I had the pleasure of seeing Patton Oswalt perform a live set of his material for an upcoming Comedy Central show this past Sunday. And while he was incredibly funny with a wide ranging set of topics, I couldn’t get past the feeling that there was something missing. You see, Oswalt used a good deal of material from his CD just released. And there’s nothing wrong with that. If the audience had heard it before, they barely let on. I barely let on, at times, because the delivery was so much more engaging in person than it comes across on CD. BUT. There’s something about seeing a comic venture into uncharted territory, trying out his act for the first time that is much more energizing and vital than the tied and true. To paraphrase Bill Hick’s famous maxim: “Excuse me while I just plow right through this *cough* one more time”.

And with that fear of the unknown often comes failure. And, frequently, it’s far funnier to hear an established comic bomb. Or worse, come unraveled by the audience. So, this week’s column is devoted to comics melting down.

A quick note: if you have issues with profanity, then I highly recommend that you don’t download any of these tracks.

Bill Hicks
The Irony Of Pure Hatred
The God of Comedy
[Dark Poet]

Stylus writer Dave McGonigle wrote an entire article on Hicks here, which merely hinted at Hicks’ relative obscurity in the States. But what he didn’t talk about much—and you can’t blame him—is the fact that Hicks frequently bombed in America. Anyone even remotely familiar with his work remembers the infamous Chicago show in which he berates a woman until she leaves. Or his loving recollections of locals from his tour swings through the South. But this show from Toronto, I believe, is probably the lowest he ever got that remains somewhat widely distributed.

The first clip is Hicks in a strange position: doing impressions. From the vast amount I’ve heard of his released material, I don’t think I remember ever doing a bit with extended impressions. They soon devolve, though, into Hicks looking at an audience member and realizing that said audience member possibly wants him to die.

The second starts with Hicks simply saying “Uncle”. And then ends with an extended discussion with an audience member about trying to bum a cigarette and the price of Canadian cigarettes. It’s rather boring, honestly.

[visit the Bill Hicks website here and buy merchandise, read Dave McGonigle’s Stylus article about Hicks here]

Andrew Dice Clay
Hour Back, Get It?, [The Day The Laughter Died]
My First Concert, [The Day The Laughter Died Part II]

But not NEARLY as boring as the first track on offer here. Clay tries to say goodbye to the audience and then descends into a nearly seven minute parody of a joke. Seven minutes. I’ve edited it so that you’ll get the idea and possibly some listening pleasure. Somehow I doubt the latter. The track was the penultimate bit from Clay’s The Day The Laughter Died, which was a two-disc set in which he berates the audience (the “incestous” Dad comes immediately to mind) and generally spouts nonsense (witness the hunchback bit on “Hour Back…” for proof).

But Part I wasn’t nearly as fascinating as the depressing and nearly unlistenable Part II. It only takes one disc for him to nearly comes to blows with an audience member who challenges him to perform alongside him and see who the audience would like better (he’s a magician?). In any case, this bit is taken from earlier on in the night and it’s a gem of a depressing story in which Clay recounts his first concert-going experience. It’s completely out of place on the disc and inevitably gets overlooked in the sea of profane and sick “humor” that precedes it. He moves quickly from the story into a semi-racist fantasy of The Andy Griffith Show in which all the characters would be black, brushing aside any of the pathos that might have been gained from this oddly touching narrative.

Needless to say, I honestly love both of these releases and highly recommend you get your hands on either.

[visit an unofficial Andrew Dice Clay website here, buy Part I here, buy Part II here]

Neil Hamburger
He Wasn’t One
Technical Difficulties
[Laugh Out Lord]

Post-modern bombing. Hamburger, if you’re not familiar with his work, takes the idea of a bombing comedy to its logical conclusion, utilizing audience members that won’t respond to his questions and ones that find the recording device and shut off the act entirely. If you have the occasion to buy Laught Out Lord, rest assured you’ll get to the popular bit that Hamburger mentions to the non-zipper lipped “audience member”. It’s definitely worth it.

[visit Neil Hamburger’s website here, buy Laugh Out Lord here]