Eric Bogosian

On Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll Eric Bogosian comes up with ten characters who allow him to fire sharp satiric jabs at conspicuous consumption, greed, and masculinity run amok. From the intense, angry lawyer in "Rock Law," (imagine an old Bob Newhart phone routine on cocaine), to the clueless, hedonistic narrator of "Stag Party," (who sounds like an adult version of Mike Judge's Butthead), to the in-recovery rock star in "Benefit," (who never misses the chance to talk about his drug-fueled glory days), each of these creations allow Bogosian the chance to show off the remarkable instrument that is his speaking voice. By turns menacing, commanding, charming, and funny (sometimes within the same character), that voice can go from British, to gangsta, to self-satisfied yuppie, to nervous street-person at the turn of a switch. Each of these characters comes to life largely because of Bogosian's vocal skills -- so much so that hearing these monologues is just as entertaining as seeing him live. There is, however, a second kind of voice that shines on this album -- the voice of Bogosian the writer. He comments on the greed of the Reagan era with giant laughs, but also the right amount of disgust and -- for the few who deserve it -- compassion. One of his characters, the rock star, says, "The insidious thing about drugs is that you're having such a good time you don't realize what a bad time you're having." This quote offers an excellent paraphrase of what Bogosian accomplishes with this set of monologues -- he gets the audience to laugh, but they will be thinking about how serious he is for a long time afterward. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi