Mohr is More!
Color me surprised to discover how quickly one’s perception can change about a performer based on just a few seemingly innocuous factors. Or even one.
Case in point: SNL alum, best-selling author, television and radio personality, and actor Mr. Jay Mohr. I’ve never hated the guy but found him to be nowhere near as amazing as the hype would have you believe. Yes I appreciated his Christopher Walken impersonation and liked his work in Jerry Maguire and Jane Austen’s Mafia! but his acumen as a stand-up comedian and multihyphenate seemed based more on his relationships and timing rather than the kind of talent it takes to typically ride that many golden chariots. Add to that the fact I didn’t really enjoy Gasping for Airtime, his behind-the-scenes look at Saturday Night Live and you have in me what most circles would only construe as not a fan of Jay Mohr.
But it’s amazing how one XM Radio special on the man can change the whole outlook for a guy typically married to his opinion. A few weeks ago driving home from the airport I heard the XM Unmasked interview with Mohr and it was funny, frank, touching, and compelling from start to finish. As good as most comedy specials and on par with many of the A&E Biography type programs that seem to be popping up more and more frequently.
From his Tracey Morgan and Alan Arkin impersonations [amazing], to his self effacing look at his onscreen work to his candid memories of the panic attacks he fights to stay in control of Jay Mohr was in control and extremely funny. Makes you wonder just how many other gems are in the entertainment business earning hate or indifference when their real value is being untapped.
What if Mario Lopez was more than just sinew strapped to muscular madness? What if he was really adept at telling dead baby jokes or if he could fold a sheet of paper into an equisite origami K.I.T.T.? We may never know. What if Abigail Breslin isn’t a wide-faced fascimile of childish humanity but actually a wonderful girl with a delicate and moving singing voice? What if Toni Basil has all these years simply been a misused legend of the bagpipe?
We often snap to judgment and are left to deal with the choice of giving these people the time to win us over or rail on them repeatedly thoughout time. It’s nice to be proven wrong now and again, especially when given an audience with the real person behind the celebrity.
Problem is, now I’m going to be going out of my way to give all these people I’m not fond of a chance and that totally cuts into my precious hate time.
– Nick Nunziata
MySpace \ Facebook \ IMDB \ Rotten Tomatoes
And for the hell of it, a little ditty I like to call Tummy Rape: