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Oh, Rothaniel



We all have our secrets. Big and small, we all have them. Not like you'd think I have them (I do) given my penchant for sharing too much information in this blog thingy here. You know what kind of men (and dick)  I like, you know what kind of music and clothes I like, you know my thoughts on race, sex, religion and politics, you even know how my mom looks like. And yet, I have secrets.

When I started watching Jerrod Carmichael's stand up comedy special (it's more like a sit-down comedy special because he's sitting down the duration of his set) I was aware that he was going to tell us a secret. I had surmised that much from the teaser Billboard had given me, but I was not ready for the detailed exploration that he does of family, masculinity and a life lived holding back.

Carmichael (who has other specials on HBO and apparently even had a sitcom) is new to me. And the first part of his special played to me like a straight-up stand up: the oversharing is punctuated by his sense of humor and the punchlines come smart and furious.  But his story is painfully familiar. He comes from a line of unrepentant womanizers, both his grandfathers and his father had several children out of wedlock. It's a sign of masculinity that many men carry both as a secret and as a badge of honor -go figure- and it sets the stage for the second part of the special: he has a secret, just like all those other men in his family. But contrary to those men, he has not have several women in his life: he's had several men. 

You see, Carmichael is gay, and this part of his special hones in one of the most difficult parts of his coming out: his mother's acceptance (or conditional acceptance) of his sexual orientation. And to me, his audience seems to take on the proxy role of his mother, who finds it difficult to reconcile her beliefs and his coming out as gay. Funny, how she could forgive his father for lying about cheating and having another family (and even lying about his name!) but cannot accept wholeheartedly that her son likes (white!!) men.

I really liked the special. I found Carmichael's naturalistic style downright charming and his delivery well aimed and unpretentious. The Meta part of the  stand up special is also telling: he's not standing, he's sitting (just like a very notorious comic: Bill Cosby, if you want to dig deeper into that one) and dismatels what it means to be a (gay) Black man with surgical precision. He's also leveling the terrain with the audience: he's closer to us, he even interacts with people sitting in that place (in what seems natural exchanges to me) and that is something I had not seen before. 

So if you have HBO (or have a friend who has it) make it a night and bring some popcorn. This is one special that deserves your time. And as a teaser, here is Carmichael's SNL opening talking about THAT slap and a call to heal the nation: 



And now, if you'd only tell me some of YOUR secrets...

XOXO

Comments

  1. Sounds good! Thanks for the heads up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome!
      I thought it is worth watching. He's a very talented storyteller.

      XOXO

      Delete
  2. It does look interesting, alas no HBO for me. Thanks for the SNL opening. I want to watch the whole episode when I’m off tomorrow. He is quite a handsome man and seems to say what’s on his mind. Kind of like someone I know personally. 😎

    XOXO 👨🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏽

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The SNL opening was very cool.
      And I think The Carmichael Show is on Hulu. You should check it out. Oh and you know what that 'speaking his mind' has gotten that someone you know into...
      LOL

      XOXO

      Delete
  3. Ha! Loved his SNL opening! And the skits weren't bad, either. Yep, he's new to us, too. We haven't tuned in to the special --- yet. Do we all have secrets? Of course, we do. Though, I share an awful lot on my blog just like you do. XOXO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. His opening was totally on point.
      And SNL is fun most times. I recommend the special. It's very good.
      As for secrets? Yep. And you are like me. We are the kings of TMI.

      XOXO

      Delete
  4. We all have secrets, but the tastiest are those related to sex.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ohhh yes!
      Nothing juicier than secrets related to sex.

      XOXO

      Delete
  5. Never heard of him, and very seldom watch SNL. But loved his energy. And he raised a point. Why are we still talking about the slap?!?!?!?!?!?!?! That's we're still talking about it, and the story follows second right after Ukraine news...the media's priorities are fucked up. Things that should be getting coverage, aren't.

    Let the three of those bitches fight and have words off camera. Secrets? Me? How long you got?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I totally agree, the media’s priorities are fucked up.

      Let me get a cock-a-tail and get comfortable, then you can regale us with your secrets. 😎

      Delete
    2. Oh, I used to watch SNL religiously.
      Especially with a musical guest I liked. It's less so now. I only tune in when somebody like Carmichael hosts. And you are right. People fixate in petty grievances while genocide is taking place . The media's priorities ARE fucked up.

      XOXO

      Delete
  6. Oh...I wish I could watch. But I subscribed to many other channels. It sounds good though. I love a coming out story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know right?
      All these streaming services compete with each other to the death. You should find out who among your friends has HBO and do swap-watching-parties!
      Coming out stories are the best.

      XOXO

      Delete
  7. I hadn't really heard mush about him until I read he had come out, and then we saw him on SNL. His opening bit was pretty funny. Good on him for standing tall.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same.
      I think his brand of humor is quick and smart. I even discovered three seasons of his TV show. I have it in my queue right now.

      XOXO

      Delete
  8. I don't subscribe to Peacock, so no NBC for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Neither do I.
      I don't have cable.
      You do know that most everything goes online after it premieres, right?

      XOXO

      Delete

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