Steve Hofstetter – Cure For The Cable Guy

Cure For The Cable Guy, the small label stand-up comedy CD by comic Steve Hofstetter is a pretty decent release that could have been very good.

Marketing wise, Hofstetter is very astute, comedy wise he could use a little seasoning. This is a 45 minute set (the bonus comedy DVD is the same thing filmed) that at times surprises with its wit and sometimes goes all over the place.

With a picture of what seems to be a Larry the Cable Guy hanging from a noose on the cover and a title like Cure For The Cable Guy this stand-up comedy CD is definitely going to get some attention. Unfortunately, although Steve Hofstetter does explain the title on the back of the CD Jacket, there is little of a cure for the cable guy on this small label release. There is a quick, passing reference to Blue Collar Comedy and Larry the Cable Guy but this stand-up comic does not do much with it.

Supposedly, Cure For The Cable Guy is supposed to be an alternative to the kind of ignorant glorified redneck comedy the Cable Guy does. It is smarter comedy, it is definitely better material than Larry’s second and dreadful stand-up comedy CD (but what isn’t?) but Hofstetter set isn’t really tight and that gets in the way of some of his material.

There is an old rule of the theatre that says “never let them see you sweat”. In stand-up comedy, that rule also applies but in this case it is never draw attention to the lack of response to a joke. Not only does it call an unwanted kind of attention to your material and break the magic of the comic – audience relationship but it also draws attention to the people who did laugh and will probably stifle a few laughs later on for fear of being the only audience member to get it. Comedy is a group experience and you never want to cull the group. Unfortunately, Steve Hofstetter often calls attention to the fact some of his jokes did not quite fly and this becomes annoying.

Still, Hofstetter is a pretty good stand-up comic and Cure For The Cable Guy, sound and material warts and all, is a decent stand-up comedy CD. This comic is polyvalent in his material, perhaps too much so as he covers some twenty or twenty-five topics in 45 minutes. He does the usual ex-girlfriend and autobiographical stuff but he excels more as a social and political commentator. His bit on the FCC is quite good, his material on Mel Gibson, Jesus, and Jews is original and pretty tight. His exploration of our misuse of language such as FedEx Express and so on is also interesting and funny.

Hofstetter‘s political humor is, unfortunately, ordinary. He also echoes the Levitra football in a tire joke and the God saying “Oh my me” joke originally created by Canadian stand-up comic Mike McDonald. This is where seasoning and experience come into play. Real comedy fans know their stuff and though stuff like that is safe to use in clubs, it is riskier to draw attention to it on your stand-up comedy CD.

Cure for The Cable Guy
Steve Hofstetter
stand-up comedy CD with bonus DVD
Razor and Tie
45 Minutes each

Related Posts