Tracy Morgan finds new life in near-death experience
Special jumps from Biggie and Jesus to love and forgiveness
In Tracy Morgan’s first comedy special since his near-fatal accident in 2014, he’s different from the silly Tracy Morgan fans know from Saturday Night Live: He’s more insightful.
“We can get right to it. Everybody knows I got hit by the (expletive) Walmart truck,” says the comedian at the top of his Netflix stand-up show Staying Alive, shot at New Jersey’s Count Basie Theatre in October and available to stream on Netflix. “It could’ve been worse,” Morgan jokes. “I could’ve been injured by a Bob’s Discount Furniture truck, driven by some dude name Rico.”
Much like the way comedian Tig Notaro turned her breast cancer diagnosis into an iconic stand-up-set, Morgan mines his personal hell — eight days in a coma and months of rigorous physical and speech therapy — for comedy. He mostly succeeds with original jokes that reassure the audience that he’s still got it, even after breaking “every bone in my face,” as he says.
“When I was in my wheelchair, I still shopped at Walmart. You can’t beat (their) prices,” he says, making light of his accident. “After my settlement, everything went up a penny.”
Morgan doesn’t use notes, doesn’t take breaks and doesn’t need water. Instead, he goes for an hour straight, pacing the stage and opting to sit only when the position works well with a story he’s telling.
He’s at his best when recalling his short stint in heaven, where he met everyone from Elvis to Biggie (“looks good, lost weight”) and Jesus. (“He’s cool— he’s New Testament.”) The comic’s breakdown of his dysfunctional relatives. (“They give you the strength and motivation to get better… so you can get away from them.”) And dynamics of his new marriage also offer laughs.
But the comedy special’s not all giggles. Morgan gets sentimental and might make viewers wateryeyed when he shows love for his devoted fans, for his young daughter whom he took his first post-accident steps with, and even for the truck driver who put him in the hospital.
“I forgave the driver that hit me,” Morgan says, before hitting fans with a great punchline. “I tell you who is mad at me . ... All of my white neighbors.”
So there’s no need to worry: After all of the time away from stand-up, it’s still classic, goofy Morgan on that stage, with plenty of dirty jokes about breasts, butts, penises and reality stars, namely Caitlyn Jenner, whom he devotes plenty of cringe-inducing time to.
And if for some reason you needed more convincing that the guy who embodies the erratic Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock is back, it becomes very clear when a female fan unexpectedly shouts at Morgan from the crowd.
“I love you, too,” replies Morgan. Then he tells the woman to flash him.