy Asshole," "Struck By A Vehicle," and "My Son [[Optimus Prime]]," respectively. Cook has denied any plagiarism.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} |
After the release of his CD/DVD ''[[Retaliation]]'', similarities were noticed between Cook's work and material recorded on [[Louis C.K.]]'s 2001 album ''Live in Houston''.<ref name="HS"> </ref> The bits in question are Louis C.K.'s "Itchy Asshole," "Guy On A Bike," and "Naming Kids." In 2005, Dane Cook performed and released three similar routines on ''Retaliation''.<ref>bostonherald.com, [http://news.bostonherald.com/blogs/jokersWild/?p=39 "Louis C.K. vs. Dane Cook"], accessed February 11, 2007 </ref> These are "Itchy Asshole," "Struck By A Vehicle," and "My Son [[Optimus Prime]]," respectively. Cook has denied any plagiarism.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} |
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Revision as of 16:06, 8 June 2007
| Dane Cook | |
|---|---|
 The cover of Dane Cook's double platinum album Retaliation | |
| Pseudonym | Sav McCauley Gene Winterbuck Foreign Guy. |
| Born | March 18, 1972 Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Medium | Stand up comedy, film, television |
| Nationality |  American |
| Years active | 1997-present |
| Genres | Stand-up Comedy |
| Website | danecook.com |
Dane Jeffrey Cook (born March 18 1972) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He has released three albums, Harmful If Swallowed, Vicious Circle, and Retaliation, the latter of which went double platinum[1] and became the highest charting comedy album in twenty-eight years.[2] Cook performs on many television shows and in the fall of 2006 performed in his own HBO special, Vicious Circle. As an actor, Cook has appeared in fifteen films since 1997, including Mystery Men and Waiting..., and starred in the 2006 comedy Employee of the Month, with Jessica Simpson.
Biography
Early life
Cook was born in Boston, to Donna and George Cook, a radio DJ. He grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts, a Boston suburb and, along with his five sisters and one brother, was raised as a Roman Catholic.[3][4]
Early career
Cook's first on-stage appearance at a comedy club was at a Catch a Rising Star show in Harvard Square, hosted at the time by comedian David Cross.[5] In 1998, Cook was featured on Comedy Central's stand-up comedy showcase Premium Blend. The following year he appeared on the comedy network's Comics Come Home and the straight-to-video Dennis Rodman vehicle, Simon Sez as Rodman's partner, Nick Miranda.
Two years later, Cook pooled $30,000 of his own money from savings and retirement accounts and launched www.danecook.com, his own interactive website, to further his career and stay connected to his fans.[1] Later, Cook would also become one of the first celebrities to make use of the global networking site MySpace. To date, Cook has over 1.9 million fans listed as friends on his profile. [citation needed] In 2002 and 2003, Cook was featured as the voice of three puppets on Comedy Central's Crank Yankers, which featured real prank phone calls being recorded in a studio and then re-enacted by puppets. Four of Cook's calls were aired between July 2002 and April 2003. He took on the aliases of Sav McCauley, Gene Winterbuck, and Foreign Guy.
Included with Cook's first comedy album, Harmful If Swallowed (2003) was a DVD with the Comedy Central special. Later that year, Cook wrote, directed, and starred in 8 Guys.
2005
In 2005, Cook launched a nationwide tour dubbed "Tourgasm" after releasing his album Retaliation, which debuted at #4 on Billboard magazine's Top Albums chart. That year, he also played a role as a cook named Floyd in the movie Waiting.... In a May [2005 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Cook parodied Tom Cruise's "couch jumping" Oprah appearance and made a "tattoo" of Katie Holmes (actually a picture taped to his back) and barged into the women's restroom to get her.
During an October 2005 appearance on The Tonight Show, Charlize Theron gave him permission to kiss her butt. Cook was re-enacting a previous joke in which Theron kissed Shirley MacLaine's butt at a Premiere magazine tribute to women in Hollywood. Cook also appeared and performed on Dave Attell's Insomniac Tour. Soon after, he finished his own television pilot called Cooked, a program in which he will star and for which he will write.
On December 3, 2005, Cook hosted Saturday Night Live. He performed the longest monologue in the show's history (around ten minutes long); the episode was one of the highest-rated SNLs of the season (until the Steve Martin/Prince episode in February of 2006).[6] However, Entertainment Weekly named it the fourth-worst show of the year.[7]
2006
Cook hosted SNL for a second time on the premiere of its thirty-second season, September 30, 2006. On January 13, 2006, after months of keeping a "BIG secret" from his fans, he announced via his website an April 15 gig at Boston's TD Banknorth Garden where his first HBO special, Vicious Circle, would be eventually filmed. His first show sold out during the pre-sale phase of the on-sale, and a second show was added for the same night. In all, Dane Cook's Boston concert drew 36,000 fans in two shows, on the same night. A documentary series and a scripted program are also in the works for HBO.[8] In the week prior to the televised gig, he performed at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas (April 8) and Allstate Arena in Chicago (April 13), the largest venues he has ever performed in those cities. Aside from airing on HBO, Vicious Circle is also being screened in select theaters and it features an additional 40 minutes of material.
September saw the release of Employee of the Month, Cook's first movie featuring him in the lead role. He co-starred alongside Jessica Simpson and Dax Shepard. Response to this movie was lukewarm but made an acceptable box office performance. He'll next appear as a lowlife photographer who blackmails a serial killer (played by Kevin Costner) in the thriller Mr. Brooks and Dan in Real Life as a man whose brother (Steve Carell) falls for his girlfriend.
At the end of December 2006, Cook released "I'll Never Be You" his first single. In the song, Dane refers to himself as a normal person ("My life stands still, watching where your life goes"), commenting with envy ("sometimes I picture myself beating you up") at a celebrity or otherwise popular person. He was named in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of 2006.[2]
Dane Cook's first HBO special, Vicious Circle, was aired on September 4, 2006. The double DVD was released on November 28, 2006. It is a 90-minute presentation which was filmed at TD Banknorth Garden in his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts on a circular stage surrounded by the audience. The stage had on it the impression of his Super Finger hand gesture. Cook brought the same set to Madison Square Garden for back-to-back sold out shows on November 12, 2006.
Cook is also an avid supporter of charities in his hometown Boston, Massachusetts. On November 15th, 2006 he attended the "Fun Run for Families" event in downtown Boston as a special guest celebrity runner. The event raised upwards of $10,000 for local families.
2007
In June 1, 2007, the film Mr. Brooks was released to theaters to generally positive reviews, including a 7.5 rating on IMDB.com as of June 8th. Cook played opposite Kevin Costner as Mr. Smith, a devious reporter, and he received generally positive reviews for his performance, with the New York Times saying that "...when he's onscreen, you can't look at anyone else." [9]
Style
Cook's style is principally observational humor.[citation needed] He has commented that:
I wanted to create a stage persona for myself that allowed me to really speak on anything I want... So I can be a storyteller, I can be jokey, I can be corny, I can be a little vulgar, I can be a lot vulgar. And I'm not afraid to go anywhere to get the point of the joke across.
Cook uses a unique slang vocabulary to match his talkative manner. For example: A bad relationship is a "Relationshit", Walgreens is "The Wall," and a sandwich is a "sangwich".[10] Similarly, he uses such acronyms as BAMF and SUFI, which are short for "Bad Ass MotherFucker" and "SUperFInger," respectively. He also shortens words to keep the same meaning. He has even been known to completely change words or phrases, like saying "Concernicus" instead of concerned, "Chicken Sangwich" instead of Chicken Sandwich,and "chat-chitting" rather than "chit-chatting", afterwards he says,"yeah, I flip that shit...they're just words, they don't control us...not anymore." .
Note: The term 'Sangwich' is a reflection of the word 'Sandwich' said in a true Bostonian accent
Controversy and Criticism
Material
After the release of his CD/DVD Retaliation, similarities were noticed between Cook's work and material recorded on Louis C.K.'s 2001 album Live in Houston.[10] The bits in question are Louis C.K.'s "Itchy Asshole," "Guy On A Bike," and "Naming Kids." In 2005, Dane Cook performed and released three similar routines on Retaliation.[11] These are "Itchy Asshole," "Struck By A Vehicle," and "My Son Optimus Prime," respectively. Cook has denied any plagiarism.[citation needed]
In an interview on the Free Beer & Hot Wings Morning Show in February 2007, C.K. stated that while the jokes are similar, the issue was "overblown" and may stem from a backlash against Cook's popularity. However, C.K. accused Cook of being "bullyish" and litigious towards comedians for having similar material to his despite claiming elsewhere that comedians stealing material from each other happens all the time and that it isn't a big deal. C.K. also stated "Too bad the guy [Cook] can't write enough." C.K. ended the interview by jokingly saying, at the constant prodding by the DJs, "Fuck Dane Cook, he's a cunt."[12]
Comedian Joe Rogan has spoken on many occasions (including the December 1, 2006 broadcast of the Opie and Anthony Show) about Cook performing a bit on an episode of Premium Blend that Rogan claims to have performed earlier in clubs with Cook present.[13]
Rob Sheffield criticized Dane Cook's material in an October 2006 Rolling Stone article.[14]
Comedian Ron White has criticized Dane Cook for his lack of real material and for his inflated ego.[15] At a 2007 Irving Plaza show, comedian Zach Galifianakis commented, “I saw Employee of the Month the other day...it wasn't as good as I thought it was gonna be.” During his closing number he revealed a sign that read “Kill Dane Cook" before leaving the stage.[16]
Comedian Andy Kindler has been particularly critical of Cook in his stage act, saying "Thank you MySpace for inventing Dane Cook" and that "Dane Cook is a pyramid scheme. 'Tell ten friends who know nothing about comedy about him.'"[17] He criticized his lack of material by asking a crowd "Do you think people drive home from a Dane Cook concert and go 'Ha Ha Oh my god we've been had! There's not a goddamn joke within a hundred miles of his act!'" In comparing the Dane Cook phenomenon to the spread of Nazism in Germany, Kindler asserted that "Dane Cook is worse than Hitler, because at least Hitler had a point of view!"[18]
Yuk-Yuks controversy
On July 24, 2006 Cook asked for a guest spot at the Vancouver Yuk-Yuks comedy club. Initially he was set to go up at the end of the night, but upon arriving at the club he requested to go up before the headliner. Cook's perfomance went on for longer than the management had asked him, so the club's manager (Pete Johansson)[19] and headliner (Peter Kelamis) cut off his microphone and tried to "play him off" with music. Cook thought it was simply a mistake and continued his set, but they later cut his mic and blared the exit music again. Cook then dropped the mic and walked off-stage, furious. The show then ended, leaving Cook's fans confused and disappointed. Kelamis then refused to take the stage, and later referred to Cook's actions as "the most arrogant thing that [he had] ever seen in [his] life".[20]
However, Mark Breslin, the founder of the comedy club chain, quickly apologized and blamed the club's manager. Breslin stated in support of Cook, "I'm on Dane's side totally, 100 percent." Breslin also explained that Kelamis was the last show that evening and there was no reason he could not have gone on late, stating "the tradition is that stardom trumps everything".[20]
Tourgasm
The criticisms of "Tourgasm" are perhaps the most scathing, here is only a brief selection of reviews:[21]
- "...a half-hour vanity project that proves HBO can not only be TV, but bad TV at that" -Brian Lowry[22]
- "To understand just how unbearable "Tourgasm" remains from start to finish, imagine a cross between Jerry Seinfeld's "Comedian" (except the jokes aren't all that funny and the comedians involved aren't that interesting or clever) and MTV's "Jackass" (except the teasing and physical pranks aren't that fun or dramatic and they end in angry recriminations, sulking and serious injuries). In short, "Tourgasm" may be the least worthwhile series ever to air on HBO..."[23]
- "...it's just some guy's tedious travelogue."[24]
In the Comedy Central show Freak Show, a character is watching a Dane Cook performance, but instead of Tourgasm, the show was called Boregasm. The show poked fun at Cook's performance style. The creator of the show, comedian David Cross, has openly criticized Dane Cook previous to this.
Other
Views on Alcohol & Drugs
According to comments made in an interview, Cook has never tried any type of alcohol or illegal substance.[25] He explains:
Not to take it too deep; but there’s a moment in your life when you have the opportunity to get into all that, and I remember being really young and I had a friend in school who was kind of like the school stoner. I was hanging with him and a bunch of guys one day and my friend never offered me any drugs but his buddies started offering me some stuff, and I had an epiphany. This has nothing to do with who I am. I would be lying if thought I would enjoy drinking. I like feeling feelings. I like feeling pain, I like going through fear, joy and I don’t like to put anything in my body that either enhances it or skews it. I wanna be as crystal clear on stage as I can.
The SUperFInger
The SUperFInger or SU-FI is a hand gesture. It consists of raising the middle finger, ring finger, and thumb on the same hand while lowering (or curling) the index and pinky fingers. Cook's website explains his idea behind the SU-FI:
One night I did a bit on stage about 5 years ago at the Laugh Factory. I was talking about how the finger is lame now and it's lost its pizzazz. I said I wanted to upgrade the finger and so from now on people should use both the ring finger coupled with the middle finger. I called it the SUperFInger (or SU-FI).[26]
In 2005, Cook started his own company to produce his albums and videos, which he named SUperFInger Entertainment.[27]
Discography
- Harmful If Swallowed CD and DVD. Comedy Central, 2003. #67 US. Certified Platinum
- Retaliation Two CDs and DVD. Comedy Central, 2005. #4 US. Certified Platinum
- Vicious Circle DVD. HBO, 2006
- Dane Cook's Tourgasm DVD. HBO, 2006
- Untitled Album CD, 2007
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Flypaper | Tim |
| Buddy | Fair Cop | |
| 1999 | Spiral | David |
| Simon Sez | Nick Miranda | |
| Mystery Men | The Waffler | |
| 2002 | L.A.X. | Terrell Chasman |
| The Touch | Bob | |
| 2003 | Stuck on You | Officer Fraioli |
| 8 Guys | Dane | |
| Windy City Heat | Roman Polanski | |
| 2004 | Mr. 3000 | Sausage Mascot |
| Torque | Neil Luff | |
| 2005 | Waiting... | Floyd |
| London | George | |
| 2006 | Employee of the Month | Zack Bradley |
| 2007 | Farce of the Penguins | Voice |
| Mr. Brooks | Mr. Smith | |
| Dan in Real Life | Lowell Ashburn | |
| Good Luck Chuck | Chuck/Charlie | |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Great Dane took a bite out of the Competition in 1995", The San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition web site.
- ^ a b Time's 100 Most Influential People
- ^ askmen.com, Catholic versus Atheist, access February 3, 2007
- ^ MySpace Videos, Dane Cook
- ^ Modern Fix interview
- ^ Hollywood.com biography
- ^ Gillian Flynn, "TV 2005: The 5 Worst". Entertainment Weekly, December 30, 2005.
- ^ "Dane Cook Whips Up HBO Deal", Zap2it.
- ^ "Summer Movies", May 6, 2007.
- ^ a b Heather Havrilesky, "Overcooked". Salon, September 3, 2006.
- ^ bostonherald.com, "Louis C.K. vs. Dane Cook", accessed February 11, 2007
- ^ www.freebeerandhotwings.com, Louis C.K. interview, accessed February 3, 2007
- ^ "Joe Rogan Exposes Dane Cook"
- ^ "Pop Life: The Joke's on Us: How can any comedian get as famous as Dane Cook has with no jokes?" by Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, October 19, 2006.
- ^ "Ron White Interview" by David Medsker.
- ^ http://www.punchlinemagazine.com/index.php/Features/zach_galifianakis_he_tells_a_joke_he_moves_on.shtml
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSCrlYRBYek
- ^ http://youtube.com/watch?v=21VGoO3f43o
- ^ http://yukyuks.com/location.aspx?LocationID=12
- ^ a b Guy Macpherson, "Dane Cook Gets the Hook at Yuk Yuk's". The Province, July 25, 2006.
- ^ "Dane Cook's Tourgasm on www.metacritic.com"
- ^ "Dane Cook's Tourgasm" by Brian Lowry.
- ^ "Overcooked" by Heather Havrilesky.
- ^ "Dane Cook's Tourgasm" by Paul Schrodt
- ^ Modern Fix interview
- ^ Dane Cook Message Board (quote posted by Dane Cook)
- ^ "HBO Signs Stand-Up Comedian Dane Cook to Multi-Project Deal", Time-Warner, March 2, 2006.
External links
- Official website
- Dane Cook on MySpace
- Louis C.K. / Dane Cook comparison
- Louis C.K / Dane Cook / Steve Martin comparison
- Dane Cook at IMDb
- Template:Nndb name
News articles & interviews
- Casey, Susan. "Everybody Likes Dane". Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 30, 2005.
- Havrilesky, Heather. "Overcooked". Salon, Sept. 3, 2006.
- Kharakh, Ben. Interview with Dane Cook. One Trick Pony. January 2006.
- Macpherson, Guy. "Dane Cook Gets the Hook at Yuk Yuk's". The Province, July 25, 2006, p. B7.
- Perry, Ryan. "Dane Cook: The Gorilla Mask Interview". Gorilla Mask. August 4, 2005.
- Zoglin, Richard. "Dane Cook: Standing Out in the Art of Stand-Up.". Time, May 8, 2006. From Time 100 issue.
- Gladstone, Neil. "Sex, Jobs, and Rock 'n' Roll". AOL Comedy, Nov. 2, 2006.
- Shmuel Reuven. A Dramatic Turn in Mr. Brooks. JewReview.net, May 28, 2007.