![]() ![]() ![]() To be “among the people”-just having a conversation, in the flesh-now simply means not being online. These are aesthetic decisions with ethical undertones, designed to signal that Ansari, one of the most successful comedians of the past twenty years, is actually a man of the people.īeing out “among the people” used to be about collapsing socioeconomic boundaries, but now it means something different. When Ansari sits on a stool in front of the crowd, he is almost at eye level this gives the comedy special the feel of an intimate conversation among peers rather than a superstar on a pedestal performing to civilians. Gone is the suit, replaced with a cardigan and a knit beanie. Brief, unstudied, and muted, the special begins with a shot of Ansari, now thirty-eight, standing backstage at the Comedy Cellar, waiting to be called onstage for a performance that has not yet been announced to the venue’s guests. His new special, “Nightclub Comedian,” shows how far he has come from that era of physicality and ardor. ![]() He wore a suit yelled repeated phrases over and over again and gesticulated wildly to drive home stories and exaggerate punch lines about his favorite subjects, which included online dating, tacos, Kanye West, and casual racism against brown people. In his early comedy specials, he brimmed with enthusiasm and exasperation. Aziz Ansari is a comic as well known for his physical performances as he is for his jokes. ![]()
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