{"id":3103,"date":"2018-07-30T18:56:32","date_gmt":"2018-07-30T18:56:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/?p=3103"},"modified":"2020-12-11T18:35:16","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T18:35:16","slug":"david-peisners-homey-dont-play-that-honors-the-importance-of-in-living-color","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/david-peisners-homey-dont-play-that-honors-the-importance-of-in-living-color\/","title":{"rendered":"David Peisner\u2019s \u201cHomey Don\u2019t Play That!\u201d Honors The Importance Of \u201cIn Living Color\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
David Peisner’s “Homey Don’t Play That!”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Being a late 80\u2019s baby, I have encountered In Living Color\u00a0<\/i>as a very young child, but more so as an adult. \u00a0Some of my favorite characters (along with everyone else\u2019s) include Wanda, Fire Marshall Bill, and Homey D. Clown. \u00a0While I found them and the situations they were placed in funny, I was too young to really appreciate the show’s cultural importance and significance and the doors it knocked off the hinges in Hollywood. \u00a0In his new book, Homey Don\u2019t Play That!: The Story of In Living Color and the Black Comedy Revolution<\/i><\/a>, David Peisner carefully and poignantly details the revolutionary nature of Keenen Ivory Wayans’ televisual genius. \u00a0By focusing on the sketch comedy show, its creation, and its creators, Peisner uses interviews, examples, and more to paint a vivid landscape of television pre and post one of the most iconic shows ever to grace the small screen. \u00a0The result is an inspiring tale of how a family from the projects ushered the comedic and musical sense of New York City into living rooms and hearts across the nation. <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Growing up watching Shawn and Marlon in The Wayans Brothers, <\/i>Martin,<\/i> and Living Single<\/i>, black programming was, in my eyes, pretty abundant. \u00a0I was used to seeing people who looked like me on television. While this was my norm, only a decade or so earlier, black shows were nowhere to be found; this is the importance of Peisner\u2019s book for my generation. \u00a0Peisner shows how In Living Color<\/i>\u00a0acted as a springboard for some of today\u2019s most highly revered stars (i.e., Jennifer Lopez, Jim Carrey, and Jamie Foxx), and proved to network channels that black shows were not only marketable but highly desired. This is one of the overarching themes of the book. I have taken the time to highlight the moments that struck me the most whilst reading.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n