By Jamin Lin Hate her or love to hate her, it is undeniable that Joan Rivers is one of the most legendary comedians that ever lived. Joan Rivers was a woman off the fence. She lived life on her own terms. She was ballsy, gutsy, and ridiculously blunt. From her sassy debut on The Tonight Show in 1965 to her later career focusing on dissing celebrities, she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. She was a feminist before feminism became a popular bandwagon that everyone want to jump on. In a sea of male comics, she stood out by telling her unfortunate dating stories and unfairness toward women with her special brand of sarcastic humor. Many female comics nowadays, from Amy Schumer to Margaret Cho, put her on a pedestal as the pioneering female comic. But for all her self-derogatoriness, she didn’t like being called a pioneer. “It upsets me to say I’m a pioneer because I’m so current now, you know? I don’t like it when ladies come up and say, ‘Oh, you broke barriers for women.’ And I say, ‘I’m still breaking barriers.’” And, indeed, she is still breaking barriers and influencing the comedy world when her countless interviews and stand-up specials are being revisited by new and old fans. Let’s tune in to a deeper side of Joan at different times in her career. Premiering in September 1968, each episode had a theme (i.e. nudism, air quality, etc.), and Joan did an opening monologue based on the day’s topic. The show also featured an expert on the subject and a celebrity guest. Not only can you see Joan Rivers do hilarious monologues in every episode, you can also see how people lived in the 70’s. And fear not, these are not just clips but full episodes. On Hulu there are 214 of them.
Reality shows usually have a stigma of being lowbrow and brainless like the Kardashians and Real Housewives. But this one is a true comedic anomaly. It is pitched as a reality show and does follow such a structure, but with Joan in it it is more like a sitcom with Joan doing little standup sets in between. It reminds me of Seinfeld. The jokes are spontaneous and natural and the show gives the audience an exclusive view into this diva’s life. Watch the show on Amazon or Watch Series Online. Before the younger generation (or everyone) knew her as the spokesperson for plastic surgery or the funny mean lady on Fashion Police, Joan Rivers was the only permanent host other than Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, and her ratings often surpassed Johnny’s. In this book, she recounts how she was boycotted after leaving the show to create her own, and the injustices she suffered as the only female comedienne on TV. The book also discusses the collapse of her new show, which brought about her husband’s suicide, and her tenacious comeback story after that. You can purchase the paperback version on Amazon and to my surprise, there is even an audio version on Audible. Sound quality? Imagine an old radio station broadcasting on a rainy day. This critically-acclaimed documentary follows Joan for 14 months, mostly during the 76th year of her life. The film exposes the struggles, sacrifices, and joy when her career was at its lowest point. You can see how she comes up with her jokes and see a soft tender side when she dedicates herself to charity. You can purchase or rent the film on Amazon or stream it on Netflix. I have probably read her books more than ten times, and I watch her show whenever I feel uninspired. But A Piece of Work truly lives up to its title; it sums up the legend’s life from her first gig on The Tonight Show (Bill Cosby recommended the producer to put her on) to her connections with The Apprentice, hosted by Donald Trump. The woman was a living history and is still relevant today. My fascination with her began early when I first heard her telling her famous vagina joke: “Did you know vaginas drop? One morning I look down and say, Why am I wearing a bunny slipper? And why is it gray? It’s a good thing though. You can have sex in the bedroom and watch TV in the living room.” I became more obsessed after my first encounter with her. I was at a movie premiere and she walked out of the Plaza Hotel wearing fur in the middle of summer. I bowed down to her because I was so stunned and starstruck and she tried to bow back but she told me she couldn’t: “at this age, 79, once you bow down you can’t get it back.” The second time I met her it was at a book signing. When I was standing in line preparing my jokes to say to her, I came up with one: Joan I came all the way from Taiwan to see you, cause I thought if I don’t see you now, you might be dead soon. I decided not to say it because someone behind me in line told me it was too offensive. A year later she passed away, before I could become friends with her (in my imagination) and really say that funny line. Until now, I still regret not saying it. It wasn’t offensive at all to poke fun at death to a person whose mantra was to make fun of everything. Now I say what I want even if it offends; I do what I want even without people’s consent. That’s what Joan Rivers has taught me with regard to being funny. I want to end this article with these lessons I have learned from her, not from Donald Trump or Bill Cosby. a
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May 2024
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