Patrice O’Neal: Elephant in the Room

Last week, on a walk to give my new fake knee a workout, he began quoting what seemed to be from a movie. He had me laughing.

“What movie is that from?” I asked.

“It’s from Elephant in the Room,” he said. “And it’s not a movie. It’s a stand-up comedy routine by Patrice O’Neal.”

“Who’s Patrice O’Neal?” I asked.

“How old are you?” he said.

That night, he sent me this link to the performance.

It was very funny. As you’ll see if you watch it, O’Neal was one of those comedians, like George Carlin and Richard Pryor (whom he admired) that can get into difficult, potentially divisive material in a way that is unifying and affirming.

Elephant in the Room was one of O’Neal’s last performances. He died of a stroke in 2012, less than a year later.