Tom Green is one of those comedians you either love or hate. And after watching him perform for an hour, it is clear he thinks most people hate him.But not the fans that filled Comix in New York last night.
When he was introduced, he didn't enter from behind a curtain. He came in through a door comedians usually use to make an inconspicuous and quick exit after their set. As Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" played, all you could see was Tom's shadow high-fiving audience members since the house lights were not up. One over-joyed fan hugged Tom and yelled "Welcome back, old friend."
Ten years ago, he had his own show on MTV that skyrocketed him to the top. But Hollywood doesn't give out directions and Tom got lost. The many, many people who did not get his humor make fun of him now. They say he's a has-been. They want to see his latest project, a live late night format webcast on tomgreen.com, fail.
It won't. His fans adore him too much. His set at Comix proved that to me. They sang along with "The Bum Bum Song." They cheered at his funny faces. They felt sorry when he brought up his divorce with Drew Barrymore. They were inspired when he talked about his battle with cancer. And they laughed their asses off.
He may have been too zany and friendly for Hollywood, but that's exactly the sort of character that the Internet loves. And soon, more people will only watch movies and sitcoms and talk shows on the internet. And Hollywood will have to turn to Tom and ask for directions.
