Burnt, Mike Green ‘s stand-up comedy CD has so many original routines it is almost intimidating.

This includes the books on tape bit. I really liked it when on 10,000 Laughs, the Boston Comedy Fest compilation. In fact, the books on tape bit is almost told twice but that is another funny story.

Aside from the odd tag line like “Here’s your sign” there are very few comics who have material that is immediately recognizable as unique. Mike Green has at least two on this CD. The other one, and also a favorite to the point I quote it to a few people –and actually get a laugh (a minor miracle indeed)- is the routine about the sound of sirens: you will not be able to hear an ambulance or a fire truck without also hearing this bit.

Also original is this comedian’s take on the Middle East; the relationship between picking up girls and baseball; what mascara The Shining and Silence of the Lambs have in common; women’s eyelashes, and, believe it or not, the weather. The scary thing is I am probably forgetting to mention a couple of them.

He also has a great talent for audience interaction. His wrestling a computer geek is a great bit of improv with some solid puns. Burnt ends on a high note with an audience participation joke the comic set-up early on in the show when an audience member left the room for a minute.

Just to be difficult: Mike Green and Burnt are not perfect. My preview copy had pauses between the tracks. The stand-up comic uses “bad language” when the material absolutely does not need that crutch. He also repeats his Steven Tyler sound a couple of times too many. Totally useless is the last track “Comedy Mix” one of those stupid add-on studio mix bits.

Burnt
Mike Green
Stand-up Comedy CD
bseenmedia 2008
56 minutes

Related Posts