The Jester’s Privilege ~ Katt Williams: World War III
Put whatever connotations you want on this, but Katt Williams, after 50 years and over three decades in show business, will always be a stand-up comic first.
I say that about a lot of comedians, a lot of good ones even. However, I’m not sure any of them hold a candle to Williams’ consistency. Unlike most performers I’ve reviewed, I’m actually quite familiar with this man’s work. “The Pimp Chronicles” and “Great America,” are the ones I’ve seen in full, but clips from his large body of work are nearly impossible to miss. Even his “pimpin’” look is iconic, which is probably best described as if the Fairy Godmother bibbidi-bobbidi-boo’d a blunt in an antique glass ashtray.
The good news with his new special, “World War III,” is that anything you would expect from him, you got. The high energy physical comedy, the proselytizing tone, the way too much detail into his sex life, all of the staples of a Katt Williams show, minus maybe the political focus, are there for you to enjoy. The topic on his mind is truth-telling: sorting out the truth from the lies, but in a more benign way. Like, have you noticed that there’s a chicken wing shortage, but not a chicken shortage? Katt did. Have you noticed the opioid crisis hasn’t been treated the same as the War on Drugs from the 1980’s? Katt did. Have you noticed that if you forget a hydrogen molecule in water, all you have is a HO? Of course, Katt did.
However, where there is consistency, there’s monotony, and to be quite honest with you, I found myself dragging through this special at times. It was actually kind of nice: he would start rambling on about something, I’d get distracted on my phone, look up and ask, “wait what was he talking about?” and he would just repeat his point over and over again so I wouldn’t get lost. There’s way too much space in between jokes, and though he can command a crowd, I can’t say the same as someone who didn’t see this show live.
To say Williams coasted through this special is a bit harsh, but in both the positive and the negative sense of the phrase, he definitely was not trying. It is hard to do, but he found a way to perform in a way that was effortless, but lacking effort. When you have a formula that works, it is easy to fall back on it, and while I think there was enough fresh material to get through the hour, it was clear that he relied on his stature and reputation rather than the content.
That’s what I mean with whatever connotations to being a comic first. He was Katt Williams, that’s what you got. Nothing more, and nothing less. On one hand, it’s great to see someone that has touched so many lives (albeit, maybe a little too hard in a few cases) be an unwavering voice throughout the years, but if you’re looking for something fresh and new, this is not the place to look. In the grand scheme of things, you probably could just watch one of his older specials. You’d get the gist of this one.
5/10
