5 Minutes with cringe comedians Rev. Bob Levy, Kurt Metzger, Jason Good, Geno Bisconte, and comedy photographer LaMott Jackson.
How would you define cringe comedy?
Geno Bisconte: Given the overly sensitized politically correct bunch of followers we’ve become in this country, I’d say it’s anything short of smashing a watermelon on stage…It’s a shame too because anything said intelligently (see Jim Norton, Louis C.K., Patrice O’Neal, Nick DiPaolo) can be as dark as you want, yet still be enlightening rather than offensive.
What’s the difference between cringe comedy and shock comedy? What are the misconceptions about cringe comedy that you would like to address?
Rev. Bob Levy: Anyone can do shock…cringe takes it to the edge and makes people still laugh.
Jason Good: Shock comedy isn’t creative.
Kurt Metzger: There is no difference, comedy is comedy. People on the business end make up these differences for marketing purposes (not that it’s wrong). There is funny and unfunny, that’s all.
LaMott Jackson: Cringe comedy makes its point without being malicious. Granted, it may hurt some feelings, but that’s not its goal. Shock comedy is a desperate attempt to get laughs at all cost. If after the punch line there’s a chuckle, that’s all that matters no matter how badly navigated the joke was.
Geno Bisconte: Cringe is in the ear of the beholder. Does anyone who reads this not cringe when Dane Cook does his wacky “Ice Cream” eating impersonation in front of a sold-out auditorium? Don’t misunderstand me, he’s a great comedic actor, but then again so is Michael Richards. How much has he blurred people’s perception of cringe comedy?
Who are some of the cringe comedy greats that have inspired you?
Jason Good: Dave Attell and Russ Meneve
LaMott Jackson: Richard Pryor, Jim Norton, Patrice O’Neal, Colin Quinn, Rich Vos, Nick DiPaolo
Geno Bisconte: While they are all great, I owe a lot of who I am to Rev. Bob Levy, Jim Norton and Jim Florentine.
Kurt Metzger: My favorite comics are Dave Attell, Patrice O’Neal, and Louis C.K. That’s who I steal from, excuse me, “am inspired by.”