Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 11, 1993 TAG: 9303100251
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
ACTOR HOPES TO BREAK STEREOTYPE FOR BLACK ROLES
Moviegoers remember Chris Rock for his harrowing portrayal of a crack addict in Mario Van Peebles' "New Jack City." TV viewers know him for his work as a regular on "Saturday Night Live."Now he has become a true Hollywood hyphenate as co-writer/co-producer and star of "CB4," a new comedy that opens nationally Friday. That means that he's also working to publicize the film, but the first day of his first promotional tour didn't go as expected.
When he appeared on a public-radio talk show in Washington, D.C., he found himself fielding some sharp questions. Listeners wanted to know why he is so underused on "SNL" and why, when he did appear, his characters were so stereotyped. These were not the thoughtless "you-stink-and-I-hate-you" insults of ignorant jerks.
Generally, the callers seemed to like Rock's work as a stand-up comedian and actor, but it was clear that many held him to a higher standard than they applied to other performers. They weren't shy about expressing their opinions, and, for a time, it seemed like they were feeding on each other's anger.
A few hours later, when Chris Rock sat down to talk with newspaper writers, he was still a bit off-balance. On this kind of tour, people are supposed to tell you how funny you are and how terrific your movie is. They're not supposed to give you a hard time. Rock admitted that it was the first time he'd heard that kind of criticism, but he wasn't completely surprised by it.
"It was something I'd always suspected," he said, "I'm sure Eddie Murphy got the same thing for doing Buckwheat."
It's an ironic criticism to level at Rock because he's concerned with stereotypes, particularly some new ones that have attached themselves to black characters in movies and on TV. "Whenever there's a middle-class black person - someone who's working - he's portrayed very corny to the point that no one would want to be that guy. They strip all the soul out of that guy. But why can't you have a good job and have soul?"
In "CB4," he "wanted to make sure that the main character and his family have soul. They live in a nice house, the father has a job, they're normal people, but they're still very black. I wanted that to be seen on screen."
The main characters in "CB4" are three young middle-class men who assume the identities of hardened convicts - from Cell Block 4 - and then become famous "gangsta rappers." Their rap parodies, written by Rock, make Ice-T's "Cop Killer" sound like "Mary had a Little Lamb." Viewers who don't know N.W.A. from a C.P.A will get few of the jokes.
Rock admitted that his inspiration for much of the humor came from outside the rap community. He cited "This is Spinal Tap"; "The Rutles," an inspired Beatles parody; and Woody Allen's first movie, "Take the Money and Run" as films that he watched repeatedly before he started "CB4."
From a financial point of view, the question about "CB4" is how wide an audience it will find. Rock thinks that if record sales are any indication, he's on solid ground. "Rap is a white thing now," he said. "Black people are looking for something new to do. Most rap records are sold to white kids now."
Asked how he felt about the crossover factor and the whitewashing of rap, he answered, "I have no problems with any of it." His real complaint about the music business was its emphasis on looks and image. He doesn't like to see rap mishandled by people who don't understand or appreciate it.
"Rap is an American folk tale told by ghetto kids, the new blues. I hope the day never comes when it's unhip for a black person to rap."
It is, after all, his music, and that's why he can poke fun at it.