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The Contender
Matt Braunger's stand-up talent comes of age on his second album and special, "Shovel Fighter."
By Michael Shashoua / Jester Editor-In-Chief
A few years back, stand-up comic Matt Braunger appeared in the early
days of Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast and spoke of discovering George
Carlin’s 1970s albums as a kid, and playing them for friends. Even
though he’d heard the albums countless times, Braunger said he got
even more joy from seeing a friend’s reaction to them.
Now Braunger is getting that reaction himself with material crafted
very much in the spirit of Carlin’s sillier, simpler 1970s era
material, and of a nature that makes you want to do the same by
playing Braunger’s own material for friends. Braunger’s mastered
this effect on his second album being released by Comedy Central,
“Shovel Fighter” on July 17. [This review is based on the audio
album, recorded at a different performance than the TV special
airing July 14 and being released on DVD].
To that Carlin spirit, Braunger adds a dash of Will Ferrell in some
of his more hysterical and yelling performances. But Ferrell doesn’t
really do stand-up, and Braunger incorporates that style of
performance into the stand-up format. This seasoning is particularly
effective on the title piece of “Shovel Fighter,” a dark piece of
imagination about the worst job imaginable (think of a more sadistic
twist on ultimate fighting practiced somewhere in the Ukraine).
Braunger also deploys it particularly well on “A Ghost at the
Two-Man Party,” a re-telling of one of those bizarre youthful
misadventures that turn up a few different times on this album and
in his material.
As on his first album, “Soak Up The Night” (see review, 8/23/09),
Braunger displays a penchant for surrealism in his material at
times, but always starting with a basic premise that keeps it
accessible. “Strip Club For Ladies” starts with a more typical
premise, imagining what its title suggests, but Braunger gets
creative, imagining something like a theatrical scene with a
mechanic in overalls who can fix your vehicle, as being more
desirable than the typical male stripper. “It’s autumn in Vermont,”
Braunger begins, setting a scene, and taking it from there.
It gets even more delightfully weird later in the special, in the
piece “Panda Butler,” again imagining exactly what the title
suggests. Braunger starts again with a standard stand-up riff,
making fun of the self-motivational book “The Secret,” but takes it
to a different place when he suddenly blurts out what he wants the
universe to bring to him – of course, a “panda butler” – and goes on
to describe what that would be like.
With “Shovel Fighter,” Braunger has really established himself as a comic talent and a force to be reckoned with. Today’s more fractured media landscape may actually be a benefit to him because it will allow him to develop his artistry, and there’s probably a lot more to look forward to from Braunger since he’s only two albums in to an inventive run.
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© 2005-2018 Michael Shashoua