Chris Rock is a classic actor and comedian, but in stand up, he's had a long drought special wise. Although he's brought back the thunder and the rain to reinvigorate his shock comic roots while including a detailed inquiry about, well, being Human.
In Tambourine, which hit the Netflix feed Wednesday morning, Chris Rock tackles some hot issues, while recounting his experiences about committing adultery on his ex-wife and talking about his porn addiction.
Not only that, he went to gun control, Donald Trump, religion and many intellectually worthwhile topics. And that was just the first half. In the second half, he got frank.
The name Tambourine was chosen because of Rock’s analysis of his relationships basically amounting to playing in a band. Chris Rock said on his special, “Sometimes you sing lead, and sometimes you’re on tambourine. And if you’re on tambourine, play it right. Play it with a f—ing smile, because no one wants to see a mad tambourine player.” He then admitted he was, “not a good husband.”
On top of this he bravely stated about an uncomfortable topic, embarrassing even, but relevant, and strangely putting the pulse, not on just his problem, but something a lot of people have a problem with - porn.
Rock said, “I was addicted to porn.” He added he was, “15 minutes late everywhere," and, “When you watch too much porn, you know what happens? You become, like, sexually autistic. You develop sexual autism. You have a hard time with eye contact and verbal cues … You get desensitized. When you start watching porn, any porn will do. Then, later on, you’re all f—ed up and you need a perfect porn cocktail to get you off. I was so f—ed up, like, I needed an Asian girl with a black girl’s ass that speaks Spanish just to get my **** to move an inch. I’m a lot better now,” according to Entertainment Weekly.
But Rock shocked the audience more when he said Donald J. Trump might be a satisfactory commander in chief (but of course not what he will do as President, but what the reaction is to him), to the dead quiet crowd at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. “Yeah, I said it,” he said.
The experienced 53-year-old argued for Mr. Trump’s potential, in that his seemingly psychopathic presidency could lead to something progressive again, for example how George W. Bush was followed by Barack Obama. “People overlook George Bush’s contribution to black history,” he stated humorously.
Also to note Tambourine follows his last stand up special by a decade, and shows he's improved with the first half starting wide, and the second half keyholing in, by really focusing on the divorce after his 16-year marriage.
Chris Rock started in the New York clubs in the 1980s, he would end a set saying, “I was in South Africa the other day. Or was it Boston?” He also told that joke on The Arsenio Hall Show to which Arsenio Hall questioned if he thought his jokes would upset viewers. Mr. Rock replied he would take down Johnny Carson with the report on Carson's black grandchild that Carson abandoned, and so Mr. Hall ended the interview.
Over the next decade, Rock hit the big time with intense trademark shock comedy specials, intellectual stabs that while hot then would more likely cause a stir today because of the overall socio-political climate occurring in the U.S. right now, according to The New York Times.
Today, he is really stirring amongst the trending feed right now due to his microscope on cheating with three different women during his marriage while on the road.
“It’s my fault, because I’m a f-ing a-hole. I didn’t listen. I wasn’t kind. I had an attitude. I thought, ‘I pay for everything, I can do what I want.’ That s- don’t f-ing work! I just thought I was the shit," according to the Huff Post.
As one can see watching Tambourine that Rock shares his experience with the right amount of shock and zestful humor while getting the audience to pose questions about themselves. And it's all relevant and intermingled since the whole mind of a nation encompasses each individual who creates it, and all of us are role models to one another.
Chris Rock has grown from his pain and from learning about his vices and gives introspection to the human condition. After all, these are the vices which either lead to worse things or become goal post errors whereby we examine those errors, fix them and then move on.