While reviewing Mo Gilligan's *In the Moment*, I realized that all male stand-up comedians, more or less, see life the same way, especially when it comes to the topic of women. They may come from different countries. They may come from entirely different social backgrounds. Their life experiences may be radically different. But so much of our society is still governed by patriarchy, which makes them seem to share the same opinions.
Now, I know that most men love having their opinions—the ones formed by being molded by that same patriarchy that has affected their idols—validated by these comedians. These comedians validate those opinions to foster loyalty; it's a vicious cycle. I don't share that mindset; if I keep seeing the same wine in different bottles, I'll get bored and complain. But complaining isn't enough; it's important to seek out voices that deviate from the norm and offer new perspectives. And the nature of my work is such that it answers my prayers in the most unexpected ways. I mean, I was complaining about the lack of diversity in stand-up specials, and a few hours later, here I am talking about Sommore and his work on Chandelier Fly.
Director: Kevin Layne
Writers: Wayne Baxley, Sommore
Stars: Sommore
Directed by Kevin Layne and written by Sommore and Wayne Baxley, the plot of Chandelier Fly begins with jokes about men, men's clothing, and what it says about their sexuality. I won't say anything is politically correct, but the way Sommore interprets the situation from the perspective of Black solidarity makes it very funny. I don't know what to make of the comparison between Usher and Billy Dee Williams. They're iconic in their own way, and I think Billy Dee Williams is the Billy Dee Williams of every generation; he can't be replaced by someone like Usher. But that's just my opinion. Anyway, Sommore explores the concept of "Black Love" by talking about how its popularity compels people in high society to indulge it. And to explain the limitations of "Black Love," he mentions Tito Jackson, O.J. Simpson, and the public reaction to their deaths. Disrespectful, yes, but he was referring to Tito and O.J., so I'm fine with it. Sommore then moves on to an objectification of Kendrick Lamar—something I'd never heard or seen before—and the way he transitions from his joke about young people overanalyzing the subliminal messages in his songs to his mockery of young people for ignoring the warning signs during Trump's presidential campaign is sublime.
Sommore's rant about Trump isn't all that original because you can't say exactly what you want to say about him, and what you can say without going to jail has already been said. That said, what he says about the importance of teaching your culture to the next generation, since these fascist politicians are erasing it from existence, is incredibly important and relevant. Yes, Sommore speaks specifically about African American culture, but I think it's applicable to every country. Countries that have stolen artifacts from places they colonized in the past and then stored them in their museums are now removing them from display to deprive people of the opportunity to see that part of history. And they're doing it out of sheer spite. Then there are the history books, which are available in schools. That is to say, history books are written primarily from the perspective of the colonizer or the oppressor, and then censored to suit "modern sensibilities," which usually means "we're not tarnishing the narrative that benefits the descendants of colonizers and oppressors." But now, apparently all the fascists in the world are thinking that if they've already blocked our access to the oceans of knowledge about our ancestors, why not block the channels that provide us with fragmentary information? So, yes, learn about your culture and history as much as you can and then share it with the next generation. Stay informed.
Sommore's diatribe against Trump isn't entirely original, since you can't say exactly what you want to say about him, and what you can say without going to jail has already been said. That said, what he says about the importance of teaching one's own culture to the next generation, since these fascist politicians are erasing it from existence, is incredibly important and relevant. Yes, Sommore speaks specifically about African American culture, but I think it's applicable to every country. Countries that have stolen artifacts from places they colonized in the past and then stored them in their museums are removing them from display to deprive people of the opportunity to see that part of history. And they do it out of pure spite. Then there are the history books, which are available in schools. In other words, history books are primarily written from the perspective of the colonizer or oppressor, and then censored to suit "modern sensibilities," which usually means "we're not tarnishing the narrative that benefits the descendants of colonizers and oppressors." But now, apparently, every fascist in the world is thinking that if they've already blocked our access to the oceans of knowledge about our ancestors, why not set up the media outlets that provide us with fragmented information? So, yes, learn as much about your culture and history as you can, and then share it with the next generation. Stay informed.
Now, in stark contrast to all those cultural and historical comments, Sommore's observations about the girls involved in the "Shannon Sharpe case" and the "Diddy case" border on the problematic. He admits that he has a habit of viewing serious situations from angles that haven't been explored by the general public or experts because it's the only way to process these things. In other words, as a layperson, if you constantly take these news stories at face value and react immediately, you're bound to go crazy after a while. Therefore, it's worth considering Sommore's approach of taking a step back and viewing everything from a slightly comical and perhaps optimistic perspective. That way, you address the elephant in the room while not being overwhelmed by the weight of the world. I like how Sommore handles "sex scandals." While everyone else sees it as an opportunity to generalize about women because the patriarchy allows men to get away with almost everything, Sommore seemingly turns the matter into a character study. In doing so, she limits her criticism to the "guilty party" and avoids the awful practice of promoting stereotypes.
For the final stretch of Chandelier Fly, Sommore focuses on inspiring women with a line she heard in an interview with GloRilla. And it's brilliant. Of course, those who watch Sommore's work regularly will find this quite ordinary. But for someone who's only ever seen male comedians and endured their ambiguous or retrograde praise of women, this segment of Sommore's Netflix special is like finding an oasis in the desert. It's genuinely refreshing to see Sommore praise women simply for existing, because, well, the situation is tough.
Everything is geared toward humiliating, denigrating, and desecrating anything a woman does. Breaking that glass ceiling is a daunting task. And it can be overwhelming and demoralizing to bounce back every time you've been blocked. However, according to Sommore, if you're comfortable in your own skin and constantly remind yourself that you are enough, you'll have the strength to keep fighting. On top of all that, I have to give a shout-out to Sommore's costume design. Men should take note before stepping on stage in front of thousands of people in the most boring outfit imaginable. Yes, this is a man's world, but that doesn't mean they have to keep doing the bare minimum. Overall, yes, I enjoyed Sommore's Netflix special and I hope to see more female-focused stand-up comedy shows.
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