Pleaseeasaur :: Behold! The Pleaseeasaur
2005-05-09
SEALAB 2021
Behold! The Pleaseeasaur
This weekend we went out with our friend Andisheh. Andy is a big fan of Neil Hamburger, and Neil was doing his "routine" at the Earl in East Atlanta.
Neil Hamburger is a comedian who is famous for being famously bad. Really really bad. His jokes are either setups for highly offensive and unfunny punchlines, or they are so unoriginal that you can easily figure out the punchlines before Neil says them. But that's not the point, at least not entirely. Most of the point is in Neil's delivery, which is just as bad as his jokes. Somewhere in between the terrible jokes and the even more terrible delivery the funny happens. Or it's supposed to, or it's not supposed to, or both. Andy says that Journalists looking for easy categorization of Neil will often invoke the "kaufman-esque" label. But that's for convenience sake I think.
Here is a clip, and while this clip doesn't recreate the experience of sitting through an entire set of Neil's "jokes" it may give you an idea of how uncomfortable he can make you.
While Neil was funny by not being funny, I have to admit I was almost out of laughs by the time Neil got on stage... why? Because of Neil's opening act.. The Pleaseeasaur. Who or what is Pleeseasaur?
The Pleaseeauar show consists of one man, two overhead projectors and at least 6 costume changes. It was amazing, it was fast, and it made me laugh out loud the entire time he was on stage.
When we walked into the room Pleaseeasaur was in the middle of his song "You've got the Tough." But he really won our hearts and minds when he sang the seminal song: "Pizza Bros. and Sons Inc." He had one of those rigs that makes it look like there are three people in a line, when really there is only 1 guy in the middle of two stuffed mannequins. Those are the Pizza Bros. and Sons. The song began with the line, "He's from the wrong side of the tracks... and, He's spoiled to the max!"
Other highlights included the song, "Warning: These Cobras are Totally Cool!" which from what I could tell was about a school bus breaking down in the desert and being attacked by cobras wearing sun glasses. And also "Johnson and Johnsonstien" a law firm that will sue for you in a court of law if you get bitten by a stranger's dog, or fall down your friend's stairs.
Check out his tour page, and seriously if he coming to a town near you go see him, you won't regret it.
-Clunky The Robot