Unusual. Funny. Intelligent. Profound. Superficial. Observant. Superb. All and more apply to this David Cross stand-up comedy CD.
It is no accident that the cover for Bigger and Blackerer makes it look like a soul album as some of the material comes from the comic’s very being with a veneer of pop comedy. I certainly could have done without David Cross’ opening musical number.
David Cross MP3 version
Bigger and Blackerer is solid the first time you listen to it but it also reveals more and more of its complex artistry with repeated listenings. The show opens with a bit on ecologically responsible products and their intimidation tactics. The following drug bit is good even with its less than stellar shit joke and gets better with the Nyquil bit.
Black Stuff is a very adroit short routine involving Blacks. A white comic doing Black jokes always walks a fine line and not only because the audience automatically squirms. Cross does them very well and without a net.
Or Worse is my favorite stand-up bit on this CD. Cross pokes fun at inept language used in a personal safety website and how paranoid we are making ourselves. David Cross’ take on the health care debate is funny and viciously on point without sounding like an agenda piece.
Silly Religious Crazies and REALLY Silly Religious Crazies are very funny and do not discriminate. Orthodox Jews, Satan, heaven, Scientology, and Mormons get theirs. The difference between Cross and any other comic is he makes it sound like these are just jokes and nothing more.
Bigger and Blackerer closes with assorted odds and ends. This stand-up comedy CD unfortunately closes with a weak bit titled Lesson Learned.
The material on the CD version of David Cross Bigger and Blackerer is different from the DVD. The press release states: there is some overlap between the CD and the DVD, but not a lot.(…) each is an entity unto itself, full of material that appears solely on one or the other. Only by watching the DVD will you learn of Cross’ unique relationship with the deaf community, share his canny insights into the editorial machinations behind the Bible, and marvel at how well a bald, middle-aged white guy can fill out a pair of jeans. Yet one must listen to the CD in order to hear about gastro-intestinal misadventures with his dog Ollie Red Sox, or sing along with “The Sultan’s Revenge,” the swinging, Vegas-style opening number composed by Cross and his good friend Mark Rivers (author of the theme to Mr. Show).
Bigger and Blackerer
David Cross
Stand-up Comedy CD
SubPop 2010
62 minutes
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