The edgy humor of the Maria Bamford show
by Some comedians make a career out of expressing the most loathsome, mean-spirited, ignorant, or perverted thoughts people are usually afraid to say out loud — Jim Norton, Carlos Mencia, Dave Attell. Others — George Carlin, Eddie Izzard — use their medium to draw attention to the absurdity of the human condition. Some, such as Dane Cook, are unimaginative attention whores with no talent. It’s a relief then to have someone like Maria Bamford, who while getting laughs from uncomfortable subjects such as depression and mental illness manages to maintain a welcoming humility.
She’s self-depricating without being self-loathing, she’s absurd without being unintelligible, and she shocks without incensing. Her hilarious impersonations of her family and other characters in her life, and her bits on dating and office life are twisted enough to make Bamford’s material edgier than a Cathy comic, but not so cynical and crass that all the audience is left with is a feeling of contempt. Check out her latest album, Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome.
Tagged: Carlos Mencia, Dave Attell, Eddie Izzard, George Carlin, Jim Norton, Maria Bamford
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