Recently, one of the kings of comedy, Eddie Murphy, announced his return to stand-up comedy, which has garnered a great deal of excitement from fans old and young alike. Of course, one of the biggest questions surrounding the announcement is just what kind of comedy we can expect to see from the SNL veteran?
Would he return to his roots with his “Raw” takes on society and disregard for topics that were certainly not fit for his Dr. Doolittle audience? Or rather, would we see a more introspective approach with more mature, but watered down on the profanity, approach based on his experiences?
It’s been ages since we’ve seen Murphy on stage doing comedy so the curiosity is definitely justified. Whatever the answer, it seems clear that not even Murphy himself was sure as to how to proceed and so he sought the wisdom of another comedic giant, Jamie Foxx.
Foxx was quoted from a conversation he had with The Hollywood Reporter’s Actors Roundtable about a meeting he had with Murphy on the topic of his return to comedy and how that discussion transpired. Foxx stated,
“When I go talk to Eddie, I was at Eddie’s house and he was talking about getting back into comedy, into stand up. But he’s like, ‘How?’ I said, ‘Eddie, if you want to get back into it I can help you. First thing you gotta do is fix your house.’ He’s like, ‘What you mean?’ I said, ‘Your house is too perfect. You’ve got the candles scented and all that shit.’ I said, ‘Eddie at my crib, I have shit at my house that doesn’t work on purpose so I stay funny.’ I got this little carpet that’s in the kitchen that’s sort of ruffled up. And I got a bathroom where you turn on the faucet and it sprays out. My daughter’s like, ‘Why don’t you fix that?’ I said, ‘I feel like if I fix all this shit I won’t be funny.”
No surprise here that the conversation itself is a bit comical and it seems appropriate that if Eddie needed some advice, he would turn to another comedian turned movie star in Foxx. What is surprising is the advice itself. Foxx didn’t get into what type of comedy Murphy should do or where he should launch his return to the stage.
Instead, Foxx went right back to the basics of comedy – the human condition and experience. Just like many musicians tend to lose their inspiration after the first couple albums are released, a comic’s true genius is how they take those everyday thoughts in the back of our minds or those daily frustrations and bring them into the light of day so we can ALL laugh about it.
If you’ve been living a charmed existence in the lap of luxury, it is easy to lose perspective on the challenges that your audience faces and often that means a lack of comedic connection. Not only is Foxx’s advice insightful, it is refreshing and perhaps it had the intended impact on Murphy’s return.
Certainly, Murphy was able to get back into typical form as his appearance as the host of Saturday Night Live was received with rave reviews. Additionally, he has a couple film projects in works on the tail of last year’s Dolemite is My Name that include Coming 2 America and yet another sequel to the blockbuster action-comedy franchise, Beverly Hills Cop 4.
There is no doubt that his stand-up schedule will debut to packed houses across America. We will be first in line for tickets.