Incomparable Comedy Legend

Countless philosophies, ideologies, and viewpoints  attempt to define stand-up comedy.  The late Charlie Barnett provided an example of what a masterful, living legend looked like. We are talking about a comedian whose influence goes beyond what has been said in interviews and biographies.  Charlie Barnett’s life was mythic, due to the confluence of his comedy act and his actual life. Regardless, he is still the comedic blueprint for the streets. The proof  is the fact that Barnett proved that he could thrive on any level, if that is what he wanted to do. Comedy clubs, concert arenas, stadiums, television, and film roles were all within  his reach.   

Consider reading the book, Zen and the Art of Stand-Up Comedy, by Jay Sankey, where readers are invited to  ask themselves deeper questions about life. Is comedy entertainment, or is it simply a way to address life’s questions?  Jay Sankey stated that, “For all its apparent silliness, one person making many others laugh is no laughing matter. Especially when you consider that, sometimes the closest we can come to talking about the things that really matter to us is when we makes jokes about them … and laugh.” We are in a time when sensitive topics can not be openly discussed.  If certain subjects are talked about, the backlash may be filled with accusations of hate speech.

Barnett didn’t need the entertainment industry to falsely pad his career or push him forward.  The book, Laughing Legends: How The Comic Strip Club Changed The Face of Comedy, by Jeffrey Gurian & Richie Tienken,  features an introduction to the book where Chris Rock wrote how, “There was one guy named Charlie Barnett who worked the streets putting down a hat for tips. But every now and again he would come inside (when it rained) and work The Strip, where he made less money.”  Chris Rock went on to  describe a stand-up comedy routine Charlie Barnett performed on that particular night.  The performance that Chris Rock described was legendary.

A New York Times article, Catch Charlie Barnett and Other Rising Stand-Up Stars Who Never Hit the Top, by Jason Zinoman, Aug. 16, 2015, missed an  important point. Charlie Barnett was at the top already, since it depends on which “top” one is speaking about. He was at the top of wherever he wanted to be.  How? Because Charlie Barnett was his own man and his talent was clear.  Entertainment executives would be livid because of the way Charlie missed important meetings, and the reasons why he did that go deeper than what most might say. 

A book that Ivan Solotaroff wrote called, No Success Like Failure: The American Love of Self-Destruction, Self-Aggrandizement, and Breaking Even,  contains a reprint of a Village Voice article he originally wrote titled, King of the Park: Cracking Up With Charlie Barnett. We could mention article upon article that talks about Charlie Barnett, yet the real story is the fact that Charlie Barnett existed outside of the  mainstream entertainment business.  Yes, he appeared on TV, film, and at the top comedy venues in the country. There was more to his complexity than that though.

Some people might say, all Charlie wanted to do was use drugs.  That is the simple way out of the conversation.  There were other factors that most people didn’t care to address and they probably could not address them properly if they tried. The point is clear: the nature of capitalism is based on usury. In the United States, that is the major issue that has not been resolved in 400 years. Another  question is, why do some people still interact with street culture, after they have gotten inside the doorway of legitimate business opportunity?  The truth of the matter is, the entertainment industry can be more ruthless than street life and the criminal underworld ever were.

Philosophically, what is the purpose of life? Is it economic success?  We must make the determination for ourselves. Charlie Barnett didn’t function by the same set of rules listed in the unwritten stand-up comic’s guide to living life. If you know enough about life,  that point will be well received.

The reality is, there are countless instances of Charlie Barnett being helpful when he did not have to be.  A good example of his good-heartedness was the brotherhood that formed between Charlie Barnett and Dave Chappelle.  Charlie and Dave met early in Dave’s career, long before Chappelle’s Show happened.  When Chappelle first revealed that bit of information in some of his early magazine interviews, common sense told anyone paying attention that the already-funny Dave Chappelle might reach greatness.  Charlie Barnett was at the top of the comedy world and epitomized greatness. Ask Dave Chappelle.