NSFW Sunday: Bernie Mac

When I first saw Bernie Mac, it was on a particularly uninspiring episode of Def Comedy Jam -- or at least it was until he showed up.

He had an energy that at the time seemed as if it couldn't be stopped. He was raw, real, and most of all -- hilarious. But for years Bernie seemed to struggle, because like so many stand up comedians out there, he never could seem to find a way to bottle up who he was enough to survive on TV the way that contemporaries like Cedric the Entertainer or Steve Harvey could.

So he kept touring.

In a lot of ways, Bernie became the guy that everyone talked about but you didn't see much of -- a reputation reminiscent of the comedian that he always reminded me of the most -- the great Redd Foxx. Then, (much like Foxx) when he finally did find his vehicle to the mainstream, it featured a quieted-down, utterly different version of himself.

Those of us who got a chance to experience him live or see recordings of his stand-up performances always wished there was a way to translate that essence to the rest of the world, because it was hard not to like the guy. Hard not to think that who he was on stage was exactly what he might be like in real life, which is a hard thing to do -- especially when the strength of your act comes simply from telling jokes.

Bernie didn't do bits. He didn't have impressions. Bernie told jokes. Like Robin Harris before him, the key was in the delivery. Bernie Mac was the guy at the bar who'd tell a joke you'd already heard before -- go on for for like 10 minutes with it, and still have you rolling when the punchline came across.

He will be missed.