I've been waiting for this show to begin for so long.
Since I was in utero.
Since time began.
This is amazing. Even just the way he says "masterpiece" is great.
TOMORROW NIGHT!!! If you live in the UK. Which, obviously I don't.
We'll find a way.
UPDATE (1/26/2012, 10 p.m.): Watching now and although I don't understand much of the action in it, it's pretty amazing. A new fave.
UPDATE (1021 p.m.): LOLLLLLLLL OMG I AM DYING.
Showing posts with label Comedians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Comedians. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, July 18, 2011
Cake, coffee and waiting
I was just thinking about how I can't stand waiting. I look at a line, say at Disneyland, and I just want to cry. I can't relate to most of humanity but I do on this point--I have no patience anymore and a big sense of entitlement. Why do I fucking need to wait?
Still, at Disneyland I get in line. Why? Because I want to see the new Star Tours. Or maybe I want a food product on a stick. Sure, I'll wait. And I'll try not to complain at least until my lower back starts hurting around the 1 hour mark.
Here are a couple other lines I've stood in this year.
Blue Bottle Coffee!
I've never even heard of this. I was visiting friends in San Francisco recently and was told there was a pretty good cuppa to be had at the Ferry Building. The line snaked. For coffee? Really? But I was intrigued. Drip coffee to order brewed by the attractive Asian American man in the photo above.
My friend and I stood in line for what I would say... maybe twenty minutes? I didn't look at the time. I thought I'd obsess over it and look at my phone constantly. I instead used the time to chat with my buddy and it was nice. When you shift the focus from the waiting to "living in the moment"—to use an expression I loathe—now you're really doing something. I know this is so obvious to you guys but it was a breakthrough for me. Easy lesson, difficult to remember and put into practice. Relearning patience. I need to get there.
The coffee is terrific but I'm also wowed by Peet's. Peet's is all over SF almost as badly as Starbucks here in SoCal. Surprisingly never ducked into one for a sumatra. Honestly, it's hard to beat my local fave, Groundwork Coffee, roasted locally and I mean specifically the Black Gold. Intelligentsia is also great but where in DTLA can I get it?
Back in April I was out wilding with some friends in Orange County. One of them had heard of some hot bakery in Irvine called 85C.
Why would anyone wait in two lines for a bakery? Well let me back up a second and ask, why would anyone circle the parking lot for a half hour to find a spot on the other end of the plaza and THEN wait in two lines (one outside and slightly shorter one inside)? Why was I in IRVINE? So baffling.
What they do here is a salted caramel beverage. That's the huge draw but if that's your pleasure, there's a very short drink line on the other end of the bakery.
So many people piling pastries, cakes, rolls, custards onto trays and standing in line. Yup. That's what Irvine is doing on a Saturday night. I did it once. Wouldn't do it again. It was fine but so are a lot of other Taiwanese bakeries. Maybe I'm spoiled living so close to San Gabriel Valley.
I'll leave you with this with hat tip to Scrappers
Still, at Disneyland I get in line. Why? Because I want to see the new Star Tours. Or maybe I want a food product on a stick. Sure, I'll wait. And I'll try not to complain at least until my lower back starts hurting around the 1 hour mark.
Here are a couple other lines I've stood in this year.
Blue Bottle Coffee!
I've never even heard of this. I was visiting friends in San Francisco recently and was told there was a pretty good cuppa to be had at the Ferry Building. The line snaked. For coffee? Really? But I was intrigued. Drip coffee to order brewed by the attractive Asian American man in the photo above.
My friend and I stood in line for what I would say... maybe twenty minutes? I didn't look at the time. I thought I'd obsess over it and look at my phone constantly. I instead used the time to chat with my buddy and it was nice. When you shift the focus from the waiting to "living in the moment"—to use an expression I loathe—now you're really doing something. I know this is so obvious to you guys but it was a breakthrough for me. Easy lesson, difficult to remember and put into practice. Relearning patience. I need to get there.
The coffee is terrific but I'm also wowed by Peet's. Peet's is all over SF almost as badly as Starbucks here in SoCal. Surprisingly never ducked into one for a sumatra. Honestly, it's hard to beat my local fave, Groundwork Coffee, roasted locally and I mean specifically the Black Gold. Intelligentsia is also great but where in DTLA can I get it?
Back in April I was out wilding with some friends in Orange County. One of them had heard of some hot bakery in Irvine called 85C.
Why would anyone wait in two lines for a bakery? Well let me back up a second and ask, why would anyone circle the parking lot for a half hour to find a spot on the other end of the plaza and THEN wait in two lines (one outside and slightly shorter one inside)? Why was I in IRVINE? So baffling.
What they do here is a salted caramel beverage. That's the huge draw but if that's your pleasure, there's a very short drink line on the other end of the bakery.
So many people piling pastries, cakes, rolls, custards onto trays and standing in line. Yup. That's what Irvine is doing on a Saturday night. I did it once. Wouldn't do it again. It was fine but so are a lot of other Taiwanese bakeries. Maybe I'm spoiled living so close to San Gabriel Valley.
I'll leave you with this with hat tip to Scrappers
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Friday, October 08, 2010
P-Dub.
My photo from 01.15.10
From PaperMag, Oct. 4, 2010...
"I'm getting old! I certainly didn't expect to really be doing this [...] It's awkward!"
I'm glad he's acknowledging it. You'll recall I had concerns about this man in his late 50s playing the childlike character. I was proven wrong, but it still cannot be ignored.
Read more at PaperMag: "I Know You Are, But What Am I?" Pee-wee Herman Takes Broadway
Related on Empirical: Review of the Pee-wee Show at Nokia
Friday, October 01, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
PW.
A couple friends sent this video to me...last month?
It's pretty good (I should check FOD more often than I do) so I thought I'd share it here for other PW fans who might have missed it.
It's pretty good (I should check FOD more often than I do) so I thought I'd share it here for other PW fans who might have missed it.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Elvira's Movie Macabre.
Remember watching Elvira back in the 80s? Sure you do. Weekend afternoons on television. She'd sit on a red chaise flanked by candelabra in her lowcut signature dress, big hair and present her horror/cult/camp movies. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes or something along those lines. I remember being frightened by her boobs more than anything else. Rad as hell. So I'm very happy to announce that the show is coming back...
From the email...
In the Los Angeles area Movie Macabre is scheduled to air Saturdays at 12 a.m. on KDOC. Worth a look. P.S. If you live in another area of the U.S., I have the full schedule. Comment and I'll give you the air time.
Photo courtesy of Elvira Mistress of the Dark. Seriously.
From the email...
"The wait is finally over! This weekend, ELVIRA’S Movie Macabre will premiere throughout the US... A weekly movie hosted by your favorite busty, snarky lady."
In the Los Angeles area Movie Macabre is scheduled to air Saturdays at 12 a.m. on KDOC. Worth a look. P.S. If you live in another area of the U.S., I have the full schedule. Comment and I'll give you the air time.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Flashback 36.
Winding down on Sopranos. I should finish up season 5 this weekend and only have season 6 (parts 1 & 2) after that; I've been making quick work of this one. Was looking around on Netflix and wondering what series I should pick up next. Maybe Mad Men with delicious Jon Hamm. Maybe Big Love. Yeah, HBO is a good place to look. So I was thinking back on some other HBO shows. Here's some Mr. Show that I enjoyed back during the college years. It's great how far the guys in this scene have come in their careers since then. They are all hilarious.
"It was for charity!"
(Posehn lifts Cross)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Flashback 35.
My love for Bob Odenkirk goes back to the early 1990s.
Of Buildings & Women
UPDATE: Another Odenkirk post so soon? Nah. Instead I'll just tack the link onto this post. Bob directed a music video for Built to Spill; it is posted on his blog.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
"He who is tired of Weird Al, is tired of life."
 | |
| Backdrop to "Smells Like Nirvana" |
At $15 (concert + admission) you cannot deny it: Yankovic is entertainment VALUE. Show ran about three hours--that's performance time plus video clips between songs to allow for costume changes and catching one's breath. He played many of the classics and only omitted a couple of my personal faves. Overall, it was a good mix of old material and newer original songs (ie. the White Stripes-tinged tribute to Charles Nelson Reilly, "CNR") His video clips were well-curated and his finale and encore were epic.
I highly recommend seeing him live. This is especially true if you are even a casual fan, but for those who are only fans of the artists and genres he spoofs, you may be surprised. Note though, this recommendation is coming from a person who has over half an iPod dedicated to comedy music.
Related posts:
• Weird Al Yankovic
• Winston Calling
The title/quote of this entry is from an episode of The Simpsons that Yankovic guested in as himself. Episode was titled, "That 90s Show." Quote is Homer Simpson's.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Empirical Polaroids.
Kiyoshi Nakazawa
Holding up his latest print. This is my favorite one yet, but I didn't want to haul it home on the train and risk crushing it. Fortunately, I hear he'll be putting it up on Etsy soon. I will definitely alert you when that happens! I'll be 1st in line.
Eric (right) and his booth buddy.
Everyone is asking me why he looks sad here. He isn't; we were goofing around. I think? Maybe he was sad. Give him a hug if you see him.
Arbito
The artist! I didn't know his stuff and only looked it up after I came home from San Diego. I met him socially and all day only knew his real name. He does some pretty cool work though. Check it out. I think Empirical friends will enjoy.
AwesomeCon 2010
We were there. Were you? Well you should have said hello then. It was a nice day to be outside by the marina and not stuck in line for a panel.
Brian Posehn (center)
Arbito spotted him after lunch. We all ended up on the escalator together. That's when I flagged him down for a photo. He was very nice about it. That's artist Martin Ontiveros on the right. Posehn is in a lot of things and does standup, but my favorite thing off the top of my head is maybe Mr. Show. Well I guess there is also Comedians of Comedy.
UPDATE: I dunno how I forgot, but he's really funny on The Sarah Silverman Program.
UPDATE: I dunno how I forgot, but he's really funny on The Sarah Silverman Program.
More here: Polaroids
Sunday, July 18, 2010
PWx3
Apparently, it wasn't enough to see Paul Reubens earlier this year at the Nokia. When the opportunity came about to see him again and again I jumped at it.
Reubens was one of the Artists in Residence at the L.A. Film Fest this year. He presented two films. The first was You Can't Take It With You, the 1938 Capra film starring Jimmy Stewart based on the Kaufman and Hart play. The film was a great inspiration to Reubens' creative process so this was a must for me. I'd never seen it before though I've read the play years ago. Enjoyable! Available on Netflix streaming if you'd like to give that a try.
I have no photos from that event which is a bit sad. My friend and I sat in the front row center. Terrific angle. I had my cellphone with me but it's new and I'd forgotten when I turned it off that it has a very loud startup sound (that can only be disabled by rooting the phone; I haven't done that) and I didn't want to be disruptive. The "conversation" that followed the film was fun and engaging. Reubens told two amazing stories about his childhood that were surprisingly revealing and funny. This was a perfect complement to the Q&A he did in-character in January.
The following photos are from the second film he presented the following day--his own Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Regular readers of the Empirical know this is MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME. This may be surprising however, I've never seen it on a large screen. I'd bought tickets before I had anyone to come with me. Luckily after several calls and texts I was joined by 3 friends who are huge fans of Pee-wee and also had not seen the film on the big screen. Actually, the line to get in wrapped around the block. To see it with an auditorium filled with other fans was a huge treat for me.
Waiting outside.
Another Q&A.
Reubens was one of the Artists in Residence at the L.A. Film Fest this year. He presented two films. The first was You Can't Take It With You, the 1938 Capra film starring Jimmy Stewart based on the Kaufman and Hart play. The film was a great inspiration to Reubens' creative process so this was a must for me. I'd never seen it before though I've read the play years ago. Enjoyable! Available on Netflix streaming if you'd like to give that a try.
I have no photos from that event which is a bit sad. My friend and I sat in the front row center. Terrific angle. I had my cellphone with me but it's new and I'd forgotten when I turned it off that it has a very loud startup sound (that can only be disabled by rooting the phone; I haven't done that) and I didn't want to be disruptive. The "conversation" that followed the film was fun and engaging. Reubens told two amazing stories about his childhood that were surprisingly revealing and funny. This was a perfect complement to the Q&A he did in-character in January.
The following photos are from the second film he presented the following day--his own Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Regular readers of the Empirical know this is MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME. This may be surprising however, I've never seen it on a large screen. I'd bought tickets before I had anyone to come with me. Luckily after several calls and texts I was joined by 3 friends who are huge fans of Pee-wee and also had not seen the film on the big screen. Actually, the line to get in wrapped around the block. To see it with an auditorium filled with other fans was a huge treat for me.
Lunch at Clifton's. Kind of a funny last-minute idea.
You can see my friend (above) and I both have biscuits on our trays; it was one of the few appetizing things they had. I also had soup.
Waiting outside.
Another Q&A.
Some of the audience.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW at the Nokia.
It's been a week and I've really been dragging my feet on a Pee-wee Herman Show writeup. Why? Maybe I don't want to admit that it's over. Here goes...
Last Friday after work, I went to cranemelon's hotel. The Nokia was close enough to walk but a cab would be inexpensive. We requested a taxi and the guy in charge of those things (the guy in front of the hotel--what's his job title?) comes back, points and says, you see that gentleman with the limo? He's offering to take you for $10. What? Seriously? Yes, he's waiting for his people but they've been delayed a half-hour. Flat $10. YES. OF COURSE.
How stupid is this?
me and cranemelon (holding my copy of Surfin' Bird)
The silliness of 2 people riding a stretch limo to go just down the street. It doesn't end. So random. I'd been in a limo once before, but never for actual transport. People are into this? I mean, really? The radio was playing some awful Top 40 stuff. I kept babbling some nonsense like "Break open the Courvoisier!" and "We need to pick up Justin Timberlake and Snoop." An obnoxious automobile like that just brought out the worst obnoxious person in me. I'm not a fan. Next time we see Paul Reubens in person, I'll just take the Towncar.
We wandered around the L.A. Live area. Pretty dull unless you were on your way in or out of the Lakers/Clippers game at Staples. It's really set up for that crowd. Not the non-athletic, slightly dorky Pee-wee Herman fan. It was a little disappointing but too late to try to find a better place within walking distance. Avoiding the ESPN Zone, we got a little turned around in the complex and accidentally ended up exactly where we were supposed to be--in the theater. It wasn't the main room like I thought. Or was it? It's not what I remembered from the one other time I'd been. The stage was in a space above the Lucky Strike bar. You know where I'm talking about? There's an escalator back there.
cranemelon and I were metal detected, purses searched, wristbanded (for the special meet+greet). I got my camera past the guards. I didn't hide it very well but searches weren't as bad as I'd heard. My friend Ian went the night before and said his party was hassled over cameras and cameraphones. We made a beeline toward the bar for Crown Royal. Pretty soon my pals Ryan + Aura found us. They were also put out by the date change but in the move to Nokia, we miraculously got seating next to each other. That was fantastic luck.
Explanation: Okay, I said before, I didn't meet Paul Reubens/Pee-wee Herman. I was supposed to because I was in that group of people that booked tickets for the show back in August 09 for November at The Music Box. Well, the original dates got rescheduled to January-February and the show moved to the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles. To accommodate angry ticketholders that had to go through a lot of hassle to reschedule (it really was poorly planned and a headache), Paul announced a meet+greet. Well, he had since changed the format to a Q+A session immediately following the show. He explained that he tried the meet+greet but there were too many people to do it properly. People would have to wait in a long line, be rushed off when it's finally their turn, he is exhausted by then, the process takes hours and nobody is happy. It makes sense. I totally got it and wasn't as disappointed in the format change as you might think. The Q+A was cool because he did it semi-in-character. So it was Pee-wee giving smartypants answers to your lame questions but Paul Reubens would thank you if you complimented his work on Pushing Daisies. He spoke to us for just shy of an hour. It was like getting a whole second show that was unique and truly just for us because on other nights, different questions would be asked/answered. It was a lot of fun. Not getting my PW "Surfin Bird" 45 signed is something I can live with for awhile longer.
Paul Reubens/Pee-wee suffering through our stupid questions.
Dumb guy in audience: What have you been doing since we last saw you?
PW: You mean...since the show ended just now?
Paul's Manager: LOOK IT UP ON IMDB!
The show itself was not the trainwreck I expected. He didn't look bad! He was lit well and must have lost weight with his grueling hours preparing for the show--he did not look his 57 years which was my fear. When he took the stage to introduce the show everyone went nuts. He went backstage and the curtains opened. You should have heard the sighs and cheers when everyone saw the Playhouse set. It looked great. The entire theater was filled with 30-somethings that were transported back to their childhood. crane, Ryan, and I laughed the entire time. Hilarious.
This is the best I have; no photos of the show/set because that was the rule.
And if you're on your way to this production, you want me to ruin the surprises heading your way.
THIS IS NOT AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CHARACTER(s). If you're not an enormous fan of Pee-wee, I do not recommend you try to go. I don't want to give it all away, but the show follows the storyline from the original Roxy theater Pee-wee Herman Show though it was considerably cleaned up for a family-friendly audience. Out of respect to the late Phil Hartman, the Captain Carl character was not recast. He was replaced by the Cowboy Curtis character from Pee-wee's Playhouse, this time portrayed by Mad TV's Phil LaMarr (or maybe you remember him from Pulp Fiction "Oh man, I shot Marvin in the face"). Original Mailman Mike (John Moody), Jambi (always-great John Paragon) and Miss Yvonne (Lynne Marie Stewart) were joined by new characters. Sadly, no Hammy (Tito Larriva!) or Susan (Nicole Panter!!). No Jelly Donuts. No Joan/hypnosis bit. There were technical problems, but we were there on a preview night; I'm sure those issues have been resolved by now. Shows through Feb 7. Heard there was a sudden increase in ticket demand. Find some!
Awesome times were had by all. And then we were off to our little after-party...
Last Friday after work, I went to cranemelon's hotel. The Nokia was close enough to walk but a cab would be inexpensive. We requested a taxi and the guy in charge of those things (the guy in front of the hotel--what's his job title?) comes back, points and says, you see that gentleman with the limo? He's offering to take you for $10. What? Seriously? Yes, he's waiting for his people but they've been delayed a half-hour. Flat $10. YES. OF COURSE.
How stupid is this?
me and cranemelon (holding my copy of Surfin' Bird)
The silliness of 2 people riding a stretch limo to go just down the street. It doesn't end. So random. I'd been in a limo once before, but never for actual transport. People are into this? I mean, really? The radio was playing some awful Top 40 stuff. I kept babbling some nonsense like "Break open the Courvoisier!" and "We need to pick up Justin Timberlake and Snoop." An obnoxious automobile like that just brought out the worst obnoxious person in me. I'm not a fan. Next time we see Paul Reubens in person, I'll just take the Towncar.
We wandered around the L.A. Live area. Pretty dull unless you were on your way in or out of the Lakers/Clippers game at Staples. It's really set up for that crowd. Not the non-athletic, slightly dorky Pee-wee Herman fan. It was a little disappointing but too late to try to find a better place within walking distance. Avoiding the ESPN Zone, we got a little turned around in the complex and accidentally ended up exactly where we were supposed to be--in the theater. It wasn't the main room like I thought. Or was it? It's not what I remembered from the one other time I'd been. The stage was in a space above the Lucky Strike bar. You know where I'm talking about? There's an escalator back there.
cranemelon and I were metal detected, purses searched, wristbanded (for the special meet+greet). I got my camera past the guards. I didn't hide it very well but searches weren't as bad as I'd heard. My friend Ian went the night before and said his party was hassled over cameras and cameraphones. We made a beeline toward the bar for Crown Royal. Pretty soon my pals Ryan + Aura found us. They were also put out by the date change but in the move to Nokia, we miraculously got seating next to each other. That was fantastic luck.
Explanation: Okay, I said before, I didn't meet Paul Reubens/Pee-wee Herman. I was supposed to because I was in that group of people that booked tickets for the show back in August 09 for November at The Music Box. Well, the original dates got rescheduled to January-February and the show moved to the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles. To accommodate angry ticketholders that had to go through a lot of hassle to reschedule (it really was poorly planned and a headache), Paul announced a meet+greet. Well, he had since changed the format to a Q+A session immediately following the show. He explained that he tried the meet+greet but there were too many people to do it properly. People would have to wait in a long line, be rushed off when it's finally their turn, he is exhausted by then, the process takes hours and nobody is happy. It makes sense. I totally got it and wasn't as disappointed in the format change as you might think. The Q+A was cool because he did it semi-in-character. So it was Pee-wee giving smartypants answers to your lame questions but Paul Reubens would thank you if you complimented his work on Pushing Daisies. He spoke to us for just shy of an hour. It was like getting a whole second show that was unique and truly just for us because on other nights, different questions would be asked/answered. It was a lot of fun. Not getting my PW "Surfin Bird" 45 signed is something I can live with for awhile longer.
Paul Reubens/Pee-wee suffering through our stupid questions.
Dumb guy in audience: What have you been doing since we last saw you?
PW: You mean...since the show ended just now?
Paul's Manager: LOOK IT UP ON IMDB!
The show itself was not the trainwreck I expected. He didn't look bad! He was lit well and must have lost weight with his grueling hours preparing for the show--he did not look his 57 years which was my fear. When he took the stage to introduce the show everyone went nuts. He went backstage and the curtains opened. You should have heard the sighs and cheers when everyone saw the Playhouse set. It looked great. The entire theater was filled with 30-somethings that were transported back to their childhood. crane, Ryan, and I laughed the entire time. Hilarious.
This is the best I have; no photos of the show/set because that was the rule.
And if you're on your way to this production, you want me to ruin the surprises heading your way.
THIS IS NOT AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CHARACTER(s). If you're not an enormous fan of Pee-wee, I do not recommend you try to go. I don't want to give it all away, but the show follows the storyline from the original Roxy theater Pee-wee Herman Show though it was considerably cleaned up for a family-friendly audience. Out of respect to the late Phil Hartman, the Captain Carl character was not recast. He was replaced by the Cowboy Curtis character from Pee-wee's Playhouse, this time portrayed by Mad TV's Phil LaMarr (or maybe you remember him from Pulp Fiction "Oh man, I shot Marvin in the face"). Original Mailman Mike (John Moody), Jambi (always-great John Paragon) and Miss Yvonne (Lynne Marie Stewart) were joined by new characters. Sadly, no Hammy (Tito Larriva!) or Susan (Nicole Panter!!). No Jelly Donuts. No Joan/hypnosis bit. There were technical problems, but we were there on a preview night; I'm sure those issues have been resolved by now. Shows through Feb 7. Heard there was a sudden increase in ticket demand. Find some!
Awesome times were had by all. And then we were off to our little after-party...
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Weird Al Yankovic.
Why this video works for me:
I love the classic Weird Al, the music videos, UHF, Uncle Muscles (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!). If you're in the area, check out "Al's Brain: A 3-D Journey Through The Human Brain" a short 3-D movie now playing at the Orange County Fair.
- A bizarre man
- With puffy hair
- Wearing fancy pants
- Playing an accordion
- Screaming
- Singing about public transit
- To the tune of a Queen song
- Stomping his feet
- Angrily jumping
- While Jon Schwartz
- Accompanies with funny sounds
- And I used to watch Tom Snyder a lot as a kid
I love the classic Weird Al, the music videos, UHF, Uncle Muscles (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!). If you're in the area, check out "Al's Brain: A 3-D Journey Through The Human Brain" a short 3-D movie now playing at the Orange County Fair.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
More Food Comedy.
Mitch Hedberg was an interesting fellow. Was. He passed in 05 at 37 years.
The clip I'm showcasing here mentions
More than anything though, I really love the short bit at the end about club sandwiches...
If you don't know this guy, what took you so long? I suggest you engage in some YouTube digging.
Previously: Jim Gaffigan
The clip I'm showcasing here mentions
- candybars
- rice
- refried beans
- pizza
- NY delis, pastrami
- club sandwich
More than anything though, I really love the short bit at the end about club sandwiches...
If you don't know this guy, what took you so long? I suggest you engage in some YouTube digging.
Previously: Jim Gaffigan
Monday, January 05, 2009
Comedy of Food.
Anyone who spends a little time online has probably seen a video clip of Jim Gaffigan's bit on Hot Pockets. It's a classic.
There was a point last year that I would watch a YouTube video of that one bit repeatedly.
Last spring on Inland Empirical's coast-to-coast roadtrip, my traveling companion had it on his iPod and we listened to it between Oklahoma City and Okemah several times. My traveling companion and I both have pretty brutal senses of humor [at times, downright mean], so we both have a lot of respect for someone who can have us rolling in tears in the middle of nowhere without resorting to swearing and crude themes, just Hot Pockets.
It didn't occur to me till very recently to even look into finding a copy of the entire show. Couldn't track down a copy of the DVD, but did secure the CD. Empirical readers, Jim Gaffigan's Beyond the Pale is highly recommended. Clocks in at just under an hour and is packed with talent. I knew the guy was funny: Sierra Mist ads, Pale Force, the bits of him that disappear into little guest spots here and there. I didn't know the guy is as sharp throughout the show as he is in the Hot Pockets bit.
He talks a lot about food. He even jokes that he has a lot of food jokes. And he being originally from the Midwest, I thought it was of particular interest to Inland Empire residents who make similar choices in what we eat--unlike the rest of health-conscious Southern California. References not only to Hot Pockets but Doritos, free samples, fast food, sweets, Cinnabon, "spray cheese," overeating, a mild rejection for vegetarianism and mild intimidation by ethnic foods. A bulk of the show is about eating and it's delivered in a folksy, familiar voice; he's the funny guy at your dinner party.
Pick it up. Doesn't disappoint. I have it on my iPod now and I've already listened to it six times. I'm still impressed that he can be funny and inoffensive at the same time--when's the last time that's been done successfully without irritation?
There was a point last year that I would watch a YouTube video of that one bit repeatedly.
Last spring on Inland Empirical's coast-to-coast roadtrip, my traveling companion had it on his iPod and we listened to it between Oklahoma City and Okemah several times. My traveling companion and I both have pretty brutal senses of humor [at times, downright mean], so we both have a lot of respect for someone who can have us rolling in tears in the middle of nowhere without resorting to swearing and crude themes, just Hot Pockets.
It didn't occur to me till very recently to even look into finding a copy of the entire show. Couldn't track down a copy of the DVD, but did secure the CD. Empirical readers, Jim Gaffigan's Beyond the Pale is highly recommended. Clocks in at just under an hour and is packed with talent. I knew the guy was funny: Sierra Mist ads, Pale Force, the bits of him that disappear into little guest spots here and there. I didn't know the guy is as sharp throughout the show as he is in the Hot Pockets bit.
He talks a lot about food. He even jokes that he has a lot of food jokes. And he being originally from the Midwest, I thought it was of particular interest to Inland Empire residents who make similar choices in what we eat--unlike the rest of health-conscious Southern California. References not only to Hot Pockets but Doritos, free samples, fast food, sweets, Cinnabon, "spray cheese," overeating, a mild rejection for vegetarianism and mild intimidation by ethnic foods. A bulk of the show is about eating and it's delivered in a folksy, familiar voice; he's the funny guy at your dinner party.
Pick it up. Doesn't disappoint. I have it on my iPod now and I've already listened to it six times. I'm still impressed that he can be funny and inoffensive at the same time--when's the last time that's been done successfully without irritation?
