Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | TV | October 30, 2023
My earliest experiences with Jimmy Fallon were through his stand-up. I had seen him on SNL, but he was still part of the “new” crew. I had grown accustomed to the casts of the late ’80s and early ’90s. The new folks of the late ’90s took some getting used to. Fallon released his album The Bathroom Wall in 2002, and it would be the first stand-up album I purchased. Yet, it wasn’t the stand-up that got me interested. It was Fallon’s song “Idiot Boyfriend,” which I performed for my 7th-grade theater class, that hooked me the most. I even torrented the music video because I loved it so much. I was 13.
Fallon did not release another stand-up album after this. I loved the song, but I wouldn’t listen past the song on the first track. It wasn’t until the following year, when I purchased Dane Cook’s Harmful If Swallowed, that I would listen to every track on a stand-up album repeatedly. I’m not bragging. I’m just being honest! Fallon’s stand-up was not the main draw. It never was. Presumably, that’s why he moved on from the mic in the late aughties.
Well, Chris Rock decided that Fallon had spent enough time away from stand-up. Last Thursday, Rock convinced Jimmy to jump on stage at the Comedy Cellar. A source close to Page Six claimed the audience was “in stitches.” They were probably relieved that it wasn’t a surprise Louis set. Regardless, Fallon got on stage and told jokes instead of what he usually does.
It’s also deeply funny to me that Chris Rock would convince someone to do stand-up after The Slap. I think everyone showed their whole ass at that moment, but so much was said about things being “dangerous” for comedians now, and here’s Chris Rock convincing someone to jump into the “fire,” as it were.
The whole thing feels like a “safe space situation” to me. Safe spaces are good. People should be allowed to feel safe. They need some context. For instance, if someone was revealed to be a massive jerk to their staff and needed to flee somewhere where they could get a hit of serotonin in front of scores of slack-jawed tourists, that’s a safe space you can and should make fun of.
