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Mitch Hedberg Is Really Funny And He Will Make You Laugh So Go See Him Now




	Mitch Hedberg

Few things are as miserable as stand-up comedy gone awry. Nervous or short-sighted amateurs - often locked into the contrived, arbitrary conventions erected over the decades in bleary-eyed night-clubs and late-night cable programming - rarely strive for anything new, different or ground-breaking. The legions of mind-numbingly anti-humorous hacks featured on NBC's defunct "Last Comic Standing" proved how hard this can be, and reinforced the fact that comedy is for professionals only.

Mitch Hedberg is one such pro. With two albums under his belt, a Comedy Central special, and several appearances on David Letterman's and Craig Kilborn's TV shows, Hedberg has established himself as one of the best relatively young comedians working today. He's confident in his act, which is strong and distinctive. He's not going to waste your time with pissant attitude or witless observations. He won't try to shock you, or make you uncomfortable, or ramble on about his relationship problems. He won't bitch about all the little inconsequential nuisances that everybody deals with every damn day. He isn't going to litter the stage with tons of random props. He won't yell at you, and odds are he won't even look at you. And he probably wouldn't wear a meat loin-cloth, at least not in public. Mitch is a pro, and his bag is tight.

Parallel Lines

That bag comes to Athens again on Friday, Feb. 25, the day after Hedberg's 37th birthday. Hedberg did a couple of shows at the 40 Watt Club back in 2002, surprising almost everyone when the first of those basically sold out. They were memorable shows for all. "The 40 Watt is cool," says Hedberg, who doesn't perform in rock clubs often. Now mostly a theater type of guy, Hedberg speaks kindly of his experiences at music venues. "They can be rowdy, but it's a positive rowdy thing," Hedberg claims. "I don't know if I prefer it [to theaters or comedy clubs], but I don't hate it. Sometimes I think its weird when the crowd is standing.

"Sometimes I get a request," he continues. "I just do it. Helps me remember the old material. It's kind of cool. I tell them I'd do all new jokes, if it weren't for the requests. But I wouldn't."

Over the last few years, comedians have been playing in rock clubs with greater frequency and regularity. Semi-underground, supposedly subversive broadcast TV stars like David Cross, Fred Armisen and Patton Oswalt have made a habit of it, along with less prominent comedians like Eugene Mirman and Todd Barry. Between playing rock clubs and releasing albums on their own (or through independent labels), these comics have basically built up a comedy scene analogous to the college-radio-propelled realm of indie rock. Although Hedberg's hipster-stoner persona would appear to place him in such company, he doesn't really merit direct comparison to any of those guys. The almost complete absence of cynicism or political humor from Hedberg's act is both striking and refreshing. There are none of Cross' haranguing lectures or Oswalt's overwrought diatribes. Hedberg's laid-back demeanor and absurd one-liners are far more similar to Steven Wright, the comedian he's most often compared to. And although he thinks Cross and Oswalt are great, Hedberg agrees that he's not really on the same wavelength as they are.

"I really like those guys, and I'd like to be thought of alongside them," he says. "But I don't know what I'm a part of. I'm on a path that's perfect for me. I'm just doing what I like doing. I'm not trying to be rebellious. I'm not as funny as those guys, in that format. A lot of times on-stage when you're cynical it seems like you know what's best, like you're telling the audience what to do. I don't want to seem like I know what's best. I can be cynical in real life, but it doesn't come through."

On The Road

This visit to Athens will see Hedberg performing at UGA's Hodgson Hall - an atmosphere completely different than the 40 Watt's. It'll be more in keeping with the type of venues Hedberg has been playing lately, though. Between his opening slot on the Comedy Central-sponsored Dave Attell/ Lewis Black tour, and his recent co-headlining gigs with musical comedian Stephen Lynch, Hedberg has been getting booked in increasingly larger theaters. Comedy Central's record label released Mitch All Together, the follow-up to his self-released first album Strategic Grill Locations; Hedberg's stock is on the rise, and it mostly feels great, he says.

"Sometimes you see how much people pay to come see you, you almost feel guilty," Hedberg confides. "But all I wanted to do was make a living, and that's nice. I'm making a living. You've got to see where you're at and make sure you're not longing for more."

Although there's definitely more room for him to succeed as a comedian, Hedberg's already thinking about what his next career step could be - though he's not too solid on that. "I wouldn't even know what it would be," he says. "Maybe something in the movies or TV shows. Maybe writing and directing something. I did that once, and that was a really good experience."

He doesn't think he'll ever be a serious actor, or anything. Hedberg isn't too big on his acting skills. "I'm sure, for the type of roles they'd use me [for], they could find somebody much better," he claims. Despite that, he does have a part in Lords of Dogtown, the forthcoming dramatic adaptation of Stacy Peralta's skating documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys. As Hedberg explains, "I play a chemical company employee who gives the skateshop urethane, which they use to make new wheels in the early ‘80s. You know, better than the old wheels. I trade them urethane for a lot of pot. It's a small but pivotal role. I'm getting called back for some overdubs, so I guess it's going to be in the final cut, which is good."

He might be fuzzy on his future, but for the time being, Mitch Hedberg is right where he wants to be. He's worked his way into being one of the more prominent stand-ups of today, and that's no small feat. As he says, "Comedy is difficult, but it's a fun challenge." And it's a challenge that Hedberg is well on his way to mastering.

Garrett Martin

WHO: Mitch Hedberg
WHERE: UGA Hodgson Hall
WHEN: Friday, February 25, 9 p.m.
HOW MUCH: Sold Out!