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"INSOMNIAC
Dave Attell Walks By Night" What does a stand-up comic do to wind down at the end of the show, when the audience has gone home and you are left on your own in a strange town, with only an hour or so before last-call? If you are a street-wise guy like Dave Attell, you don't opt for a 6 pack to go and channel-surfing 'til dawn in a hotel room; you go on the prowl and explore the after-hours underbelly of your surroundings. Comedy Central has been insightful enough to send a camera crew tagging along behind Dave on his late-night excursions, and the result is a sort of twisted Charles Kuralt expose' of American life in all it's diversity and extremity. No Winnebago and pastoral scenes for this guy though; we're headed straight for the unseen and unseemly at every turn when we sign on for this particular sightseeing tour. This is a mondo-travelogue for those who think they've seen it all, and could be quite an eye-opener to those who think their town is "dull". INSOMNIAC shows us that excitement is all around us -- but most of it goes on while the rest of civilization is asleep. Each episode starts off with a heavily "bleeped" taste of Dave's stage act. Then Attell hits the ground running like The Croc Hunter chasing a rabid Komodo Dragon, determined to grab it by the tail and give 'er a good go before the sun comes up. The trip usually begins in a tavern, pub or bar where we soak up the local flavor ( from a shot-glass or beer bottle ), and from there the wild ride begins. Depending on the town, this could mean a no-holds-barred keyhole party--or a night on the swamps shooting giant rats with a game warden. One minute we could be looking in on the goings-on at a frat house, the next we could be in the company of a bunch of zombied-out geekazoids playing LAN games, or even taking a tour of the third-shift at a sewage treatment plant. Whatever is happening, Dave will find it and make it fun. (Or is that "make fun of it" ? Same thing). This is the sort of spontaneous comedy that television is sorely lacking ; the kind that comes from simply talking to people in their natural environment and recording it. Yes, as has been proven in the past, kids do say the darndest things--but the drunken and the sleep-deprived will say and do just about ANYTHING. In my book, THAT is comedy. You can't write this stuff. It goes on all around us, but it takes a bright comedic mind to find it, point it out, and dump it still-steaming into your living room. There are a few well written, well produced and acted etc. comedy shows on tv today, despite what the glut of total crap may lead you to believe. Of all of them, INSOMNIAC is the one that makes me laugh genuinely, consistently, and 'til my sides hurt. Or in this case perhaps the operative phrase would be," 'Til the cock crows." To bastardize Rasputin, "There are more things between twelve Midnight and six a.m. than are dreamt of in your reality..." and INSOMNIAC squeezes it all into twenty-two minutes. Check it out ! 'Til next I tread the boards of The Gallows, y'all hang loose and keep swingin' !!! Your ol' pal,
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