George Lopez is alright!

I watched George Lopez’s “Tall, Dark & Chicano” last night and came away impressed.  It wasn’t his comedy which impressed me, because we all know this wasn’t Lopez at his best.  No, I was impressed because of the magnitude of fame to which this guy has risen to in America.  There were 14,000 people at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.  FOURTEEN THOUSAND!!!  That’s rediculous.  There have been comedians who have sold out arenas before, but never a Latino comedian, he was the first.

To most Latino comedians, American-Mexicans especially (Yeah, we’re Americans first f*ckers!), George Lopez is an idol and someone who we admire.  I have been one of those people for a long time, way before his TV show.  I remember watching Lopez in the 80′s on TV with the classic flat-top hairstyle and his funny impressions of Rodney Dangerfield.  It wasn’t until the early 2000′s that the rest of America got to discover what most Latinos already knew… this guy is hilarious!

When I started in comedy, there were a lot of rumors about Lopez that persuaded me to dislike him.  One, he hated being Mexican.  Two, he didn’t put Mexican acts in his show because he was insecure.  Three, he hated being Mexican (yeah twice).  I really don’t know where all of this came from, but it bothered me as an individual, a fan and a comedian.  My thinking was, “How can this guy hate being what makes him who he is?”  If he weren’t Mexican, then what would make him special?  He’d be just another comedian.  As for not putting up Mexicans on his stand-up shows, I really don’t care!  Really, I used to, but not now.  He’s paid his dues in comedy and should be able to put anybody he wants on his shows.  He’s been in this business for over 25 years!  He doesn’t owe anyone anything.  He was long overdue for his success and I, for one, congratulate him.

I now realize that there are a lot of people who hate or badmouth you for whatever reason.  They are probably the ones who are uncomfortable in their own skin and they want to reflect it on others.  Don’t know what it is, but I know that I have changed my opinion of George Lopez and I totally admire and am happy for what he’s accomplished (though I will not be getting a tattoo of him on my arm anytime soon).  I hope to one day reach just 1/2 of the status of Mr. Lopez.  He will always be an icon to me and a comedy living-legend.

CISCOWRITTEN