let's not bring ink & paper into this
Letting y'all know right off the bat - I don't play that April Fools bullsh**.
When someone tries to hand me out a flyer, it's kinda like they're saying, "Here, you throw this away."
Scene Point Blank was the first to point me to the sad-sad-sad news that Minnesota-native comedian Mitch Hedberg was found dead on Wednesday. Howard Stern reported the news yesterday morning, with Defamer & MTV following up with reports of their own later in the day. Local papers the Star Tribune & the Pioneer Press have offered obituaries, and Blogcritics.org, Matt Dentler & Music For Robots each provide their thoughts on the loss as well.
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Race Car Passenger"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Traffic Lights & Bananas"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Monster Magnet & Jelly Beans"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Pancakes"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Donut"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Fire Exit"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Dufrenes"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Waterfalls"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Wine & Winos"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Movie Pot"
I first saw Mitch on his Comedy Central half-hour special a few years back & really took a liking to him. His odd, stoner-yet-likeable delivery & random, almost stream-of-consciousness jokes grew on me quickly, and I found myself watching his special quite a bit & recommending it to others. Mitch's unique style was a change of pace from most stand-ups, and I became a genuine fan. It is extremely disheartening to hear that he has passed on, and my best wishes go out to his family & friends. The above comedy clips come from his two cd's, 1999's Strategic Grill Locations and 2003's Mitch All Together, which includes the aforementioned special on a bonus DVD. Check out ... (dot dot dot) for more Mitch links & a list of his best quotes.
ETA: Mitch's Comedy Central Presents special will air tonite @ 9pm ET.
ETA (5/11/05): Slate delivers a belated Mitch piece by Sam Anderson (via).
MP3
After failing to track it down last week, I have finally been able to listen to Born To Be A Motorcycle, the new album from San Diego boy-girl duo Bunky (that's Bunny + Monkey, btw). Emily Joyce & Rafter Roberts' weird blend of noise-punk, art-pop, and crooning balladry has been previously blogged about by the likes of Fluxblog, *sixeyes & Stereogum, so I'm not covering any new territory here. But in honor of Mitch Hedberg's passing, I thought this sentimental-one-minute, frantic-the-next tune would make for an unusual-yet-fitting tribute to such an original talent. Rest in peace, Mitch.
Sufjan Stevens' label Asthmatic Kitty has more information on Bunky, whose website also offers the following three songs for legal download:
MP3 Bunky - "BaBa"
MP3 Bunky - "Yes/No"
MP3 Bunky - "Chuy"
ETA (4/5/05): MOV Bunky - "BaBa" video (13.8mb)
Robert Smigel & Triumph pal around w/Sam & Janeane on last nite's Majority Report.
As I mentioned before, yesterday was Air America's first anniversary, and there was back-patting & congrats all around amidst the usual shock & awe at the right wing's hipocrisy. Al Franken broadcasted live to a boisterous audience at NYC's Museum of Television & Radio, and Unfiltered did its final show (Jerry Springer takes over Rachel Maddow & Chuck D's timeslot today). Last nite I watched the HBO doc, which provided an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the network's start-up & early struggles. And finally, comedian & Arrested Development "never-nude" David Cross joins Marc Riley & Marc Maron on today's Morning Sedition. As per usual, archived AAR podcasts are available for download from Air America Place.
ETA: Marc Maron lamented Mitch Hedberg's death at the top of his show.
Speaking of Arrested Development, Fox is airing back-to-back episodes of tv's best comedy tonite at 9pm ET, in case you're like me & have no life.
Sin City opens today. What else are you doing with your weekend?
