If you are offended easily, stroll on. This post is not for those of a delicate nature.
The format of the Friars Club Comedy Roast has been around since the 1920s, its a simple set-up, the ‘roastmasters’ take turns at throwing comedic punches at the ‘roastee’ regarding their lifestyle, their career and anything else worth taking the piss out of. It might seem cruel, malicious and downright sick, but its all in good spirits, despite Jimmy Carr and some of his guests [and even viewers] completely missing the point and being offended in the UK version. Its probably the only time we can hear racist jokes without the principal character actually being racist, if you dont understand that concept, again, stroll on.
Here’s the audio from the Flav roast, *pop that isht in the cassette deck and laugh yer collar off next time you do a school run.
Out of all the Comedy Roasts, there are many highlights; the early Dean Martin show roasts are incredible documents, especially the Redd Foxx roast featuring Nipsey Russell and Slappy White. Jerry Stiller being roasted by his son Ben [and Jason Alexander] was absurdly funny, Bob Saget was bodied by way too many to mention, but my holy grail is probably the Chevy Chase roast from 1990. Apparently its never been repeated and never been made available again since its original broadcast. Dan Ackroyd was the host and at one point described Chevy as ‘A comedian with all the charisma of a hillside strangler’… If anyone has any knowledge of how to get hold of it, get in touch. I think I soiled myself a little the first time I heard Greg Giraldo describe Gary Busey as someone that just ‘flew in from lobotomy island’. The Richard Pryor roast was also comedy central, way before erm, Comedy Central
My personal favourite ROASTMASTER would probably be the late and also great Greg Giraldo, a man that took no prisoners in his delivery of caustic one-liners…
To Pamela Anderson: ‘I’ve jerked off to you alot, youve caused me to spill more seed than Muhammed Ali at a bird feeder’
From Flavs roast:
GREG: Ice T you fuckin fossil, youre so old, the first thing you bought with your record deal was your freedom !
JEFF ROSS, the Roastmaster General: How do we embarrass a crackhead that wears a viking helmet? How do we roast charcoal?
SNOOP: Its about time someobody said some gangsta shit up here. Knock Knock [whos there?], a Nigga wit a muthafuckin gun.
FLAV: Yo Snoop, I cant believe some of the shit you said about me, lets face it, this aint the first time you got away with murder !
RIP to Greg Giraldo and the sorely missed Patrice O’Neal
*From the MC Shan school of parenting
HOTASBALLS 