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Mike Birbiglia gives us a tour of his Secret Public Journal in his stellar DVD performance, What I Should Have Said Was Nothing
Anyone familiar with Comedy Central will recognize goofy, off-beat Mike Birbiglia. He proclaims that in real life he is neither funny nor extraordinary – by watching his DVD, What I Should Have Said Was Nothing, you really wouldn’t be able to tell.
Birbiglia is a likable enough guy, and his stand up act, more a collection of stories than jokes, makes you feel as if he’s a buddy in a bar than a performer on a stage. His stories are accessible; not too dumb, yet not too bright. You can drink a few beers and still be on par with Birbiglia – his Average Joe quality sees to it.
Birbiglia tackled topics like dick slaps, and yet manages to be the most non-threatening guy ever – he even calls himself, mockingly, the Kenny G of comedy. His brother, writer/producer Joe Birbiglia makes appearances in several stories, as anyone familiar with Mike’s Secret Public Journal will be happy to see.
More topics include pond colonoscopies, electing presidents on the curve, and platypus cooters. Yeah, I said it. Platypus cooters. The bulk of the DVD was aired as a special on Comedy Central, but for the DVD, extras include a 25 minute encore, which is supposed to be exclusive to the DVD (I’m not entirely sold on that; I watch a good deal of stand up on Comedy Central, and a lot of that material I could swear I’ve seen before). Birbiglia is very conscious of the extras, in fact; a good deal of the encore is spent fretting over what to talk about in order to make the extras cooler. Luckily, he takes requests from the audience, which fans of the Wiffleball Tony bit will appreciate.
The other bonus feature is a collection of footage from his tour which is just as funny as the show. There’s a lot of stand up bits that weren’t covered in the act, and some improved bits that show off his ability to roll with the punches. This is the real gem of the bonus features.
Mike Birbiglia may not be a superstar of comedy (yet), but his DVD, What I Should Have Said Was Nothing will definitely make you laugh. It’s a solid act.
