Worth The Wait
Lewis Black issues
a wholly original new special on Comedy Central, CD and DVD
For
the first third or so of “Stark Raving Black,” Lewis Black’s newest
Comedy Central special and CD/DVD release (in stores Tuesday, June 15),
he doesn’t quite erupt as much as he used to for punctuation or comedic
effect.
In
the more political material he opens the show with, recapping the end of
the Bush years and the inauguration of Obama, it seems like Black is
taking more time to lay out a discourse. “Everyone came up to me after
Obama was elected and said the same thing, ‘I never thought I would see
this would happen in my lifetime.’” Black muses. “I wonder, then, who
voted for him.”
There it is – a punchline without Black’s trademark outbursts. Perhaps
he’s been mellowed by age, or having written two autobiographical comedy
books in prose (see review, 6/7/08).
Black repeats again that he hates both Republicans and Democrats –
although that might not be so believable with his recent evisceration of
Glenn Beck on The Daily Show – but he does skillfully dissect the
American cultural divide. As tracks on the CD or segments on the DVD,
“Mainstream Comedian” and “Vince Gill, Amy Grant & Me” mine this
territory. In the former, Black finds it amazing that he’s become the
star of USO shows. “I never thought we’d go from Bob Hope … to me.” And
on the latter, he complains about having to follow the aforementioned
duo and the stupidity of the booker who would put the aging, angry duo
after the most perfect Christian couple.
By
the midway point of “Stark Raving Black,” though, Black brings his
trademark style to bear on more new material – and this album is
completely fresh material, unlike “Anticipation” (see
review, 8/4/08) – such as “Birth & Death,” “Parents” and “The
Economy.” The last of these could also be considered political, and it’s
a smart dissection of how the housing crisis led to the recession. The
first two find Black still disturbed by a trip to a Poconos resort to
perform, on which his parents joined him – and his outbursts start to
fly.
In
a way, “Stark Raving Black” is a return to form as far as Black’s
recorded stand-up is concerned, both because the material is completely
new and up-to-date commentary on society and politics, and because he
changes up his tone, style and pacing in his delivery from piece to
piece.
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