Everything Old Is New Again

or so the old song says.

I've been watching this for some time now, slightly disappointed at the lengths that two grown people will go to over something like this. I generally shy away from the forums that MSN provides for their articles, as they usually just turn in to ugly insult-fests, but I couldn't let this one go.

I've attached a link to the article itself, and then my reply (so no one has to wade through the 15 pages of replies.....):

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=267163&GT1=7703

As has been stated many times over, there is no such thing as new comedy. Comedy borrows heavily on real life, and since illegal immigrants are so much in the news, half to 3/4 of the comedians out there will have that in their arsenal.

Also, life is cyclical, and certain things will happen over and over. Every generation will complain about the president, the state of things in the US, foreign policies, the cost of merchandise, etc etc etc.....

It is absolutely impossible for someone to make sure that every single bit of material they have didn't come from somewhere else. I cracked a joke for years about roadside graffiti that says "Jesus Saves" or "Jesus Is The Answer" that appeared all over the place around here. I said "Gee, I don't remember where it says in the bible 'Go ye forth and spray-paint my name on every rock and overpass ye find'." A few years ago, I heard someone do something similar on tv. I had never met this person. I didn't know who they were. Either they had the same idea I did, or perhaps someone I told it to told someone, and they told someone........

And for people who think that Chappelle was the originator, go listen to the late great Robin Harris, or George Wallace and you may change your mind. I love Chappelle, but he wasn't this major original thinker. He just put a modern spin on it, and made it his own. Carlos Mencia is a character that he plays. Comedians do play characters, Chappelle included. He's always been honest about his past that I have seen. Getting angry about him playing a character that isn't close enough to his real life would equate to someone getting angry at Ralph Macchio for being over 20, and not being a real martial arts champ when he did the Karate Kid (I know, bad analogy, but it's all I can come up with right now).

It happens all over the entertainment industry. George Harrison was sued by the Chiffons, and lost, because they felt that "My Sweet Lord" sounded entirely too much like "He's So Fine", and John Fogerty was sued by the other members of CCR because they said "The Old Man Down The Road" sounded too much like "Run Through The Jungle" (he won that case because he wrote both, and the court ruled you can't plagiarize yourself). I can't even begin to scratch the surface on how many tv shows and movies are re-worked and re-released.

And lastly, Joe Rogan didn't seem to have too much trouble appearing on Mind Of Mencia last season. I'm sure he collects royalties from that. I'm not hating on Joe Rogan - I believe you should stand up for what you believe in, but I just don't think the argument holds much water, and it gets weaker as time goes on.

Of course, I was quickly rebuffed, but hopefully I gave a few people something to think about. I dare anyone to say they've had an idea so original that no one had ever had it before, or they never borrowed heavily from someone else.