Comedian Mitch Hedberg destroys his career with a pathetically drunken, drugged approximation of a performance.
Celebrity Theater's "in the round" setting provided an unusual setting for a pairing of comedy performances last night, and the slowly spinning stage providing material for everyone involved. After an amusing, if a tad long set by music-comedian Stephen Lynch, whose song-based humor often resembled that of Jack Black's Tenacious D (if less metal-based,) and hilarious emcee duties handled by previously unknown to me comedian Al Madrigal, expectations were high for the big draw, Mitch Hedberg. Expectations, it turns out, were about to be let down.…
Article comments
76 - Steve
although this happened, im angered to hear what this dude has to say about it. 2004, mitch using drugs? no way. he had been clean since 2001. and also when someone gets drunk people wont care or forget quickly. but when mitch hedberg gets drunk hes labeled as a fiend, "self destuctive", and as his career is down the toilet. mitch hedberg was a great man. greater than i or anyone else on this forum will ever be. RIP MITCH
77 - Tom
Steve (comment #76,) I was there - I wrote this piece and I don't appreciate being accused of lying. Mitch was more than drunk - he was completely and totally wasted, and he DID pop the pills that were thrown onto stage for him. You can argue semantics all you want - "fiend," "addict," whatever. The fact remains that Hedberg was really screwed up, and my review of the show stands as honest a review of someone whose comedy I really loved can be - I only reported what I saw, as sad and unfortunate as that is.
78 - Pixel
Man, I just found out - guess i've been really really out of the loop. None of my friends or family "got" Mitch Hedberg's humor; But Mitch was priceless and i will miss him. I'm thankful for what he gave and sorry he left us so soon.
79 - Angela
My boyfriend and i love Mitch and were very sad to hear of his passing.Sadly we will never get to see him live and in person like we wanted. We will miss the laughter he bought to our lives. If only he could have found the help he needed. RIP Mitch
80 - Ben Tupper
Brian Capp - I wish you could funnel your anger into something more productive. I really have only a shallow understanding of him/his comedy, but he seems like he was a sweet guy when he was a live. oh yeah, you might want to learn how to use the accusitive form "me" for the sentence "for my wife and i[sic]." it just sounds kind of pretentious.
81 - Joe
Why didn't anyone help him? He obviously had problems that he could not control. It's as though all of these people saw a car crash coming from a mile away but never tried to prevent it... sad.
82 - Joe
By the way, I would also like to add that alcohol is a drug too. People always refer to "drugs and alcohol", but they are one and the same. If you drink alcohol, you are doing drugs... its just that "having a drink" sounds much nicer than "taking drugs".
Obviously, drugs like heroin are far worse than alcohol... but I just wanted to point that out.
83 - Christopher Rose
Actually Joe, alcohol is a worse drug than heroin. The only real problems with heroin are the risk of overdosing and the challenge of maintaining a reliable supply.
I have known quite a few middle class heroin addicts with responsible jobs and their employers and even their friends wouldn't necessarily know about it. Being an alcoholic is far more damaging in both health and social terms.
84 - sam j
i agree with christepher Rose alcoholic are mean depressed and lonley. drugs are for partying and opens you mind and will often make you a better person. i have an alcoholic mother and a druggo brother and i know what i would choose.
85 - jennifer rice
I commented on the show I had seen back in Sept. 04, and how sad and dissappointed I was. I know this is long over due, but I thought I would post. It all makes sense. I mean with the drinking, drug use, and pathetic shows. He was amazing, unique, and entertaining. He had a great wife and faimly to support him and he threw it all away. I miss his entertainment as there aren't many out there today that compare, and I am sad that there was so much more he could have done for himself and the world.
86 - frank
Man oh man.. I never knew so many people were so deeply drawn to Mitch and the understanding for his sense of humor. Let me tell you, alot of people around me never understood what the hell he was talking about.. Mitch, you are the man.. Thanks for making sense to some of us out here.. God bless.
87 - 2222222
If he were here today, would Mitch now understand how well he was loved by so many? I believe he was ultimately incapable of fully accepting that love, incapable of feeling truly worthy of it, and that this was likely what drove him to his tragic end.
"It's all about likeability, really" was an offhand remark he made while talking to himself in front of hundreds - recorded for millions to later witness - that is so haunting now, more than three years later. This "likeability" was his holy grail, it seems. He was so introspective, so self-critical, and became so dysfunctional while striving for an ultimate perfection that he nor anyone else could ever hope to achieve. He fell so short of his own expectations without realizing how far he had exceeded what could be reasonably expected of him. I still grieve for this man, every day, and continue to learn from the pain he suffered.
88 - 2222222
Four years gone, but never forgotten.