Eddie Murphy’s Memberberries

Recently I watched Saturday Night Live with Eddie Murphy. It was Mrs. Curmudgeon’s idea. My first reaction was “Saturday Night Live still exists?” I guess it does. What do I know?

It was OK watching Eddie Murphy re-enact the 1980’s and we all laughed. Me too… even though he didn’t deliver the jokes well, the jokes weren’t new, and the whole thing was just a walk down memory lane. God help me, am I in the demographic that’s doomed to spend their remaining waning years reliving lost youth? Fuck that!

Here’s a clip of the introduction. It’s the only original part. It’s got blacky blackness of blackitude… which is pretty damn edgy for 1946 and seems a bit odd for 2019. Then again what do I know? It was precisely funny enough to be OK. A solid B grade in the “phoned it in” funniness index. My only disappointment was Dave Chappelle, who I view to be an absolute master, just standing there kind of being average. Dave, you can do so much better. Cash your huge check and then get back to rocking the world like you should.

All through the show, Eddie Murphy delivered lines from all his fresh new skits of 1984. Gumby, Buckwheat, Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood… exactly all the things from 35 years ago. He delivered them with a workmanship ability that’s totally average. He hammed it up a little, flubbed lines a bit, and did just exactly the right level of smack dab in the middle of the bell curve that lets a former bright shining star cash in at retirement age.

I tried to enjoy it and it didn’t suck… but I’d seen this before. But where?

And then I read about a totally different comic in a totally different venue. One that was willing to skate on thinner ice and therefore far outshine Murphy’s fading wattage. Ricky Gervais ripped into the Hollywood elite and their pinhead failures like a champ. He did it at the Golden Globes and I caught the clip later on.

It wasn’t as masterful as Chappele right now or George Carlin in his prime but it was a whole lot better than Murphy’s safe walk though yesterday. I still couldn’t get around the conundrum: What’s the word for Murphy’s totally non-threatening performance in 2019 versus his excellence in 1984?

The answer is Memberberries. South Park, which doesn’t fuck around with milquetoast wimpy pandering, has explained it all. God bless Matt and Trey, those weird and unrepentant geniuses! American Greatness saw the link I already knew was there but couldn’t define. Well done!

Eddie Murphy in 2019 did nothing but stand on stage and remind people of pleasant things from long ago. Fucking Memberberries! “Member Buckwheat? Member Gumby? Wasn’t Gumby greaaaat?”

Here’s a clip of Memberberries in action. They sound just like Eddie Murphy… artlessly reminding us of happy times in the past. Murphy does “Member Gumby?” Southpark does “Member Ghostbusters?” Both are from 1984 and both were very funny 35 years ago. The point is Member anything: it makes you happy but it’s not a joke and it’s not funny. It’s a generic fleeting unconnected dopamine hit for the right demographic. Even for the target audience, there’s a chuckle and then it’s gone. Also gone; the creative spark that made the original funny in the first place.

American Greatness continues:

“Instead of taking risks to build a new culture, we are like scavengers, rapidly deconstructing the edifices our ancestors constructed. That’s because yet another remake, sequel, or spinoff is guaranteed to turn a profit as the public binges for another day on memberberries.”

Well said. We know the way to go. All we need are the people who can make the trek. Lets hope that Chappelle and South Park and Ricky Gervais are up to the task… may they do the heavy lifting that Murphy didn’t.