Lewis Black Unleashed: An Introduction To A Very Angry Comic

Plenty of comics have gotten made a name for themselves by being angry. However most of them just seem to end up yelling about stuff that doesn't seem to be worth our time yelling about. For instance Sam Kinison had a bit about how he doesn't want to see starving kids on TV anymore and that they should just find some food (now imagine his trademark scream). I personally have never been a huge fan of angry comics until Lewis Black mainly because I thought he was so clever and this collection of his comedy central specials is an excellent introduction to one of the biggest stand up comics today.

This was the first DVD that he had released and covers the four specials he got on Comedy Central. Lucky for us that means I can review each individually.

For those that have been with Lewis from the start this is probably the special that you saw first. This special in particular has a number of memorable bits including the concept of Crisco as sunscreen and the bit that easily made him "if it weren't for my horse I wouldn't have spent that year in college". I have to say that this set is also an excellent demonstration of Mr. Black's crazy talking fingers that have an angry mind of their own and are an excellent reason why live comedy is always best.

The second special is one that was barely seen even on Comedy Central and after viewing it it makes sense why. This set is much more topical that Lewis' usual stuff and nearly everything is related to the 2000 elections so as soon as they ended this set would seem outdated. Such is the life of a topical comic. However it's still funny from a retrospective standpoint and may offer a decent explanation of why people voted for W in the beginning (they thought he was his dad).

The third special is the one that made him a household name and includes his signature bit to date "The End of the Universe". This special is a demonstration of the random occurences in Lewis's mind and shows that even though he's yelling about things everyone yells his thoughts are far funnier than yours. A great example is his bit about the super bowl halftime show that included Aerosmith, NSync, and Britney Spears (a trifecta from hell as he calls it). The best bit by far is the end of the universe bit where Lewis makes the claim that he has found the end of the universe and it is a starbucks across from a starbucks.

The final set is one that I wish they would show more often and shows Lewis at a university ranting and raving about taxes and it aptly titled Lewis Black: Taxed Beyond Belief. The one thing that is noticeable different about this bit is that none of the bits are really topical and there's a number of interviews shown with Lewis going to see a tax man and interviewing the Senators responsible for our tax code.

Overall this set of specials is very satisfying but it's difficult not to notice the fact two major things. First, it's difficult to get a sense of time when you're watching the bits aside from when the specials end at about twenty minutes apiece. This means we have about eighty minutes of material......Which is the typical length of a Lewis Black show. Somehow I get the feeling that HBO should've cashed it all in together. Second, the amount of extra material here makes me weep for other stand up DVDs. The extras are normally forgettable aside from interviews and a gag reel or two but here we have Lewis' reports for the Daily Show that easily take up about twenty minutes.

So it's incredibly uneven as Lewis bounces through years and outfits but if you like his stuff at all and were perhaps hoping he didn't curse alot this is a great starting point. If you don't like him I will kindly let you know I have seen him live twice and I will fight you on the spot.