The ex-“Saturday Night Live” and HBO star may have seemed more prominent a handful of years ago, when his movie cameos and talk shows ruled both media.
But Rock has stayed as busy as ever in recent months with his TV show “Everybody Hates Chris,” lending his voice to Jerry Seinfeld’s “Bee Movie” and directing and co-writing the film “I Think I Love My Wife,” among other projects.
And did we mention his all-new, two-hour stand-up tour “No Apologies”?
“I’m going to try my best to give a great show at (Madison Square) Garden,” he told The New York Times in December. “But at the same time, in 90 days I hope to be a lot better. Things really can change over time.”
Well, Chris, your time’s nearly up. Here are five things you need to know about Rock in advance of his concert at the Wells Fargo Theatre on Sunday.
The special’s the thing.
Rock has long dominated the stand-up theater circuit, but it wasn’t always so: Despite his reputation as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” and, briefly, “In Living Color,” Rock didn’t hit it big until his second special for HBO, 1996’s “Bring the Pain,” which immediately catapulted him to the forefront of the comedy scene.
Rewarding humor.
Comedy Central crowned Rock the Fifth Greatest Stand-up of All Time, beating out Steve Martin and idols Eddie Murphy and Don Rickles. His Emmy awards (three) and nominations (15) are far outstripped by the number of American Comedy, BET Comedy, Black Reel, Blockbuster Entertainment, Image, People’s Choice, Teen Choice and MTV Movie Awards he has received over the last 11 years.
Taking it head-on.
Rock runs through controversial subjects like a remorseless hybrid of Don Rickles, Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor. Race (“Every town has the same two malls: the one white people go to and the one white people used to go to”), gay marriage (“Marriage is sacred . . .? Not in a country that watches ‘Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?’ and ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette’ “) and politics (too many Bush jokes to count) are all in his sights.
Rock has also gotten flak for his profanity while hosting a Live Earth concert segment last year on the BBC and too-close-to-home celebrity jokes, like taking a stab at Jude Law while hosting the Oscars in 2005.
Gigs all over the country.
Rock will join indie comedians David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, Zach Galifianakis, Brian Posehn and others at the 7th annual Bonnaroo music festival, a June 12-15 event that takes place near Manchester, Tenn. In November, Rock performed at the high-profile Comedy Festival at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, which also featured Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Wanda Sykes and others.
New York state of mind.
The 43-year-old comedian was born in Andrews, S.C., but soon moved to Brooklyn and later, Bedford-Stuyvesant in New York. His break came when Eddie Murphy caught him as an 18-year-old stand-up and cast him in “Beverly Hills Cop II,” Rock’s first film role. His current TV show, “Everybody Hates Chris,” is set in Brooklyn’s “Bed- Stuy: Do or Die” neighborhood.
However, Rock currently lives in Alpine, N.J., in a neighborhood that he says is also home to superstars like Mary J Blige, Jay-Z and Denzel Washington.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642; jwenzel@denverpost.com
Chris Rock
Stand-up comedy. Wells Fargo Theatre, 700 14th St. Sunday. 7 p.m. $45.50-$75.50. 303-830-8497 or .
