The countercultural revolution of the ‘60s coincided with remarkable advancements in recording and broadcast technology. With the two occurring in tandem, it became easier than ever for fanbases to develop around adored figures in pop culture. This proved to be a boon for stand-up comedians who, given the transgressive era they operated in, gained notoriety among young people for putting truth to power — in other words, giving voice to and reflecting the fears, concerns and sensibilities of young people. In short, they called it as they saw it.
For pop-culture obsessives (half of the Alligator office), the practice of organizing and debating the comedy canon is a cherished one. When people talk about iconic comedic figures of the last 50 years, a group of names are usually thrown around.
Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld and Dave Chappelle are all comedians who could be said to have embodied the Zeitgeist of their times during the most active periods of their careers.
Which brings us to 2015, seven years into the ‘10s (is that what we’re calling it?). Whose sensibilities, whose persona, whose musings have best captured the spirit of our times?
With the release of his new series "Master of None" on Netflix, the answer may well be Aziz Ansari. For those unfamiliar with Ansari’s work, here’s a CliffsNotes summary of his persona: loud, eager Indian-American raised on a healthy diet of American pop culture makes deep, meaningful insights into how strange it is to live in the 21st century while simultaneously transforming anecdotes about hanging out with Kanye West into comedic gold.
For those of a certain age (read: the classes of 2013-2016), the development of Ansari’s public persona and his career trajectory has served as a funhouse mirror to their own personal development. Take "Human Giant" for instance. The MTV sketch-comedy, which aired from 2007-2008, saw Ansari operating in a free-wheeling, absurdist and improvisational manner — fitting material for middle school-aged millennials honing their comedic sensibilities.
Ansari’s breakout role as Tom Haverford on "Parks and Recreation," as well as his bit movie parts and stand-up specials, are befitting of a young person experiencing success for the first time. Like Ansari at this point, we’re all hungry, we’re all hustling and we doubt there’s a single person who doesn’t find the antics of R. Kelly and Kanye West hilarious.
Which brings us to the present. With many of us on the cusp of real-life adulthood, and Ansari having become an American comedy institution, his works have probed the same question many millennials are facing: What now? "Master of None," along with his book "Modern Romance" and most recent comedy special have all directly confronted and interrogated the ennui that seems to be pervading our generation. We’ve been kept in a perpetual state of youthfulness by online culture and technology: Has it stunted us? How do we navigate adult relations and problems while simultaneously regurgitating nostalgia (through our easy access of childhood favorites online) and being directly tethered to our past selves through social media?
Ansari’s development as a comedian, as well as his acute propensity for self-reflection (although, like many of us, reaching an "understanding" of ourselves seems elusive) has given our contradiction-filled generation a spokesperson. Like Ansari’s character on "Master of None," we have opportunities, intelligence, a love for hip-hop and technology on our side: So why the hell can’t we seem to make it "work"?
