Now that's what I call comedy!

Cultural Event #8 - Comedy in the Suburbs

That's not the actual title of the show. I think it was "Scott Hanson, with Dave Mordahl and Special Guests." My friend Brian Beatty was one of the special guests, so we packed the car and an overnight bag for the long, scary drive to Burnsville, MN - AKA Land of 10,000 Minivans. The show was in a party room of a bowling alley. Technically, it's called the "Brunswick Family Fun Zone" or something similar, but we weren't tricked by that little ruse.

Anyway, the show consisted of five openers who'd all appeared in a New Year's Eve show with Louie Anderson. Of the five, Brian was the best and most interesting. His delivery and material are totally original - he reads short poems on stage and speaks very slowly and softly. But then he's dressed like a guy who lives in a remote cabin in the woods, so the result is rather disorienting. A couple of the other guys had some pretty good jokes, but their acts weren't as unique or cohesive as Brian's. As for the stars of the show, Scott Hanson mainly just made me uncomfortable, because he picked on a few people in the audience, and he always looks like he's about to keel over. Dave Mordahl is uber-Republican - who knew? Really sharp and funny, but kind of a dick. There were a few too many homophobic, ethnocentric, "damn lib-rulls" jokes for my taste.

In fact, there were a few too many of those throughout the night, period. That, plus a few assholes in the audience, proved that you don't have to drive too far before you're in a red state.