You Might Remember Me:
The Life and Times of Phil Hartman
Mike Thomas
St. Martin's Press
By John Wenzel
You Might Remember Me is the rich, moving book that Hartman’s legacy deserves, a tribute to a guy who was as sunny and sensitive as his best-known characters were slick and silly.
High Plains Comedy Festival
Multiple venues
August 21-23, 2014
By John Wenzel
Even in its infancy, High Plains’ booking and organization already feels tighter than some similarly alt-friendly, comic-run events, living up to its name by balancing giddy crowds with half-lidded stoner grins.
Neil Hamburger
First of Dismay
Drag City
By John Wenzel
Figuring out what makes Hamburger so magnetic is part of the masochistic fun. Is it his carnie inflection? His abusive, unpredictable rage and profanity? His spot-on critiques of consumer culture that have made him a must-follow on Twitter? Ultimately it’s all in service of the mood he creates.
Ben Roy
No Enlightenment in Sobriety
Greater Than Collective
By John Wenzel
Roy has earned his comparisons to noted ranters Lewis Black and David Cross, who like to rip limb-from-limb the same societal idiocies and personal failings, so it’s also satisfying to listen to Roy further differentiate on No Enlightenment.
Carol Leifer
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying
Quirk Books
By John Wenzel
The sort of concise, actionable advice usually missing from most showbiz tell-alls… How to Succeed is a manual for aspiring comics and young job-seekers, a brisk, level-headed tome that skips the self-aggrandizing and goes straight to the real-world wisdom.
Karen Kilgariff
Live at the Bootleg
AST Records
By John Wenzel
Kilgariff’s a fine singer, with a wavering, vulnerable voice that falls somewhere between coffee shop balladeer and demented children’s entertainer. Her saccharine delivery complements the murky timbre of her acoustic guitar and sells the jokes against the often bleak, angry lyrics.
John Tole
Reign in Laughs
Stand Up! Records
By John Wenzel
Tole fares best when focusing on life’s intimate, cringe-worthy moments–most of which involve sexual embarrassment and end with a breathless, reference-heavy rant. But even then it feels diluted by his reliance on profanity.
High Plains Comedy Festival
Multiple venues
August 23-24, 2013
By John Wenzel
It’s easy to envision the fest getting bigger and buzzier next year, since it so easily hit the mark in giving Denver the marquee comedy event it’s been missing.
Just for Laughs Montreal
Multiple venues
Friday, July 26, 2013
By John Wenzel
The core of the fest is the dozens of live shows happening across the city, and the larger, more L.A.-saturated crowds were evident from the start.
Just for Laughs Montreal
Multiple venues
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
By John Wenzel
Comedy festivals are for everyone, but comedy addicts are especially well-served because they get to gorge on the stuff until they pass out, post-Thanksgiving dinner style, in a pile of aching stomach muscles and alcoholic bliss.
Craig Ferguson
I'm Here to Help
New Wave Dynamics
By John Wenzel
Ferguson is a sharp writer and stand-up animal who’s only gotten more feral with the time he’s spent in his Late Late Show cage.