Published on Jul 24, 1998
Whatever you might want to think about the ’90s as a decade, it
has spawned some of the funniest comedians we’ve ever been graced
with. People like Denis Leary, the late Bill Hicks, the late Sam
Kinison, Dennis Miller and Adam Sandler have raised laughter to a
whole new level in the last few years.
Jeff Foxworthy is another one of those elite comedians, someone
who can make us laugh at him and any stereotypes we might hold of a
group like Southerners. By making us laugh about it, he helps break
down the invisible barrier between the South and the North. His
second major label album,
Games Rednecks Play, keeps Foxworthy’s winning streak going
by creating a comedy album just as good, if not better, than its
predecessor – with one exception, which we’ll talk about later.
Foxworthy is best known for his series of comparisons called
“You Might Be A Redneck If…”, a string he only touches on during
the encore of this performance. While some might mourn the
disappearance of a good portion of this famed routine, it does
force us to recognize that Foxworthy isn’t a one-gag comedian. The
bulk of the material he performs is just as funny as the “Redneck”
ramblings. (For what it’s worth, I didn’t think the particular
bunch of “Redneck” jokes on this album were up to par.)
Foxworthy constantly lampoons his native South, such as how his
fellow residents of Atlanta would screw up the Olympics in 1996 and
how his relatives stood out when they went on a Hawaiian vacation.
Some might see the comments as prejudicial, but how can they be?
Foxworthy is as much a product of those jokes as the people he
pokes fun at. If anything, I think these jokes show us through
laughter how much we all have in common.
Games Rednecks Play also touches on some basic subjects in
comedy, such as parenthood (“I Love Being A Parent”) and the wild
days of youth (“Seek And Destroy”), all done with the same gentle
humor that Foxworthy mixes into every part of his routine. When he
does show wrath, he tempers it in a way that all of us can
appreciate. For example, he knocks people who go on talk shows and
blame their parents for all the problems in their life; out loud,
Foxworthy wishes someone would go on and say, “You know, my momma
was all right, my poppa was all right… I’m just a shithead.”
Ka-pow.
For all the good that
Games Rednecks Play has on it, the one mistake made on the
tape is the inclusion of the song “Party All Night,” a song
featuring Little Texas and Scott Rouse, which is nothing more than
a specific routine featured on Foxworthy’s last album
You Might Be A Redneck If… . Why this was even included on
this album I have no idea, though it serves as a warning of what
was to come on
Crank It Up – The Music Album.
Foxworthy’s talents as a stand-up comedian are clearly
demonstrated on
Games Rednecks Play, and is clear proof that his time in the
spotlight has been earned.