ADSactly Comedy: Mitch Hedberg
As an adult, I'm not supposed to go down slides. So if I end up at the top of a slide, I have to act like I got there accidentally. "How'd I get up here, god damnit?! I guess I have to slide down."
Hello again dear @adsactly comedy lovers. Let me begin by saying I was not planning on writing this post. I try to keep a balance in the stuff I write for Adsactly and by that order, I should be writing something about theater history or some natural beauty products. Instead, I find myself coming back again to comedy, simply because once more, it’d proved its miraculous effect on me.
I hope on you, too. Really, whenever you feel sad/frustrated/annoyed, just pop into YouTube and listen to some stand-up. It’s what I do and it works better than anything. Gets my mind off the bad things and the one person who managed to steal my thoughts today is American comedian Mitch Hedberg.
In my opinion, Mitch is painfully underrated, perhaps because he died at such a young age. Still, he is one of my all time favorites. I used to lie awake in bed at night and giggle into the wee hours listening to this guy.
And today, after all these years, he still manages to put a smile on my face whenever I’m down.
You may remember we spoke of George Carlin in our last post. Well, Carlin happened to be a fan of Hedberg’s, so that should tell you something about how good he was. If not, I’ll let some of his one-liners win you over.
Little is known about Hedberg’s private life or early years, other than that he was born with a heart defect, which may have later contributed to his untimely death.
So let’s just focus on his comedy.
Now, the thing that stands out most about Mitch is his unique, laid-back delivery. Often, he gave the impression that there was no performer-audience divide and that you were just two friends chilling and talking non-sense. And he certainly was good at talking non-sense. Or at least, seeming to.
His jokes were almost always related to the day-to-day, the little things in life that seem not to matter but that everyone can secretly relate to. And his jokes often bordered on the absurd and surreal.
I used to live here in Los Angeles, on Sierra Bonita, and I had an apartment, and I had a neighbor. And whenever he would knock on my wall, I knew he wanted me to turn my music down. And that made me angry, cause I like loud music. So when he knocked on the wall, I'd mess with his head. I'd say, "Go around! I cannot open the wall. I don't know if you have a doorknob on the other side, but over here there's nothing... it's just flat!"
I would say this is one of my favorite Hedberg jokes, but that’s sort of a lie. I love all his jokes, particularly because they are so bizarre and he spoke in such a way. Really, check this video out, to understand what I am talking about.
Like with any comedian, he wasn’t born with this delivery method, though he came to be recognized for it later in his career. If you look through the early Hedberg, you’ll see a much quirkier person, working to define his style. Part of his charm, if you ask me.
I like the public hot tub at the hotels, the whirlpool. I like to go there when there's a guy in there already and say "Hey, man, you mind if I join ya?" And he says "no." Then I go and I turn the whirlpool heat up. Then I come by and I add some carrots and onions... then I say "Hey man, just simmer for ahw-I mean, sit there."
Mitch Hedberg also suffered of terrible stage fright, which was quite obvious in some of his performances and very probably led to his drug habit. But more on that later.
One of his most fascinating performances was at the Comedy Central Special, where he had the misfortune of a rough audience, unfamiliar to his way of talking and his jokes. Online, you can find two versions of the performance – the edited one, which comes off brilliantly and gives the impression he had a great set that night and the unedited version, where you hear the awkward, disjointed laughter of the audience.
You can see how uncomfortable he is in both, and he even jokes towards the end of the special that he wishes he could start it over again, as the audience is finally laughing at his stuff.
He was a painfully honest man and often criticized his own jokes on stage or confided that saying a certain joke was something of a risk, as he wasn’t sure people would get it.
When I'm on my hotel elevator, I like to pretend that someone else's floor is wrong. Like, if someone gets on and presses 3, I'm like "You're on three? Hahahaha. Dude, I don't think I can ride with you."
The reason I’m including so many quotes from Mitch is that, in my opinion, that’s the only way to truly get into him. He had a brilliant sense of humour, which is just impossible to explain or describe. You have to hear him say it.
Oh, here’s my absolute favorite joke from him. If you didn’t watch the special above, at least watch this. It’s only one minute.
Mitch tragically died of a mix of cocaine and heroin at the age of thirty-seven. A terrible loss, one I can’t even describe. Of course, I discovered him posthumously, and it still hits me sometimes, watching old videos of him, how good he was, how unfair that he died so young. He frequently joked about his own drug habits and struggled for years to keep in under control. Sadly, he couldn’t.
Still, he was an amazingly gifted man and I do hope you check out some of his stuff.
Authored by @honeydue
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I really liked the quotes you make about him.
That of the neighbor who hit the wall is incredible.
I will begin to hear it.
I know, it's one of my favorite jokes from Mitch as well :D Glad you liked it!
I did not know about this comedian.
Like you, I also go to comedy for therapeutic purposes. It makes me think about crappy stuff lightly.
I fnd it admirable and inspiring that Hedberg, having a heart problem that would eventually killhim, chose to make people laugh for as long as he lived.
I can't blame humorist, especially stand up comedians for panicking on stage, especially these days. I think that with so much political correctness being sort institutionalized (made official) trying to make people laugh knowing that in the process you'll offend quite a few must be a terrifying job.
More should be written about the power and need of humor in any given society and people's need to develop tolerance and openmindedness when it comes to comedy.
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful and complex artist. I might have never heard of him otherwise.
Well, the official cause of death was overdose, but some believe the heart thing may have had something to do with it, you know?
I agree, comedy has amazing healing powers and I don't think enough people give it credit. We listen to music or see a movie or read a book when we're feeling bad, but comedy is just as good. Thanks for the comment! Glad you like him.
I didn't know Mitch Hedberg, whom I approach thanks to your post, @honeydue. From the quotes you transcribe and the videos of his performances you give us, I can appreciate that he was undoubtedly a great comedian. His play with words and his senses, as well as the use of absurdity and a certain surrealistic effect stand out a lot in his style.
The life of many artists in different fields is marked by the intensity and, sometimes, some inner torments that lead them to excesses (in drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.); we know this only by looking at the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is the inoculable truth of the difficult relationship between everyday life and art.
Grateful for your post, @honeydue.
Yes, it does occur to me, writing about so many brilliant writers, musicians and comedians how troubled the artist life is for many and how they pay for reaching within themselves, you know? Giving to the world, but taking from themselves...
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i watched that video (tried to at work but had to stop because people were looking at me funny (the tears gave a lot away)
he is hilarious
Ha :) Yes, he is best viewed in private. Somewhere soundproof is ideal. Glad you liked him!
You're the second person in 2 days that has recommended this comic. My trainer at work spent 10 minutes on him yesterday after I suggested someone watch Black Mirror. I will check this guy out this weekend.
He is amazing, and that's a definite sign you should check him out ;)
You keep recommending excellent comedians, @honey! I remember seeing a show where he was being honored by Mitch Hedberg and at that moment I was fascinated. I remembered it now with your post. I also remembered that at that time they were talking about how humor can be an escape route for introverted and shy people. And that's what Mitch Hedberg did: use humour to show (or hide) a part of it. Like you, I think there's no better therapy for those gray days than laughter. You have to laugh even if it's about yourself and even about life, because in the most trivial things, there's humour. With this post by Mitch Hedberg, I remembered other humorists you've brought here, and I see a club of men with problems, with tragedies, addictions, who cover up with the clown's mask. I'm not saying that there aren't comedians with relaxed and stable lives, but it seems that there is something of a defence mechanism in this profession. Grateful for your post, @honeydue. And as I say: until the next smile. ;)
Yes, it does seem to be a defense mechanism for many. Sure, there are some with good, stable lives, but many of those are survivors. They had to go through some rocky times and had the good luck not to die in the process, I guess...
Thanks for the comment, Nancy :)
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wow. he is brilliant. I've never heard of him.
I'm half way through the long video. "I have 21 minutes left." I've watched the first one you posted and I appreciate his delivery style, so honest and direct. Lovable right from the start. But this second one is painful to watch.
Still, it's "fruit on the bottom and hope on top" kinda humor and I love it so far. Now he's talking about how to do the dumb crowds and getting personal now. I gotta go!
He's amazing. I am so glad you have taken the time to compile this.
His Smokey The Bear bit had me guffawing. And how he handles the end of the "90 minutes special" is unlike anything I have ever seen before. He gives and gives and gives until he is finally received, then exults in his relief and deep love and can not let it go. He is the only guy who could have ended like that. Just wow.