Blast frome the Past: Great Dane Cook

Published in the Tuesday, April 27, 2004 Edition of The Heights

At some point last week, you might have been asked, "Who is Dane Cook?" You knew he was a regular on Comedy Central, including the insanely funny puppet show Crank Yankers.

You knew he was a pretty famous stand-up comedian, but he didn't really have the crossover recognition of a Dave Chappelle or a Jim Breuer. So just who is Dane Cook?

He's a hilarious guy, as anyone who saw him at Conte Forum last Saturday night can attest. The Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) presented Dane Cook and two other comics in a show that made up for its lack of instant name recognition with non-stop laughs.

The first of Cook's opening acts was a name familiar to most BC students. Greg Johnson, a Hello ... Shovelhead! alum, former Heights columnist, and BC '03, gave students a taste of the nervous, self-deprecating humor they'd been craving since his graduation.

Johnson joked about hometown themes like riding the T and commented on some awkward interactions with his mom and grandmother. As funny as he was, it would be interesting to find out whether Johnson got more laughs for his jokes or just for his own giggling after each of them.

Jay Davis, Cook's opening act on his national tour, followed Johnson. There's no doubt that Davis was funny, but a lot of the audience's laughs were hesitant. Perhaps his gay-themed humor would have gone over better in front of a campus not currently struggling with issues of its own gay identity.

When Cook finally took the stage, a lot of students probably didn't know what to expect.

Fortunately, once the comedian started talking, the crowd was too busy laughing to maintain any suspicions about how funny he could be. Cook's frenetic pace and unexpected randomness kept the crowd on its toes and in the aisles.

After all, who wouldn't laugh at the thought of a bunch of friends being tossed about in the back of a cement mixer? Or coming home to punch your bison in the head? Or walking down the street, only to hear a police cruiser turn on its "ha-ha" mode sirens?

Cook's act was all over the place, in a good way. He went from his dream pet (an armor-clad monkey) to his dream house (a mystery house, fully equipped with secret laboratories and trap doors leading to a swamp three miles away). One minute he was talking about Brian, the friend that no one likes. The next, he was transforming into a vomit-breathing dragon.

For those who cringed at the filthy, raunchy comedy stylings of last year's performer, the aforementioned Chappelle, Cook offered a relatively clean alternative.

Only at the end of the show did Cook dive into his raciest bit (if the phrase "big money, no Whammies" means anything to you, you know what I'm talking about). Cook finished his act and left the stage before some rogue Jesuit could give him the hook, but he definitely left the crowd wanting more.