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August 25, 2008
Reviews & Appraisals: Mitch Hedberg's "Do You Believe in Gosh?"
By: Dan Wilbur
On the posthumous album "Do You Believe in Gosh?" Mitch Hedberg pleads: "Hold on, listen to some more." Perhaps another name for the album could have been "Trust Me, It's Funny," a line he repeats to his ubersupportive audience. Even when a joke kills, Hedberg relies on the self-deprecation that made his loose delivery so famous on his first album, "Strategic Grill Locations." When you have to quell an audience's laughter for a joke that's not finished you know you're doing something right. And even when Hedberg knows a joke is missing a punchline, he doesn't explain himself. He just ditches it, sometimes mid-sentence, and the audience eats it up.
The first track, "Improv Fairy Tale," offers a glimpse into how some of his longer jokes might have evolved had he not died of a drug overdose at 37. But the most interesting track, "Phil," is an extended conversation with a heckler. Although Hedberg only half-jokingly says, "I got a great job -- I can talk for 45 minutes straight. If someone says one word, you're fucking outta here," he remains sensitive. And some of his better lines come out of this bizarre interaction.
Hedberg is remembered as a comedic-countercultural icon and a master of the one-liner, but "Do You Believe in Gosh?" reveals that he also had some of the best chops in the business, smacking down a heckler without necessarily insulting him. There's not much else a person can say about a comic of this magnitude. Just trust me, it's funny. "Do You Believe in Gosh?" is scheduled for release Sept. 9 on Comedy Central Records. The nationwide release party will coincide with the "Mitch Across America" tribute, featuring comedians who have been influenced by him performing in clubs across the country.
--Dan Wilbur is a stand-up comic and comedy writer.
RELATED
• A Page From Mitch's Notebook (via Dead Frog)
• Buy Tickets Now for New York's portion of "Mitch Across America"
• Punchline Magazine has some audio clips
Corrections & Amplifications: The first track, "Improv Fairy Tale," offers a glimpse into how some of his longer jokes might have evolved had he not died of a drug overdose at 37. A previous post incorrectly said Hedberg died at 27.
Posted by keithhuang at August 25, 2008 10:00 AM
Comments
Wow I can't believe he was only 27. Glad to see that we get a chance to hear more of his material, and that the posthumous album is as good as the prehumous album.
Posted by: soce at August 25, 2008 10:56 AM
I hate comedians that get indignant when the audience isn't laughing. I've seen too many stand-up acts devolve into bullying the guy near the front that isn't laughing enough, as though this conversation is even interesting, let alone funny, to the rest of us.
Just trust me, it's funny, now let's move on, is entirely the right attitude.
Posted by: Benjamin Ragheb at August 25, 2008 12:25 PM
Mitch was 37 when he passed.
Posted by: Matt at August 25, 2008 2:59 PM
Ah ha. That makes more sense.
Posted by: soce at August 25, 2008 3:40 PM
I screwed that up. Apologies.
Posted by: keithhuang at August 25, 2008 3:43 PM
During his HBO special, he dropped a joke mid-sentence and said "That doesn't make sense."
Awesome.
Posted by: Mo Diggs at August 25, 2008 10:26 PM