Stand-up comedy isn’t about just having
funny jokes; it’s about controlling the crowd
and getting them to do what you want them
to do. Few have done crowd-control better
than Bernie Mac did here. Why did Bernie do
better than almost everyone in this situation?
“I ain’t scared of you motherfuckers!”
That’s why. This performance came from an
episode of the old HBO “Def Comedy Jam”
series, and this particular episode featured a
crowd that was famously hostile. In one of his
first major performances of comedy, Bernie
Mac came out and was able to
immediately sway the crowd in his favor,
largely because of his quick delivery and
outspoken fearlessness of the crowd.
In two minutes, Bernie Mac told jokes almost
exclusively about his being “blessed” and
about “sex in a can”. That was his material, it
got over quickly, and it is still a legendary
moment in comedy today.
60