David Cross UK Stand-Up Review

klaus_kinski · 08-17-2004, 10:56 AM

The Guardian, the UK's answer to CNN.com, has posted a review of David's stand-up at the Soho theater. Not the most compelling review, but a review nonetheless.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/revie...283307,00.html

agent_PUNT · 08-17-2004, 12:01 PM

That's the most polite critic I've seen. But he makes it sound like DC is barely getting laughs in the UK....

Pali · 08-17-2004, 03:21 PM

Nah, the two times I've gone so far the laughs have been plentiful. People love him, even if he did plug Arrested Development both nights.

agent_PUNT · 08-17-2004, 03:58 PM

he believes in that show... so I don't blame him. besides, it's a good show. Other than Ron Howard. Whom I despise, because he looks like such a fucking mutant 12 year old.

send2paul · 08-22-2004, 04:55 AM

My wife and I went along to see David Cross at the Soho Theatre, London, last night, (Saturday 21/08/04).

I made great attempts NOT to find out anything about him. I was going solely on the advice of Jack Black, (School Of Rock), who was quoted on the flyer as saying:

Quote:

"If you miss an opportunity to see him perform....you're a total a-hole. David Cross dominates my world"

And with that kind of recommendation, you couldn't possibly resist the cheapo ticket at £15, right? So off we went.

Quote:

"A truth teller in the noble tradition of Bill Hicks, Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce"

So said the quote from the The Onion. This guy most be hot stuff, right?

Wrong.

We got there early. We sat in the front row, directly in front of Mr Cross. However, there were times during the evening when I was reaching for the remote control, and wanting to go and make a cup of tea. David Cross was not that funny.

Starting with a review of porn availibility in London, and then carried on into TV adverts on British TV, the audio tape at the National Gallery, gay men's voices, gay marriages, and some more stuff I can't recall it all came out in a very mediocre style. At this point he was only worth paying a fiver to see.

If that was the warming up, or tame part of the act, we then got onto more "controversial" subjects. With a gag about wanting to go to see the "Passion Of Christ" and sneakily dressing up as a Rabbi and laughing at the screen when Christ was being crucified, he then went into a whole monologue about Christ as a carpenter, the Christ "Teenage Years" and generally Christ stuff. This was clearly a subject he was comfortable, (coming from the Jewish background that he does), and whether accidentally or not, this was the best flowing part of his act.

The show was just short of 1.5hrs. By the time he'd nailed Christ, (as it were), we were about half way through. He'd clearly got the attention of the audience by now, and so he went onto more controversial issues such as paedophilia in the American Catholic church, a couple of comic observations on 9:11, handicapped children on American airlines, and finally a thing about a one year old news item about a Georgia cemetary where the owner was dumping the bodies in the lake instead of cremating them.

By themselves you'd look at the list of subjects above and think: "Yeah - good comedy material", right? Well, yes. But it depends how you treated them. David Cross had a style which I would have catogorised as "unsure". He tended to start a controversial subject, but then did nothing with it. (At the end of his 'gay marriage' stuff he said "But I'm definitley against mixed race gay marriages - OH NO!" And we were left hanging there as we waited for him to explain what he meant by that comic outburst - but he never did).

He had a style which you just wanted to shake roughly by the shoulders and shout:" Wake up that man there!" His treatment of controversial subjects was bordering on the "amateurish" sometimes, and you left with the impression like:"God, I could have done better than that myself!" It's not that I thought he wasn't very good - he was just generally okay.

He ended his act with a couple of impressions, including a crack-cocaine baby, (as he said "I didn't say it was going to be funny, I just said it was going to be accurate" - but it was sick & funny), and a thalidomide drummer - complete with drumming sounds on a backing tape. If you wanted to leave an audience on a "high" with the best part of your act, then David Cross will be remembered for being the sick impressionist guy. If he wanted people to remember him for being a "truth teller in the noble tradition of Bill Hicks etc" - he's really got to sharpen his act up.

At the end of the night he was still worth only a fiver to see.

CptPlanet · 08-22-2004, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by send2paul
My wife and I went along to see David Cross at the Soho Theatre, London, last night, (Saturday 21/08/04).

I made great attempts NOT to find out anything about him. I was going solely on the advice of Jack Black, (School Of Rock), who was quoted on the flyer as saying:

And with that kind of recommendation, you couldn't possibly resist the cheapo ticket at £15, right? So off we went.

So said the quote from the The Onion. This guy most be hot stuff, right?

Wrong.

We got there early. We sat in the front row, directly in front of Mr Cross. However, there were times during the evening when I was reaching for the remote control, and wanting to go and make a cup of tea. David Cross was not that funny.

Starting with a review of porn availibility in London, and then carried on into TV adverts on British TV, the audio tape at the National Gallery, gay men's voices, gay marriages, and some more stuff I can't recall it all came out in a very mediocre style. At this point he was only worth paying a fiver to see.

If that was the warming up, or tame part of the act, we then got onto more "controversial" subjects. With a gag about wanting to go to see the "Passion Of Christ" and sneakily dressing up as a Rabbi and laughing at the screen when Christ was being crucified, he then went into a whole monologue about Christ as a carpenter, the Christ "Teenage Years" and generally Christ stuff. This was clearly a subject he was comfortable, (coming from the Jewish background that he does), and whether accidentally or not, this was the best flowing part of his act.

The show was just short of 1.5hrs. By the time he'd nailed Christ, (as it were), we were about half way through. He'd clearly got the attention of the audience by now, and so he went onto more controversial issues such as paedophilia in the American Catholic church, a couple of comic observations on 9:11, handicapped children on American airlines, and finally a thing about a one year old news item about a Georgia cemetary where the owner was dumping the bodies in the lake instead of cremating them.

By themselves you'd look at the list of subjects above and think: "Yeah - good comedy material", right? Well, yes. But it depends how you treated them. David Cross had a style which I would have catogorised as "unsure". He tended to start a controversial subject, but then did nothing with it. (At the end of his 'gay marriage' stuff he said "But I'm definitley against mixed race gay marriages - OH NO!" And we were left hanging there as we waited for him to explain what he meant by that comic outburst - but he never did).

He had a style which you just wanted to shake roughly by the shoulders and shout:" Wake up that man there!" His treatment of controversial subjects was bordering on the "amateurish" sometimes, and you left with the impression like:"God, I could have done better than that myself!" It's not that I thought he wasn't very good - he was just generally okay.

He ended his act with a couple of impressions, including a crack-cocaine baby, (as he said "I didn't say it was going to be funny, I just said it was going to be accurate" - but it was sick & funny), and a thalidomide drummer - complete with drumming sounds on a backing tape. If you wanted to leave an audience on a "high" with the best part of your act, then David Cross will be remembered for being the sick impressionist guy. If he wanted people to remember him for being a "truth teller in the noble tradition of Bill Hicks etc" - he's really got to sharpen his act up.

At the end of the night he was still worth only a fiver to see.

hmmm i think you might be wrong

send2paul · 08-22-2004, 02:27 PM

Dear Cpt Planet,

I clearly can't be wrong - because I was there

I gave the guy the benefit of the doubt. I found out nothing about him before went there, and took it all on face value. My only indication about his style etc was from the two quotes on the flyer.

When I came home I then did a quick search on the www to find out more about him, and found that he is quite a well known in the USA etc etc. I can only assume he was having an "off night", perhaps. Some people were talking about his two CDs and wanting to get them signed etc. I wasn't go to buy one.

Incidentally, one person got up and left about three quarters of the way through the show when he started with the 9:11 stuff. Were they upset about his treatment of such a touchy subject? Or were they just a bit bored in places as I was?

No, I clearly wasn't wrong.

Treebeard · 08-22-2004, 04:19 PM

You should go post at the lame dumbass forum instead of here.

send2paul · 08-22-2004, 04:32 PM

Ah, stupid me! I thought the title of this thread was thread:" David Cross UK Stand Up Review"

Or is an actual review of his performance, (as opposed to the analysis of The Guardian'd review), not counted as a review of David Cross?

apotatojudge · 08-22-2004, 10:21 PM

I think we should cut this person some slack seeing as how they went to David's show after hearing that "the guy from School House Rock" thought he was awesome.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh.
I'm a snob.

CptPlanet · 08-22-2004, 10:34 PM

he should have talked more about airline food! gosh that stuff is rotten huh hahahaha

Treebeard · 08-22-2004, 11:18 PM

ill bet he wishes there would have been more hilarious and crowd-pleasing props.

send2paul · 08-23-2004, 12:33 AM

Guys & Gals - please.

I like comedy. I'm a very funny guy myself. And I've seen dozens of stand-up comedians. On that night, (the first time I saw David Cross), he simply wasn't that entertaining. I know some of you might find that hard to believe - but there it is

apotatojudge · 08-23-2004, 12:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by send2paul
Guys & Gals - please.

I like comedy. I'm a very funny guy myself. And I've seen dozens of stand-up comedians. On that night, (the first time I saw David Cross), he simply wasn't that entertaining. I know some of you might find that hard to believe - but there it is

Once people start defending themselves by saying, "I'm very funny myself" you know they're full of shit.

Your statements are not anymore valid after you claim that you, yourself, are "a very funny guy," nor when you say "I've seen dozens of stand-up comedians" '

The reasons I say this:

You can think you're funny 'cause one time at a kegger you made a bunch of drunk college girls laugh with your hilarious Arnold Schwarzeneger impression. But, it really doesn't make you funny.

I can name DOZENS of shitty stand up comedians. Just because you've seen a whole lot doesn't mean that you know what you're talking about.

"God, David Cross sucks. He wasn't nearly as funny as when I saw Tim Allens. Especially when Tim does that bit about how men and women vaccuum differently - LOL!!"

I am right. David is always funny. So, take back what you said.

send2paul · 08-23-2004, 01:02 AM

Ha - you need a new life - or at least get one in ther first place.

I don't detract or defend anything I ever say on internet bulletin boards, as I very rarely use them.

Mine was a review of David Cross's performance. It's my review. It's my opinion. You can disagree with it - that's fine. But you can't say it's wrong. You weren't there.

And in case you hadn't realised, "personal abuse" still doesn't change my review