His specials made the rounds when I was growing up . I loved “ Bring The Pain ”. I especially loved “ Kill The Messenger ”. There are entire bits from his specials that I can quote almost verbatim . And Chris was important as an early influence to me ; his was the first special I saw – and everything from his aggressive pacing to his orceful delivery , from the way he exposed the BS that seems to surround us , to the fearlessness with which he did it made him stand out to me – and to so many like me . And so now here I am , a few years later , doing stand up all over the place , and it ’ s Chris Rock and a handful of other comics I have to thank for inspiring me .

By many counts , it has been a great year for comedy fans . Some favorites are back ; Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock being two very noticeable ones . Multiple Netflix specials , a full tour … all of this make us comedy fanatics incredibly happy . And in a few weeks , he ’ ll be in Oklahoma of all places . I ’ m not sure what material he ’ s going after these days , but from what I hear , it ’ s solid . Certain acts have a somewhat timeless quality about them , and it ’ s funny to think that even though we haven ’ t seen a stand up special in a few years , Chris has stayed rather active between voiceover work , his hit movie “ Top 5 ”, and the odd project like ‘ Talking Funny ’.

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In any case , I ’ m happy with how much comedy is happening in these parts . With everything happening in the world , we need good comedy . The folks at the Cherokee Casino in West Siloam Springs bring in fantastic talent every month , the Blue Whale Comedy Festival pulls in an incredible lineup of comics – both local and national – and have an amazing knack of not only picking big acts , but also choosing comics who land breaks after . The area I live in , Bentonville , is having its own comedy renaissance between a handful of pop-up shows and a brand new comedy club , The Grove . Tulsa ’ s very own Comedy Parlor has a stack of fun shows with great local comics . There are a lot of independent producers and clubs in Oklahoma as well – all of whom are adding to a greater comedy culture . All of this is possible because somewhere

Lost River Band The Gambler Bar Helena , OK

Mark Chamberlain Michelle ’ s Grand Lodge Bar & Grill Ketchum , OK

Wayne Garner Band Cherokee Casino Fort Gibson , OK

Chelsea Grin 89th Street Collective OKC , OK

Wesley Michael Hayes Lost Creek Saloon ( Bordertown Casino ) Wyandotte , OK

Jeff Foxworthy & Larry the Cable Guy Central National Bank Center Enid , OK

Turnpike Troubadours W / The Bonham Brothers Choctaw Grand Theater Durant , OK

Jared Mitchell Band Gilley ’ s ( Choctaw Casino ) Durant , OK

Arbuckle Xpress Parrot Beach Bar & Grill ( Choctaw Casino ) Durant , OK

Hosty The Hunt Club Tulsa , OK

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