One Of My Favorite Comedians: Martin Lawrence

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed laughing.  As a young child and still as an adult, I prefer to surround myself with people who enjoy the sound of laughter.  I prefer not being around people who take life too seriously and do not know how to unwind and have a good laugh.  We live in a world where natural disasters and man-made disasters happen far too often.  Laughing is a great way to forget about reality and enjoy the moment.  Some of my fondest childhood memories are times I can remember laughing until tears nearly came streaming down my face.  My closest groups of friends from college, whom I consider to be brothers, are some of the funniest people I know.  We disagree on certain issues, but we do not take ourselves too seriously and we always have a good time.

My favorite aunt hosted family gatherings at her house when I was a child.  I could always count on there being food, laughs and music.  I remember the adults telling all the kids to go to a back room to play so they could watch Russell Simmons’ show entitled Def Comedy Jam.  At the time, I had no concept of what the show was about, but I certainly knew that everyone in the house was laughing for some reason.  Not knowing what was funny and not being a part of the fun puzzled me for a number of years.  Then, when I became old enough to watch certain movies and television shows, I watched many episodes of Def Comedy Jam.  At this time, comedians such as Martin Lawrence, Bernie Mac, DL Hughley, Steve Harvey and Chris Tucker had not yet become household names.  These comedians came from different places and had totally different styles of comedy.  However, the one common thread shared by each of them was ambition.

My favorite comedian of that era is without a doubt Martin Lawrence.  When he hosted Def Comedy Jam, he said some of the funniest things I had ever heard.  He used the fame he earned on that show to enable him to have his own one-hour comedy special entitled You So Crazy.  The first time I watched You So Crazy, I could not stop laughing.  He discussed many controversial issues, but he found a way to make us laugh along the way.  One thing that makes comedians standout and Martin Lawrence to a greater extent, is their uncanny ability to laugh at their own pain.  During You So Crazy, Martin discussed an unhealthy relationship he had with an ex girlfriend.  The subject matter was somewhat serious, but his delivery was very funny.  He also had a sketch about the things people do when they are dating a person and how many of those behaviors are discarded once each person is “comfortable” in the relationship.  The way he describes the stories are hilarious; however, each joke has a great deal of truth in it as well. 

The best work Martin has performed was his self entitled show Martin.  I remember coming home from school, doing my homework and being very anxious for his show to come on.  He had some of the biggest stars in the entertainment business make guest appearances on his show.  Some of the celebrities I remember appearing on his show include The Notorious BIG, Jodeci, Tommy “The Hitman” Hearns, Halle Berry, Tyrese, Method Man, Outcast, Charlie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Shaq and many more.  My favorite character Martin played was Dragon Fly Jones but Ole Otis was probably my second favorite character I know his show was a classic because I can still watch it today and laugh like I have never seen the show before.  

Check out clips from some of my favorite episodes.

Peace