So tonight I had on the Comedians of Comedy documentary as background noise while I did some work, and gradually found myself doing more watching and less work.  As this horrific slide toward sedentary oblivion progressed unabated, I had the pleasure of discovering again just how freaking funny Maria Bamford is.  She gets a little overshadowed by Patton Oswalt and Brian Posehn, but her comedy is so bizarre that it’s a shame more people don’t know about her.  Here are a few clips from her Comedy Central specials that do a pretty good job of capturing what she does.

“Anxiety”

“Office Enemy”

“Impressions”

“Cults”

After sitting in the hot, humid and totally comfortable living room of a good friend and watching the Comedians of Comedy on Netflix’s wonderful watch instantly feature, I was left wanting more Maria Bamford. So, you can imagine my elation when Jessica showed me the incredible Maria Bamford Show. I know, I know – I’m late to the party (these came out years ago), but whatever. I’m here now and I brought 7-layer dip for all!

Here’s episode one to start you off:

Zach Galifianakis has been working his odd corner of the standup stage for a while, but if the name is new to you, you might know it from his two big movies onscreen: The Hangover and G Force.

Galifianakis has arrived, it appears, at least to bigger paycheques. However, to really know the guy behind the awkward, clingy, drug-packing brother-in-law-to-be in The Hangover and the whatever-the-hell-his-character-is in the hamster spy movie G Force, you have to see some of his standup. Which, lucky you, you can do tonight.

Neither Zach Galifianakis Live (10 p.m. ET on Comedy Network) nor The Comedians of Comedy (11 p.m. ET) are new specials. The one-man Live special, with faux behind-the-scenes, is from 2006, recorded at San Francisco’s Purple Onion club and the Comedians, which takes in five standups on the road, was released the year before.

If you were at Just for Laughs in 2007, you have already had the pleasure, although not everyone likes this bearded comic’s rambling, rageful, disjointed routine. I have to admit when I first saw him here in Montreal at the 2007 Alternative Show, after being encouraged by a friend, I laughed about half the time, and was baffled the rest of the time. I had similar reactions to his Between Two Ferns faux talk show on FunnyorDie.com. Sometimes funny, sometimes just puzzling.

Galifianakis is aware of this, obviously: During the Live special, he seizes on an unlikely-looking audience member — safe to say his most ardent fans are young males and this guy, dubbed Dr. Eye, looked grandfatherly — and reveals to the rest of the audience that Dr. Eye had been sitting through the show with a “a look on his face like he’s trying to crack a safe.”
That sounds about right.

Gazette film blogger Al Kratina, in reviewing the Galifianakis movie Visioneers at this year’s Just for Laughs, described his performance in the bleak comedy about a soulless corporation as “deadpan to the point of a barbiturate coma”.

That also sounds about right.

But don’t be afraid. Just let go and experience the absurdity, the silliness. Enjoy a comic who introduces himself, saying, “Hi, I’m Zach Galifianakis. I hope I’m pronouncing that correctly.” And enjoy his characters, like the timid pimp, who pops up in Live: “Hi, Amber? Yeah, I can hold.”

Having just watched the Live special, I must admit this guy is growing on me. In part, it’s a good tonic after having attended a week of Just for Laughs and heard a million versions of the setup-punchline type of humour. (I know, this is a tough life.) Galifianakis cracks that mold, to say the least.

And I am looking forward to The Comedians of Comedy, which was written by Galifianakis and also features Alternative Show performers Andy Kindler and Bob Odenkirk in an on-the-road special with stage performance and reflections on the business.

Here, courtesy of Al Kratina on The Cine Files, is the trailer of Visioneers, which you’re not likely to see in another theatre near you, I suspect.

Visioneers – trailer

Ik heb een ferme boon voor comedians die absurde referenties maken. Zeker als ze een heleboel leuke woorden gebruiken. Eugene Mirman is één van de comedians die met de Amerikaanse Comedians Of Comedy heeft meegedaan. Hij heeft twee cd’s uitgebracht waar ik toch een paar keer luidop moest mee lachen. Quotes en Jokes zoals deze passeren de revue.

‘I saw this skatepunk on the subway with on the side of his skateboard this sticker that said “Don’t mess with my reality”. So i went up to him and said “Look lady!!!”‘

‘Some people find that kids say the darnest things, but so would you if you had no education… you’d be like “I AAAM BIKECHEESE!!!” Because you don’t know what words are…’

‘They put me in special ed. because they thought that i was slow but i stayed in special ed. for the ladies…’

Nog wat leuke filmpjes. Hier vult hij het formulier in voor een datingshow.

En hier maakt hij een email-heckler kapot.

Netflix

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Comedians_of_Comedy_The_Movie/70022347?lnkce=seBsLn&trkid=222336&strkid=565649847_0_0&strackid=27a0e01092f879b4_0_srl”>Netflix

This is the only time you will ever think of the word "dog" when Maria Bamford's name is mentioned.

If they ever remake the movie Sybil, casting directors need look no further than Maria Bamford. She’s already got the multiple personality thing down so well, I’m starting to wonder if her actual speaking voice (think a more intellectual Georgette from The Mary Tyler Moore Show) is really one of her characters and she’s hiding elsewhere. Because as hilarious as it is to hear the caustic observations Bamford shoots out like so much confetti, it’s even funnier hearing it coming out of the mouth of the innocent sounding attractive lady who is holding the microphone. It’s as if her face is just the conduit for a couple of dozen people in her head fighting for stage time…in a controlled, orderly compulsive fashion, of course.

This is Bamford’s third album, and like How To Win and The Burning Bridges Tour, is flat-out hilarious. She’s savaged family members before, but never as funny as scripting her parents lines so she can practice being heckled, or torching her more-successful sister. (Oh, to be a fly on the wall at Thanksgiving at the Bamford home). Of course, ehe also targets her own inadequacies as well as some deserving targets (my favorite being the tyrannical pet advisor). And anyone who starts a routine by imitating the baby Jesus (a/k/a/ “B.J.”) leaving voicemails is telling you there aren’t many lines she won’t cross…or in Bamford’s case, vault over.

Even though I’m familiar with her work, I’m still stunned when she lets out with a few well chosen obsceneties because she’s that good keeping me locked in on her stage persona. A wonderful mimic, she doesn’t just do characters, she inhabits them, and if there’s one drawback to her audio CD it’s that you don’t get to see her posture, gestures and facial impressions. But that’s a small price to pay when the material is as consistently funny as it is here.

The tag “alternative” comic really boils down to the antithesis of a Vegas joke routine or the standard hackneyed observational comedy targets, with more journeys into storytelling or character assimilation. Bamford is extremely comfortable – and fearless – playing in this arena; her tightrope walk across a chasm of insanity is dazzling to the point where one wonders whether she’s crafted a majestic persona or has merely stripped her psyche bare for all to see…and in an entertaining way.

Crazy? Or crazy like a fox? No one ever really figured out Andy Kaufman, and I imagine only those close to Bamford know the truth here either. If you are one who can get on board with her journey you will be richly rewarded. Look no further than the last track where she channels a hack “chick comic”; it’s such a complete and overt transition it’s as if someone suddenly switched channels on your TV from Adult Swim to The View. (And I imagine there are a few lady comics who will delete Maria from their Christmas card list…)

The CD alone would be highly recommended, but the fact that it includes the entire web series The Maria Bamford Show, it’s a no-brainer. The webisodes are hilarious and now can be enjoyed in a better format and setting.

Buy the CD/DVD directly from Maria (autographed!)

Maria Bamford’s MySpace page and website.

Check out some clips on Rooftop Comedy.

Oh huff po…

Came back to work when I was sick just so I could make this in 2 days!

Does comedy become more important in difficult times? Does our best comedy reflect the concerns of the time in which we live? Was 80’s comedy so bad because it was more of a “Wall Street” decade than an “Airplane” decade? Are comedy clubs inherently unfunny? Is it funny when a chubby, bearded white guy and a balding, bearded, singer/songwriter on a tractor lip-synch to a Kanye West song? These are some of the questions raised after reading a profile of comedian Zach Galifianakis in the New York Times Magazine. Here’s a sample of one of his recently performed “bits”:

When Galifianakis hit the 92Y stage in his customary jogging shoes and corduroy blazer, instead of breaking the crowd in by leading off with a few jokes, he regarded them blankly for a moment, then handed out a fistful of short yellow pencils and white slips of paper. “I don’t know what to say to you guys tonight, so I’m taking requests,” he announced. “Write down a song you feel like hearing.” The front tables looked to be a mix of stand-up fans and 92Y regulars reserving their judgment, but the slips were duly filled out and collected. Galifianakis rifled through the slips as he walked over to the baby grand piano at stage right, then stopped short, frowned and looked back at the crowd. “ ‘Joy to the World,’ huh?” he murmured. “I’ll see what I can do.” Then he turned and gestured to someone off stage left.

Suddenly, like a conjuring trick, the trio of tuba players stood center stage, playing a tightly rehearsed rendition of the requested song with businesslike looks on their faces. The reaction of the crowd was a mixture of astonishment, confusion and childlike pleasure at the unlikeliness of what they were seeing; the gag was, essentially, a bait and switch, but with no agenda other than delight.

I thought it necessary to give a tiny homage to Zach Galifianakis, as the trailer for “The Hangover” is all over TV, and has Old School/Office fans wetting their appetites nationwide. He’s definitely new to some, but to others, his hilarity comes as no surprise. Read up on the bearded funnyman on his Wikipedia page, and watch a couple classic videos below.

Dronken avond gisteren met Wilko Terwijn.
Ben ik vandaag wakker geworden met op mijn hand:

“Eén dikke engelse vrouw is gelijk aan vier dwergen met kleine zwaardjes.”

Het was waarschijnlijk grappig…

Geknipt, geplakt en weer up to date!
Leuke dingen zoals UZ666 in CC’s en heleboel andere dingen die de moeite zijn staan nu in het vetjes!
Link is rechts.

Waarom?
Daarom!

(Lieven @ The Joker)
Aan iedereen die dit filmpje mee helpt verspreiden lof en dank!

Edit: Het gaat enorm vooruit met die campagne!

Wie volgt?

We zijn nu al sinds begin april bezig met de “Comedians Of Comedy (BE)” documentaire te filmen en natuurlijk zijn er al een heleboel comedians de revue gepasseerd. Sommige geven een graaf interview af de andere proberen we te tonen op podium in hun echte glorie. Een van de doelstellingen van de docu was ook dat iedereen de comedians ziet voor wie ze echt zijn. Tonen dat veel van Vlaanderens parels al jaren hardnekkig verborgen zitten achter hun onbekendheid of verkeerde tv-exposure. Die beelden zijn echt ontwapenend als je ze vergelijkt met wat iedereen denkt dat ze kennen van een comedian. Je hebt een Bart Cannaerts die zich gedraagt als een rock’n roll artiest terwijl hij luidkeels “Luc Beaucourt” zingt voor een stampvol jeugdhuis dat onder hun stoel liggen van amusement tegenover de Bart Cannaerts op De Slimste Mens waar 30 randmongolen op zitten commenten op youtube over hoe hard dat Philippe Geubels hem “gepwned” heeft.

Je hebt Henk Rijckaert en Bert Gabriëls die tonen op podium en ernaast waarom je ze echt grappig moet vinden plaats van het knotsgekke duo van “Zonde Van De Zendtijd. (PS: Bert Gabriëls neemt een DVD op: ticketjes). Een bekend Nederlands comedian zegt luidop in de camera “Dat is een goede comedian!” terwijl ik de kamer binnenwandel en moet dan ongemakkelijk wachten tot iemand mijn naam zegt. Je ontdekt comedians en je herontdekt comedians. Je kent Alex Agnew van prachtige theaterzalen en schouwburgen maar wacht tot je hem leert kennen op een wankel podium in “Neer-Onder-Over-Sint-Ten-Velde”. Morgenmiddag gaan we praten met vlaanderens meest bekende en tegelijk meest gehate grondlegger van de comedy om eindelijk zijn mening eens te horen over de scéne en de comedians in Vlaanderen.

Later op de avond gaan we zien naar een andere grondlegger namelijk Raf Coppens. Ook wegens verkeerde tv-exposure en voze tijdschriften wat afgeschreven de laatste jaren maar echte comedykenners weten dat Raf nog altijd een van de beste comedians in ons land is, en dan heb ik het niet over de Raf Coppens met de Johan Museeuw en VTMbv’s waar abonnementen en senioren zo op kicken maar de Raf die nog steeds gammele Jeugdhuizen en Parochiezalen doet en ieder jaar in december de Joker plat speelt. Ik ben nu al benieuwd naar zijn verhalen van vroeger toen comedy nog niet bestond en ze nog “Standing Up Komedianten” waren voor 30 ongeïnteresseerde mensen in een Café. Nigel heeft alleszins ook een paar  verhalen dat ik zeker wil laten zien, zoals bv zijn eerste optreden in Den Buster te Antwerpen. Het zullen nog een paar lange maanden worden want we blijven filmen tot mijn show in de Capitole, Thomas zijn prémiere in de Arenberg en Bram zijn show in de Kortrijkse Schouwburg. Ik weet alleszins één ding ik heb de laatste paar maanden al meer bijgeleerd dan in de 2,5 jaar er voor. Kijk maar al uit naar de docu zou ik zo zeggen.

PS: Beelden horen niet bij de docu, gewoon random youtube clips

Sleep:  Up at 11:10AM.  This is of course only due to the fact that I have a meeting in not much time.  Dreams are not so clear.

Food: Yesterday some tofu chick nuggets, rice, Sprite, sesame candy (forgot the name).  Nothing so far today.

Tum: Last night some nausea.  Today anxiety.

Mood: Residual anger, sadness.

Suicidal Tendencies: Minimal.

Productivity: Yesterday not much of any damn thing.  Today may only be the meeting.

Joy: Last night some Pursued and some Comedians of Comedy.

Sex: Last night with myself.

Via Die, Actor, Die!, via Jesse Thorn of The Sound of Young America, via Henry of Chunklet Magazine (!):

Here’s visual evidence of Patton Oswalt and Philly Boy Roy together on stage at the recent Comedians of Comedy show at the TLA. The squirrel joke is great, but some of the crowd turns on him with the Allen Iverson joke. How dare he make fun of a guy that used to play basketball for our basketball team!

Also from the Chunklet blog: an archive of Mitch Hedberg sets from 2001-2004! This is like a football nut having access to coaches’ footage of all of the games. I haven’t listened to these yet, but it will be interesting to go through them to see how his one-liners evolve. Analysis forthcoming…

So I know that everyone has seen the Kanye West video featuring good ole Zach Galifianakis and Will Oldham, if not, here. But this is a more forgotten example of Zach’s oh so fabulous lip-sync’ing skills.

Fiona Apple’s ‘Not About Love’

Enjoy.

-SN

superdeluxe.com is simply a wealth of comedic genius. check out this short by our friend Michael Blieden, director of The Comedians of Comedy.

It looks like this little film is just part 1 of a new web series worth watching.

-jt