SuFi My Sack

The newest member of the Hater Hall of Shame is a comedian who some critics have described as, “a comedian with no jokes” and “a glorified frat boy”.  He is also one of the most popular acts in America right now (big surprise), and only the second comic to sell out Madison Square Garden:

Dane Jeffrey Cook (showing his trademark “Superfinger” or SuFi in the pic above),        Born March 18, 1992

Dane Cook was born in Boston, but spent the majority of his young adult life in Arlington, Massachusetts.  At age 22 Cook moved to New York City, and began performing stand up at The Comedy Club and local colleges.  Two years later he moved to Los Angeles and his popularity soon spread like an incurable rash.  This outbreak was largely a result of Dane’s decision to spend his life savings ($25,000) on an official website bearing his name in 2002 - something few comedians had.  He also embraced the creation (and marketing possibilities) of MySpace, and his 2.5 million “friends” are the fruits of his shameless self-promotion.  Cook reminds me of a co-worker who tells everyone how great they are and how hard they work; in actuality they are worthless, but have fooled others into believing their lies through repetition. 

It’s easy to characterize Dane Cook’s comedic style as superficial and liken him to a chimpanzee on crystal meth, but I am not a bona fide critic.  So this job is best left to individuals that get paid to voice their opinions; the following are excerpts from some people who see this schlub for what he really is:

Rob Scheffield, ”The Joke’s On Us”- Rolling Stone Magazine:

Taylor Dayne. Cookie Monster. The Great Dane next door. Cooke City, Montana. A prune Danish. The Bugs Bunny cartoon that goes, “Cook! Where’s my hasenpfeffer?” This is just a partial list of things that are funnier than Dane Cook, but let’s stop here or we could go on all day, like one of Dane’s monologues.  Yeah, we get it: the world’s hottest comedian, a success story, the MySpace generation, blah to the blah, but where are the fucking jokes? Dane, did you bring any jokes at all? Or did you just figure you’d think of some after you got famous?  Full article can be found here.

Heather Havrilesky, “Overcooked” – Salon.com:

He’s not particularly baffled by the world, or all that perceptive, or all that self-aware. He’s a little self-deprecating, a little bit cutesy and a little bit aggressive, but most important, he treats mundane experiences like they’re huge revelations: Breakup sex is the best, right? Right! Sometimes you have to lie to get out of stuff you don’t want to do. I know you’ve done it, too, bro!… His humor doesn’t require even a glance at the wider world; it strengthens the bonds within a homogenous group. “Isn’t it crazy when you…” or “How weird is it when…” By celebrating the myopia of the young, Cook has become the hottest comedian around.  Full article.

Ron White (The funny member in the Blue Collar Comedy group), ”An Interview with Ron White” - BullzEye.com:

He does not make me laugh, at all, in any way, shape or form…It looks like smoke and mirrors, but it works for him, so…And in his mind, he’s a much better comedian than he really is. I heard him the other day, grouping himself with Cosby and Pryor…You don’t even have punch lines in your show, it’s all energy, and you’re good looking. But he really puts himself up there (with Cosby and Pryor).  Full Interview. 

              MadTV’s Ike Barinholtz does an imitation of Cook:

SNL parody of Cook’s “There’s only one October” MLB advertisement:

Dane Cook’s entire act can be summed up in this video (song with video is terrible) :