Sept. 28 was the saddest day—the day a great life was taken from us all.
It was the day comedian Greg Giraldo died.
Some of you may actually recognize Giraldo from Comedy Central’s “Roasts.” However, for those of you who don’t know who he is, Giraldo was a standup comedian who was commonly known for his bitter outlook on the world and his ability to make fun of people, which was why he was so popular.
If he made fun of somebody, they would simply accept it. He was that good. He is probably the only man who could tell Joan Rivers that she was “a sunken eyed little monster who’s obsessed with jewelry” and then talk about how she reminded him of the “Lord of the Rings.”
But that was just Giraldo. He was so funny the people he made fun of laughed, and his stand up comedy was exactly the same.
Every joke was expertly written and perfectly delivered with a mix of sarcasm and anger. Giraldo joked, “Americans are not gonna conserve. We’re not gonna shift to smaller cars. We can’t—we have big, fat kids.”
In a Comedy Central special, Giraldo saw a man sleeping in his audience and ended up creating a ton of hilarious jokes that he just made up on spot. It truly showed his skills.
It’s sad that he was never a mainstream comedian until recently, especially because he spent his life doing standup comedy.
But it’s not like he didn’t have other options. Giraldo was actually a Harvard law school graduate, but he had such passion for what he did that he decided to throw away his chances at a career in law and instead pursued comedy.
Giraldo made the right decision, and his comedy influenced thousands of people, including me.
But I’m not alone.
So to Mr. Greg Giraldo, wherever you are now, I know you are making somebody laugh. I just wish you were still here to make me laugh.
Ryan Lina can be reached for comment at [email protected]