LEWIS BLACK
The Carnegie Hall Performance (Comedy Central)
Reviewed by Rusty Pipes

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Lewis Black finally made it to Carnegie Hall in September of 2005 and this is the chronicle of his appearance. At the outset he’s amazed to be there, but there’s a Hall rule that he’s only allowed to say "fuck" 12 times. That would seriously cramp his style, but of course he breaks that rule inside of 90 seconds as he meanders around the accomplishment of being on that stage. He also introduces his mother and father and cracks some Jewish jokes, and then he gains focus and gets much sharper for the bulk of the 90 minute show.

Of course Black’s humor is mostly drawn from the headlines, unlike the scatological material of many modern comics. He spews out his opinions on easy targets like Dr. Phil and Michael Jackson but he really rips into right wing targets like their bans on Gay Marriage, the protection of Terry Schiavo and, of course, President Dubya’s war. He also condemns the Administration for the Katrina disaster which happened less than a month before the show, but perhaps the finest piece is the story of his appearance at the Congressional Correspondent’s Dinner. Black’s description of holding back his trademark anger in front of Dick Cheney is priceless.

Does it rank with another Jewish LB's famous performance in the Hall some 40 years ago: Lenny Bruce? Hardly, but Lewis gives a perfectly worthy rant that most comics would envy.

© 2007 - Rusty Pipes