Some comedians send the audience laughing into a coughing fit. Others should retreat from the stage in disgrace. In Zach Galifianakis-Live at the Purple Onion we see an unremarkable performance kept afloat by a man with an interesting style.
On stage at San Francisco's Purple Onion, a man with unkempt hair, a listless demeanor and a dark draught beer within easy reach is gingerly playing a piano in the opening minutes of the DVD. With his long beard, Galifianakis looks like the Gorton's fisherman on 80 proof. With slow deliberation, he begins the show with a crack at his last name and a few small jokes.
Before rising to begin the show in earnest, Galifianakis flirts with the piano keys, pausing to meditatively sip his beer and stroke his hair. Exuding the hopeless psychological fatigue and stifled intensity of a man keeping familiar psychosis at bay, his visage was not that of a typical funnyman. At this point, I damn sure wondered what he had up his sleeve.
When he started cooking, a bland smell came from the kitchen. The best stand-up performances hinge on rants, stories, and acerbic remarks. Galifianakis mostly sticks to quick jokes that are largely mediocre. The only verbal elements that really resonated with me were clusters of screamed obscenities and self-deprecation. He occasionally feigned rage and spewed vulgar vitriol.
Like much of his act, it didn't go far enough. A common mistake, missed opportunities are the worst thing to see in comedy. He failed to adequately capitalize on a few sterling opportunities that could have been a great boost to this performance.
The show wasn't always funny, but it was intriguing. Galifiniakis shifts from joking to sitting at the piano with that dark look on his face. As he stared in silence, I wondered what was in his head. Was he ready to give up or just launch an explosive tirade? These moments were suspenseful. Although probably faked, the mental illness element is a unique and flavorful component of his work. Then again, he does exhibit the grooming habits of a psychotic derelict.
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