The Funniest School in America

Few experiences shape our mind, character and opinions more than school. Something happened yesterday which caused me to ponder how much my choice of university has influenced my taste in comedy (or perhaps it's the other way around?) I was flipping through some alumni materials recently and found that, much to my extreme delight, Lewis Black, John Hodgman and Dmitri Martin all went to my college! (Okay -- I knew about Hodgman since he mentions it in his book), but the others were a wonderful surprise.

That particular set of comedic talents shares such a strong intelligence and subtle wit that I admire them almost as much or more than the tremendous set of traditional scholars that the place has produced. So thanks to each of them for doing the ol' alma mater proud.

Lewis Black -- "Anticipation" -- Review

This may be my favorite Lewis Black CD yet.

I've always admired Black's energetic and angry style. He molds and directs his frustration with daily life in a direct and precise manner that stays well away from personal bitterness and focuses instead on classic "why does the world have to be this way?" bafflement. This isn't Bill Hicks anger -- it's the simple rage of the every man -- but packaged with clear writing and strong timing.

But I will admit that, much as I love his style, I was hoping that he was going to try some variations this time around. (Hey -- I love the finger pointing thing as much as anyone -- I lost my head laughing at it live -- but I always suspected he could do more). And I was not disappointed. "Anticipation" definitely allows Black to recognize that life isn't all frustration and disappointment. There are some really great moments. Unfortunately, most of those flashes of joy and hope occur just before the big events in our life -- not during. (Hence the title).

Black explores how exciting life can feel when you are looking forward to the possibility of happiness -- without dwelling too much on the disappointment that all too frequently ensues. And that leads to some very funny material (which I won't ruin for you by quoting it here. Go buy the thing -- I'm sure Black would like to retire someday).

Above all, I really enjoyed "Anticipation" because it shows Black trying to reach out beyond just seeking laughs from his projected anger. He even ends the show by explicitly saying that he wants his audience to leave laughing and happy -- not laughing but sad about the state of our world. And to facilitate that he ends the show with sincere silliness -- which suits him surprisingly well. Who knew that there was a happy, goofy Lewis Black? It's truly wonderful to see.

Lewis Black Answers My Question About Anger

How fun is this? As a promotion for his new live performance CD, Anticipation, Comedy Central asked fans of Lewis Black to write in questions for the comedian on their blog and promised that he would answer a subset of them via video on their website. Surprisingly, he answered mine!

It's a fun idea for a promotion -- I really enjoyed it! Here's the clip -- answer to my question is at around 1:55:



His new CD is out on Tuesday, but you can pre-order it if the anticipation is all too much for you . . .