I'm not romanticizing this--there were definitely horrible racial incidents and tension, but among friends the bagging culture was quite common. I think Lopez is one of the few people to demonstrate this type of humor in public which, judging from other reviews, has led many a blogger without this background to view him as a racist per se.
He does overdo the "white people accent" jokes. Such jokes were funny I suppose when they were fresh back in the Richard Pryor days or even when Chris Rock did them. But they are quite stale and unoriginal now. I especially think his joke about "tortillas vs. flatbread" is annoying. He thinks the term flatbread is used to Anglicize and sanitize the Mexican tortilla even though flatbread is really an ancient treat going as far back as Sumer and Ur! A little research on that one would have been nice. If it were just a joke, I wouldn't mind, but he recently used that joke to make a political point when he was interviewed for CNN's Latino in America.
Aside from the uncomfortable racial moments that Tall, Dark, & Chicano might induce among the uninitiated, the Chicano humor that Lopez highlights is definitely authentic and most of the time quite funny. If you can't handle raw, angry Chicano humor or if you are a fan of Erik Estrada, then this is not the CD for you. For nice, cute, Hispanic humor, I definitely recommend Lopez Tonight or reruns of The George Lopez Show.
Article comments
1 - Kathy
I agree with many of things you reference in your article. I am a fan of most of Lopez' work but only someone who understands what he's talking about, finds his comedy - well - funny. You remember how your parents did it, and looking back on it - it's all funny. lol..
Good job Rey!!
2 - Rey Lopez-Calderon
Thanks Kathy.