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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Brian Posehn: “The Fartist” (2013) CD Review

I’ve been a fan of Brian Posehn for many years. I particularly love his work on The Sarah Silverman Program, but basically am into whatever he does, as he’s one of the funniest men around. So I was totally excited to hear his new comedy CD, The Fartist.  And it’s great. It was recorded last year in Seattle. I love his self-deprecating humor, and his combination of intelligence with delightful crudity.

Brian starts off talking about how he’s changed things about himself for his wife and their baby. One example: “I no longer go to stripping clubs.” And he goes right into lots of material about strippers. “If I see a stripper in the airport, it’s the same as seeing a dude in the military. It’s like, ‘Thanks. We’re super fucking proud of you.’” But my favorite line is probably, “How much money will it cost to make you stop crying?

The biggest change he’s made in his life is quitting smoking pot. The audience boos him, which he appreciates. “Remembering things, boo,” he jokes. I had no idea he quit smoking pot – it’s somewhat shocking and oddly discouraging. Another change is that he doesn’t masturbate as much anymore. “So now pot and my wiener are like Buzz and Woody from Toy Story 3. They’re like, ‘What happened, you used to play with us all the time.’”

While he started his routine by talking about things that he’s deliberately changed about himself, he later talks about changes his body has undergone or implemented on its own. Now that he’s in his forties, his farts smell like he’s already dead. He talks about how he used to fart on his friends. “If I was to fart on one of my friends now, there’s an eighty-five percent chance I’m going to shit on my friend. And that is a true test of friendship.”

He has a lot of great material about his body changing as he gets older (stuff I completely understand), liking his body to an old car that you have to explain and apologize for. He’s so wonderfully candid, and that’s really what makes this material so good.

He also has plenty of material about being a father. “When my wife told me we were having a kid, I was like, ‘That’s awesome baby, you’re going to make a great single mom.’” He used to say, as part of his routine, that if he became one of those comedians that softens and talks about his child, people should punch his baby. Now he’d prefer if people would not punch his baby. Things change.

Brian Posehn ends with a bit about how Star Wars betrayed him. This I totally get. To hell with the “special” editions. I want to smack George Lucas for ruining my childhood memories.

The Fartist was released on June 25, 2013 through New Wave Dynamics. 

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