Comedians jump at the chance to slug U.S. politicians with a few jokes. But what really sets certain comedians apart from the rest is their ability to send audiences into roaring fits of laughter without poking fun at the president, the Dubai ports deal or other such political mishaps.
"Comedy Death Ray," a compilation of stand-up material delivered at the Comedy Death Ray's fourth anniversary show and the Comedy Death Ray Sketchfest special in San Francisco, breathes fresh air into the stand-up comedy scene by showcasing talent who dole out enough hilarious anecdotes, outrageous jokes and offensive humor to make any audience forget all those bad President Bush impersonations.
"Comedy Death Ray," which was released in stores yesterday, consists of two discs. The first features stand-up by Paul F. Tomkins, David Cross, Doug Benson, Maria Bamford, Todd Glass and Hard N Phirm. It immediately kicks off to a hilarious start as Tomkins makes fun of Tower Records and explains how much he hates himself for working there.
David Cross builds the laughter by discussing strange pornography titles and outlining why the whole dog-owning experience is overrated. Doug Benson and Maria Bamford are less amusing - their stand-up scatters pell-mell over a variety of subjects. Fortunately, Glass rescues the act with several anecdotes about past experiences, and Hard N Phirm shamelessly tells a series of offbeat sex jokes that this reviewer finds difficult to label as either hilarious or disgusting.
Patton Oswald leads the second disc by poking fun at the ridiculous serving sizes at Kentucky Friend Chicken as well as the oddities of making movies. Jimmy Pardo tries to be humorous by communicating with the audience. Despite his obvious charisma and his stage presence, Pardo's jokes are less-than-amusing and too disgusting.
Neil Hamburger, however, completely steals the show with a series of outrageous jokes that will send listeners to the floor laughing. Hamburger covers everything from Bill Murray to Paris Hilton to the difference between Courtney Love and the U.S. flag. The sheer awkwardness of his voice makes the jokes all the more amusing.
Though Hamburger proves a difficult act to follow, Ian Edwards and Brian Posehn step up to the challenge. Edwards delivers his comedy with an offbeat, ghetto mannerism. He discusses "real" shark attacks and whether he will be shot onstage. Anybody who can withstand Posehn's gross-out sex humor will surely find him hilarious, and his commentary on Kate Beckinsale is a tour de force.
Nick Thurne's strange musical act seems out of place amid these silver-tongued comedians. His song is well-composed, but listeners might find this piece difficult to laugh at and will likely skip it. Fortunately, Scott Aukerman's rant on US Weekly and his commentary on bicycles built for two save the second disc. Chris Hardwick continues the celebrity mockery by going after Britney Spears, and he still finds time to hilariously describe Cracker Barrel, a Midwestern and southern retail and restaurant chain.
Mindy Kaling, who plays Kelly Kapoor on "The Office," is less humorous with her style of comedy stuttering awkwardly. The rest of the disc wraps up to a disappointing finale. Dan Mintz, Andy Daly and Reno 911 do not spend adequate time discussing any one particular subject.
"Comedy Death Ray" is akin to a roller coaster: mostly high points, but deep-enough low points that leave listeners waiting for the next comedic act that will rescue the double disc. "Comedy Death Ray" is superior to other comedy compilations because of the lack of political humor. All people need to do is put the discs into a disc drive and forget about United States' turbulent political situation for an hour.
