As the saying goes, comedy is just tragedy plus time. In what passes as some tangled form of irony, Patton Oswalt entitled his 2014 standup special Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time. The comic famously lost his wife, Michelle McNamara, in early 2016, and tested the old saw last winter, performing a limited tour that included a pained, rueful, wrenching, and ultimately still sharply funny remembrance of his wife and the events surrounding her death.
Netflix just released a special filmed in Chicago during that tour, and it's not just brilliant comedic work. Oswalt's ability to turn the worst moments of his life into relatable comic material elevates standup to art, the ridiculous to damn near sublime. Several of the G:TB editorial staff members saw the D.C. leg of this tour, and I recall being struck by the emotional swings. I didn't remember how well crafted the set was, probably because of the half-dozen beers I had before we got to the venue.
So even though I'd seen the material, viewing it again this weekend was nearly as simultaneously gutting and gut-busting as the live version. Oswalt's in the conversation about the best comics working today. And this effort is on a short list of the best standup can be. Give it a watch, but be sure to have a tissue or two handy.
Monday, October 23, 2017
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Patton Oswalt is definitely my favorite comic on the circuit. Obviously biased since he shares an alma mater with us; I saw him perform on campus way back when, and he was damn funny even then. But I really just dig his worldview as well. And what happened to him was the brutal continuation of the depression-fuels-comics tragicomedy. Rob is right about the show we saw and this Chicago performance. Certainly not your typical stand-up routine of dick jokes and observant musings.
I listen to a lost of stand-up on SiriusXM -- the Comedy Greats (94) and the Comedy Central (95) channels are chock full of brilliance. My afternoon commute in particular gets improved by those stations most weekdays. Have a related post brewing.
I prefer Raw Dog. As in the comedy station called Raw Dog, of course.
Yoodge day here. Almost every part of my body is sore. Foreshadowing for tomorrow's post.
Back into the Roller Derby are ya Z?
I'm glad to see John McCain standing up for what he thinks is right, but it would've been cooler if he clapped back at Trump's draft dodging exploits 24-30 months ago. Or at least more helpful.
There so many breweries opening all over the US but this one seems to be a winner to me: Ass Clown Brewery. Slogans: Drink One, Don't Be One and Tap Some Ass Clown.
Only 23 miles from Charlotte Airport. Maybe a quick detour the next time I fly through that place.
Patton Oswalt was one of the comics that got me through that long drive to Boulder.
100th episode of the test up!
The intro to MNF is atrocious. Why do networks feel the need to add a country twang to their football intro songs? The addition of "urban flavor" to sad old Hank makes it even sadder.
i'm in a bar in philly watching mnf. commence speculation about my sociological experiment.
Charles Woodson's decision to pair the ascot w/ white-soled sneakers is a poor one. They do not compliment each other.
They're all wearing white soled sneakers. Moss's shirt is an even more unfortunate choice IMO.
Is the ascot ever a good decision?
Possibly, but neither you nor I is white enough to pull it off.
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