High five! blip blip blip
Vaughn Deyhle | 03/21/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ah, and the world just got a bit funnier. Todd Barry is one of the very best out there right now, period. It's a shame he doesn't get more attention than he does. With this album he once again proves that above all else, GOOD, SOLID WRITING is important in comedy. This is humor in purest form, virtually gimmic free...
...unless you consider his near comatose delivery a gimmic. That's debatable (though he sounds a bit peppier this time around.) He has a brand of sarcasm that is so smooth yet scathing, it is observational humor at its best. Yes, here's where I'm supposed to say "he takes the absurdities of our worlds and tackles them with his wit." To which you are supposed to reply "yeah, that's what most comedians do." True, but Todd does it better.
Todd is able to come up with material ABOUT ANYTHING. This is the man who had a joke about the band FUGAZI in his act a few years ago. I never thought there could be ANYTHING funny about Fugazi, but I stand corrected. Renting an apartment across the street from Sara Jessica Parker ... Parkning ticket money going to the homeless ... restaurant chain, Chipotle ... his aim is broad but deadly. There is a purity to Barry's comedy that doesn't require overselling, wild gesticulations, excessive theatrics and perhaps that's why Todd Barry albums tend to be superior to a lot of other guys out there. This is a guy who works out very well on audio recording, you don't feel like you're missing out by not being there. The art of subtlety usually trumps excess and that brilliance shines on this album.
This is also recorded in a small venue (which frankly ALL comedy albums should be.) You can hear distinct voices in the audience, (this was recorded in a Chinese restaurant ... no kidding.)
For those of you who have not yet discovered this guy, you really need to do yourselves a favor and check him out."