9/13/06: RightWingTrashMan: Robin Harris [Language (and poor grammar) Advisory]Before they had 9/11 conspiracy theories, Leftist dolts had Bill Hicks conspiracy theories. These were mainly along the line of, “Bill Hicks was the greatest comedian who ever lived because he told the truth—and the big corporations banned him from the airwaves.” In truth, Hicks was so lame that his fans bitterly complain that Denis Leary stole his act.
Actually, Leary was more outrageous than Hicks. At least Leary had to sell out by quitting jokes about the Kennedys. Hicks would’ve had to quit telling jokes from sixth grade. We once said that to a noted Leftist comic, and this was her response: “I didn’t hear any jokes in the sixth grade about using dead people as crash test dummies.”
Actually, she might’ve said “handicapped people.” Either way, we were too polite to point out
the obvious.
Hicks is famous for dying young. Robin Harris should at least be famous for dying just a little older. The actor and comedian was only 36 when he was suffered a fatal heart attack in 1990. He was just beginning to make a name for himself. An HBO
One Night Stand special had gotten us to go see him in
House Party—starring rap duo Kid N Play, with Harris stealing the show as a vigilant father. He passed away shortly after the film’s opening.
Mo’ Better Blues came out later that year, but not even Harris could get us to a Spike Lee joint. We waited to see that one on cable, and let's acknowledge that Lee did right by the guy. The role would’ve really made Harris a star.
If his death didn’t cost us a conservative hero, then it at least cost us a brilliant comic who dared to offend good liberals. His comedy album
Bé-Bé’s Kids includes a moment when an audience member proudly announces that he’s from Compton. Replies Harris, “How can a motherfucker be proud being from Compton? All the crime in Compton? Ain’t that a bitch!”
Harris—a father of two—wasn’t interested in keeping it real. In that same spirit,
Bé-Bé’s Kids offers a great track about the death penalty:
There’s too much crime, though. One of the reasons we have all this crime is they ain’t got no death penalty. What do they say about California? They say, “Well, one of the reasons we don’t have any death penalty is because we can’t find anybody to pull the switch.” Shit. They just ain’t asked the right motherfucker, because I’ll pull it. I won’t even take no lunch hour.That same routine made “Gotta go, gotta go!” one of Harris’ few catch phrases. The best thing about Harris’ bit, though, is that line about how they “can’t find anybody to pull the switch.” Harris says it in the nasal whine that blacks use to mock whites—in this case, good white liberals making useless excuses. We’d be offended if we weren’t laughing every single time.
Make him your own: Sadly, it’s not difficult to catch up with
Harris’ filmography. Don’t forget the animated
Bé-Bé’s Kids, either. It’s a family film based on the title routine from
Harris’ comedy album, and would’ve likely starred the comic if we hadn’t lost him. We’re set for a Robin Harris revival, too, with
Live From The Comedy Act Theater about to be reissued in
a deluxe version. There’s also
an upcoming documentary that will probably lack any right-wing content—except maybe for comments by Cedric the Entertainer.
