Have Some (Neil) Hamburger

As the comedian preps for his upcoming U.S. tour - he's in Dublin tonight - we take stock of his hot new live album, Hot February Night.

By Jonah Flicker

The crowds that bring out the best in Neil Hamburger are the most antagonistic ones. Undoubtedly the central basis of his shtick, Hamburger thrives on heckling, insults and threats of violence. Such reactions are inevitable when he's opening for a comedy band like Tenacious D, hurling borderline offensive and deceptively simplistic jokes at large theaters packed with many who have most likely never heard of him before. Such is the case on his hilarious new live comedy album, Hot February Night, issued by Drag City.

Hamburger takes the stage hacking and coughing up phlegm that seems to be unearthed from the depths of his lower intestine, pausing now and then to hurl out a sardonic one-liner, often dealing with Paris Hilton, James Brown, or, strangely, Gerald Ford. In between, he emits a high-pitched moan, especially when the audience is either silent or hateful - which is the case more often than not. But that's why this is hilarious. Of course, you kind of have to be in on the joke to get it. It's not clear whether one who has never heard of Hamburger and is not familiar with his persona would find it as funny.

Chants of "You suck" from the crowd? Hamburger points out that he's actually sucking the money right out of the audience's wallets, and that they have fecal breath. Sounds silly, but his delivery kills it. "What is the difference between Britney Spears' vagina and the decaying corpse of Gerald Ford? In the interest of public decency, the corpse is not being openly displayed." [crowd groaning, Hamburger moaning, "Well, thaaaat's my life."] He taunts the crowd, acting like he's about to introduce the main act, but instead bringing out Tenacious D's... crew! Or Tenacious D's.... curtain!

Again, it's all in the delivery. This sad sack schlump of a comedian knows exactly what he's doing and he's pressing all the right buttons. For Hamburger's gimmicks, this is actually some seriously smart comedy.

[Photo Credit: Simone Turkington]