I never watched My Wife and Kids, so I haven’t found Damon Wayans comically relevant since Homey didn’t play that. In fact, I haven’t seen the comedian who introduced me to Louis Farrakhan on screens big or small since before my bar-mitzvah. But with the impending launch of his new comedy warehouse, brother Wayans is working hard to get his visage way out into cyberspace, to remind forgotten fans and let new ones know that he’s still funny…err…kinda funny.
If you visited YouTube’s homepage over the past week, you could catch Damon saying wassup and introducing you to the video choices he made as YouTube’s guest editor representing Black History Month. From Malcolm to pimp eating watermelon, he playfully explains his choices that certainly span the gamut of African American experiences in the U.S.
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The above is evidence that Damon’s still likable, endearing, and yes, still funny. It’s the other comedians of soon-to-launch WayOutTV who are only kinda.
###His “viral video production agency,” hasn’t launched just yet. When it does, the site will showcase videos staring Damon and a handpicked, ever-increasing crop of comedians doing their best to gain massive internet notoriety. Until then, a sampling of what’s to come can be found on WayOuTV’s YouTube page.
In the past decade and a half, the means of distribution have changed, but much of Wayan’s tastes in humor have not. While a Leprechaun pimp and a black Incredible Hulk probably would’ve cracked up a live, early 90’s In Living Color audience, it doesn’t fare as well on the internet in 2008.
But WayOutTV does have its moments, especially when it comes to spoofing burger spots. Cal’s Jr. shows how a hamburger can have homoerotic qualities and Burger Thing puts another spin on the Burger King King genre that I thought had peaked with Ben Schwartz. Damon Jr., who looks exactly like pops, also shows promise as a testosterone-charged, sexually ambiguous inmate in Big Workout. I just wish there were more vids starring his dad.
Here’s an idea for a viral video that Damon should start with: The Black Landord. It’s a sketch worth a few million hits and might even benefit from that early 90’s, In Living Color aesthetic.