Emotionally Unavailable
Bill Burr
Stand-up Comedy CD
This is a review for the original version of Emotionally Unavailable, the independent release stand-up comedy CD by Bill Burr, is absolutely solid. Bill Burr does not do things like most comics. Usually, a stand-up comic will say, “Good to be here in insert name of town.” and then say a couple more nice things about the place. Burr, on the other hand, rates the urine smell of the local subway (Philadelphia gets an 8) and makes fun of Philly’s obsession with Rocky and the movie’s theme. Amazingly, this allows him to get what sounds like a lukewarm crowd immediately on his side. There is an extended version from What Are Records
Part of the reason Emotionally Unavailable is so good is Burr does not linger for long on any one topic and has the chops to deliver observational humor about everything under the sun.
His take on the one-hit wonders who appear on MTV Cribs or the difficulty sportscasters have commenting on Black athletes without getting into trouble (the Venus / Serena track) is very funny but what allows this material to rise above the rest is there is something beyond the joke that actually says something about the world we (or Bill Burr) live in. Cracka Ass, for example, is an excellent bit about how hard it is to fight black on white racism.
This independent release stand-up comedy CD also works because Bill Burr may say he is emotionally unavailable but he definitely puts himself out there. A lot of comedians may indulge in self-deprecating humor but this comic’s barbs toward himself are definitely sharper and dig deeper than most.
This is only fair as Burr is also pretty dark. Rednecks, War Protest, and The South are particularly vicious takes on southerners. Just as dark and funny are Plight Of The Midget, Oprah, and most other tracks on this very solid independent comedy CD.
Another reason I really like Bill Burr’s Emotionally Unavailable is this is a real show and not a compilation of the best versions of his material over two or three shows. This is particularly evident on Grandma Comes To Town where Burr starts off by dealing with a couple of people who were distracting him. Of course, Grandma fares about as well as the customers under this stand-up comic’s very sharp humor.
Emotionally Unavailable by Bill Burr is an absolutely solid comedy CD. Sound wise, my personal hobbyhorse, it is beyond reproach. It is also a CD that you do not get tired of listening to.