Lewis Black

Effectively transferring the gesticulations, gestures, mannerisms and stretchy facial expressions of lovably sour-pussed comedian Lewis Black from the live setting to a recorded disc isn't easy. A lot of Black's physical comedy is lost in translation, but give the fact that Black is so prolific, thanks to his Comedy Central TV show The Root of All Eviland his increasing popularity, chances are, most people who purchase Anticipation will be able to rely on the power of their mind and their memories to envision Black's erratic hand movements and the beads of sweat forming on his red cheeks, as he spews out his top-notch material.

Despite the loss of the entertaining visual element, Black's routines and bits remain as hilarious as ever, as he takes shots at golfers, the commercialization and co-opting of the Christmas holiday season, a Barbie that shits candy into your hand, the news media and casino dwellers. Black is a master of observational, biting humor and exaggerated vocabulary; he's always peppering his punchlines with adjectives like "staggeringly" or "astoundingly" or "beyond belief" to enforce the notion that we're surrounded and governed by idiots! No one is exempt from Black's barbs. He pits Christmas vs. Hanukah and skewers the president. He also suggests that our economy is contingent on the non-existent entity known as Santa Claus, who could be our next President, but that he's probably a Communist because he wears red! He also attacks the people who created the curious offerings like Jello and coleslaw on a buffet table. He asks the difficult questions and spits venom about all the inaccuracies he sees in society. He abandons familiar topics like the weather, which is a testament to his comedic brilliance, since he can take even a banal, inane subject such as the climate and make it humorous, and focuses on holidays and events that we all begin to dread as we age. Black doesn't rely on gimmicks, either. While some may argue that his trademark manic demeanor, such as blubbering his lips when he's pointing out something that confuses him, and the fact the he's prone to fits of yelling and screaming to get a point across are indeed gimmicks, one can't help but imagine that Black communicates the same way in real life conversations.

While Black doesn't gnaw on political hot potatoes on Anticipation as he did on previous excellent efforts like Rules of Enragement or The End of the Universe, he still points out the gross idiocy that is ultimately overtaking our nation's leaders.

It's smart comics like Black who don't get caught up in their own fame and smartly use their words to force people to think and question authority.

— Amy Sciarretto
08.12.08