I’m not ready to make nice. I’m not ready to back down. – Dixie Chicks.
The country gals definitely sings their 2007 Grammy winning song of firm defiance a lot better, but two comics, Carlos Mencia and Joe Rogan now loudly warble it more passionately. Dixie Chicks squarely aimed the song in response to a political scuffle with George W. Bush, which resulted in fans demanding an apology. Recently, Mencia and Rogan metaphorically adopted the musical riff as catchy refusal to end their current feud.
Left out? Here’s a primer. After long standing animosity between the two, Joe Rogan confronted Carlos Mencia at The Comedy Store, a popular comedy club in Los Angeles, CA. Footage of them furiously mixing it up verbally on stage can be seen at YouTube. Rogan’s beef is Mencia has been stealing from comic friends for a long time. He even brought Ari Shaffir, a Jewish comic up on stage to make the specific charge that Mencia stole a joke about building a fence on the border of Texas and Mexico with the hilarious comic irony of the fence builders having to be Mexicans or illegal workers themselves.
Carlos Mencia held his ground, vehemently denied the charges, then later demanded an apology from Rogan – apparently the two share the same talent agency – even the same agent. Rogan now reports his agent from The Gersh Agency called to say a “choice had to be made…” If Rogan didn’t apologize to Mencia, he’d have to drop him as a client. OY!
Aren’t comics supposed to bring us together through their observant banter, which skewers the absurdity of human nature? Here’s an open letter to these guys.
Joe: I didn’t cry when The Man Show was cancelled on your watch, though Fear Factor is ok – despite fetish like obsession with insects. You may have valid charges against Carlos Mencia – Ari Shaffir certainly backs you up. Bobby Lee of MAD-TV is seen on tape starting to support you, then flipping out when he sees the camera rolling. Yeah, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, but dude, confronting him on stage? Was it cool? You’re banned from The Comedy Store until further notice, or until there’s a need for more publicity. Maybe you should have called Mencia from Howard Stern’s show or something more civilized? But YouTube is the instant way to get your point across. What’s your next move? How about your reality show? The Joe Show. Does all of this have anything to do with that? A reality show exploiting something – tell me it isn’t so, Joe!
Carlos: Should I call you Ned? Your real name is Ned Holness. You’re half German and half Guatamalean. But so what? I’m half German. It’s done wonders for me. Carlos Holness or Ned Mencia, whichever, the thing here is you have a big show on Comedy Central. It may not beThe Chappelle Show, but how many ever could be? I’d just go with the flow and forget. But listen – STOP STEALING JOKES! That’s if you are… If you’re not, keep doing those, um, cutting edge beaner jokes, my half White, half Hispanic dude! Hey! How about throwing in some new sauerkraut jokes now!? The BMW Beaner?
