Dylan Brody's "Chronological Disorder"

There are a few moments in my life that, for whatever reason, have been burned into my brain and will stick with me for as long as I live. I don't know what it was about those particular experiences (company, circumstances, or a mix of the two) that came together to make for what was nothing less than a truly magical time. I won't soon forget the time my buddy Paul and I did way too many espresso shots at the coffee house on the Santa Monica pier. There was the time I stayed up all night with my pals Tim, Ethan, and Aubry discussing life and its intricacies around a Pennsylvania campfire. I won't soon forget the time my wife Sarah and our friends Alyssa and Ashlea spent a late night strolling through the Irish town of Adare after drinks and dinner at the Tom Collins Pub. And, of course, there was the night during an Indiana thunderstorm where Sarah and I shared a kiss, our drenched clothes the very least of our concern.

Each of those memories is tinted with a magical feeling as I look back upon them and without sounding too dramatic, Chronological Disorder by Dylan Brody manages to capture the essence and feel of one of those special evenings. Even though he spends over an hour sharing stories, laughs, and moments of revelation, I wished it would last just a little longer. I'm very grateful to be able to recognize when I'm experiencing one of those Special Moments and the one thing that makes listening to this album different from those other occasions is, when it's all done, you can press PLAY and re-live the exact same experience all over again.

This project was recorded in a very intimate setting and the close-quarters feel really adds to the experience. Rather than listening in to a recording of what happened in a comedy club once upon a time, you're drawn in and become a part. It's like you're sitting there while everything unfolds for the first time (even when it's your third time listening), a small gathering of close friends and fellow admirers of fine words and phrases. You can almost hear the fireplace crackling and smell the freshly-uncorked wine as Brody invites us to settle in for an evening of intricately-worded and perfectly-sculpted works of spoken art.

Because that's what this is, really. Although I truly believe stand up comedy is an art form, this is something different. It's not stand up comedy as much as it is the humorous portraiture of life events.

All right, I just realized I'm already a few hundred words into this review and I haven't really spoken about the album's material as much as I have the feeling one walks away with after having experienced it. That's OK, though. With Brody, there's not really any such thing as "getting right to it." That's just part of the journey. Brody leaves himself plenty of freedom to stray from the story at hand because he knows it will all come back around in the end and, as far as he may seem to stray (he doesn't officially "begin" until 18 minutes into the proceedings), it always serves to enhance the experience. I sincerely believe it would be selling Brody short if I left out the tone and mood that we come away with. We're left with a real sense of wonder.

In that regard, Brody reminds me a lot of Steven Spielberg. Do you remember how you felt after the first time you saw E.T., Saving Private Ryan, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or Jurassic Park in the movie theater? All very different movies with very different flavors but they all left you (or at least, me) walking back to the car amid a swirling cloud of "Wow." Although there are no dinosaurs or tombs full of asps in this project, you still walk away with the feeling that you just experienced something...significant.

When Brody tells a story, he really tells a story. He takes full advantage of his vast grasp of the power of language. When he's relating a tale events don't just "deteriorate" or "decline." Instead, they "spiral downward like Larry Flynt at the Guggenheim." I love that. Despite his broad arsenal of references, there is no intellectual pomposity here and everyone is invited to enter in and come along. Nothing portrays that better than this simple introduction to one of his pieces:

"This is a funny story. I hope."


Of course, Brody's hope comes fully to fruition, as his stories are indeed funny. Whether he's explaining how quickly a girl can go from "hot prospect" to "golden ticket" or taking issue with someone claiming to play the role of Devil's Advocate ("The devil doesn't need an advocate. He's the devil...Once you acknowledge that you are advocating the point of view of Beelzebub, you give up the right to claim the moral high ground"). There isn't a tale told that doesn't fail to hit the mark and despite the fact that a number of the tracks clock in at well over 10 minutes, there are no lulls; Brody not only knows what he's doing but he knows how to do it well.

Although each story here is filled with humor and sincere laughter abounds, the focus is on the way the story is conveyed as much as it is on the reaction it will garner. Brody's poor fashion choices result in a unique encounter with a street gang. A rough weekend in Atlantic City dovetails into a poignant moment with his wife and his newly-crafted ancient Zen parable helps put things into perspective for those languishing moments in life when we feel we are being unjustly punished.

As I not-so-subtly hinted at in a previous post, I loved this album. I loved how it made me feel while I was listening and I loved the sense of wonder it left me with when it was over. If Brody has indeed been diagnosed with "Chronological Disorder," I hope they never find a cure.

***

Jake Sharon's "JAke's First Purge"

As explained on the first track of this project, comedian Jake Sharon has been a comic for ten years and he has some material he's grown tired of doing. So, as comedians do, he's decided to round up all of that material, record it, and purge it from his set list, freeing him to move on to new and uncharted territory. Hence the name, JAke's First Purge.

Throughout my listens to the album, I came to understand why Sharon has held on to this material for so long. To put it plainly, it's funny stuff. Whether traditional stand up comedy, audience-including improvisation (his Positive/Negative game is a lot of fun), or excerpts from his podcast(s), Sharon excels and brings with him a real feel of levity.

And really, that's what makes this CD so much fun. It's not the material (although I do like Sharon's writing. On two fat chicks fighting: "They're all punching each other...It sounded like Tupperware closing") as much as it is Sharon himself. He is having a ball, genuinely enjoying what he's doing, and that can't help but spill out into the crowd. When someone is having such a good time it's easy to get sucked in and become a part of the fun.

Sharon is friendly and inviting. His greeting ("Hi. I'm Jake.") is simple, sincere, and welcoming. With those three words we're made to feel safe and at home. It's easy to get comfortable and let your guard down when you know you aren't going to be attacked (unless, of course, you have a turkey laugh. But that's a given). It's apparent that Sharon is comfortable working on the fly and his interactions with the crowd are simultaneously relaxed and entertaining.

The topics covered here span everything from educational children's songs (I'll never again confuse my cake hole with my corn hole) to more adult topics (I love the running kiss-and-tell gag where Sharon reveals people with whom he's made out...and then shares what it tasted like). Sharon has a special knack for talking about "blue" subject matter in a way that doesn't come with that heavy "dirty" feeling hovering over it. I found this surprisingly refreshing and, again, I attribute it to Sharon's lighthearted approach.

Sprinkled throughout the album are introductions to some of the tracks where Sharon breaks the fourth wall and offers a bit of insight and background. He uses these short bumpers to explain that a particular cut was recorded back when he had long hair or when MySpace was still relevant. Although these little asides aren't essential, they are enjoyable and Sharon accentuates each of them with a fun little homemade soundtrack I have since found myself recreating while I perform various tasks throughout my day such as loading the dishwasher or walking to the coffee shop. If you'd like to sing along, it goes a little something like, "La la la, la-la la-la la la...."

Another aspect I really liked about this project is the fact that Sharon left in the imperfections. There are a couple of times where a joke falls flat. There's really no other way to put it. The punch is delivered and Sharon is greeted with a big ol' room-filling silence. And Sharon laughs. It's a real, genuine reaction with which he acknowledges he just blew it, and I liked it. I liked the honesty of the moment and I loved that Sharon embraces it and then carries on.

I hope it's not another ten years before we get another release from Sharon. This project is over an hour long (35 tracks!) and well worth the investment. "JAke's Second Purge: The Re-Purging" is an album I'm already anxious to hear.

***

Marc Unger's "Dirty Truth"

The new album Dirty Truth is a little tough for me to review. With many projects, after listening I have some sort of emotional connection and/or reaction. Maybe I liked it, maybe I didn't. Maybe I loved it and maybe I found it abhorrent. After listening to this new project from Marc Unger, I didn't have any reaction. At all. I didn't go nuts over it and I didn't this it was terrible. It just kind of...was.

My lack of reaction wasn't just a post-listening thing. Throughout the numerous times I played the album I didn't have much of a reaction. I didn't laugh or groan, smile or wince. And I guess that's what stood out to me most: This project didn't illicit any reaction at all.

The main reason for my lukewarm response is because there isn't a lot of groundbreaking comedy to be found here. Unger visits a lot of cliched topics that have been talked about from a stage countless times before and he doesn't explore them in a particularly new or refreshing way.

That's not to say he's bad at what he does, he's just...OK. Unger could easily perform at any comedy club in the nation, but he's not really they type to headline on a Friday or Saturday night. Unger's standard writing is more suited to a Sunday or Tuesday night slot. Sure, you'll have a nice time while you're there, but you won't be blown away or find yourself scouring YouTube later that night to get more. Unger says everything you'd expect from a seasoned road comic, which I guess is OK. On the other hand, Unger says everything you'd expect from a seasoned road comic. There just aren't a lot of surprises. It's like petting a lion with no teeth. It looks cool and makes for a nice photo op, but without the fangs, the fun that comes with the thrill of possibly getting bitten is all but eliminated.

I'm not just criticizing for the sake of criticizing. Here are a few examples of the been there, done that topics that are featured:

• There sure is a lot of porn on the Internet!
• Did you know that guys jack off a lot?
• Reality shows are lame!
• Sex in real life isn't anything like sex in the movies!

My main beef isn't with the topics themselves, as tired as they may be. It's just that Unger doesn't breathe any new life into them and as a result we're left with standard comedy. There are no stand-out benchmark moments and we come away with a set that's forgettably average.

If Unger is performing at a club near you, I'm sure you and your friends will have a nice time out. You'll laugh, have a few beers, and maybe - if you're lucky - the chicken fingers from the club's kitchen will be somewhat edible. But a week later when someone asks you how the comedian was, you'll say, "Yea, he was good. We had a fun time."

And the conversation will move on from there.

As I said before, that's what I got from the album. Not good. Not bad. Just...meh.

[Insert shoulder shrug here]

***

Story Time with My Wife and Dylan Brody

This afternoon I asked my wife Sarah, “Hey, do you have a few minutes? Wanna hear a story?”

She nodded her head with a smile and said, “Sure!”

After pouring us each a cup of her world-famous white mochas, we settled in on the couch. I have spent the last couple of days listening to an album for this website and I played for her a track from the forthcoming project from comedian/storyteller Dylan Brody, “Chronological Disorder.”

It’s a track called “Bad Deal,” and we sat on the couch listening to his story about poker, his grandfather, his wife, and an Atlantic City hotel parking garage. With our mugs of coffee close at hand, we laughed, smiled, and allowed ourselves to be transported for a few minutes to a place where we could not be harmed. The recording itself is intimate and close and it didn't take long before we felt like we were there, in person, listening to his tale among friends and fellow fans of “fine words and phrases.”

After the story was finished, Sarah and I looked at each other and smiled. We shared a hug and a kiss and a feeling of warm fuzzies filled the room. It was nice.

Needless to say — spoiler alert if you read my reviews — I love this album. I can’t wait to tell you more about it.

Mo Mandel's "The M Word"

Whenever you watch a TV show or movie where the good guys are chasing a serial killer, there's always a scene where the lead detective is trying to piece together clues, staring at an over-sized bulletin board plastered full of newspaper clippings, photographs, index cards, and other assorted bits of information. I imagine that wall is what it looks like inside of Mo Mandel's head. There's an overwhelming number of topics he wants to touch on during his stand up set, and on his album The M Word, he manages to do just that. Without it ever coming across as information overload, Mandel smoothly moves from one topic to the next. He's a moving target, never staying in one place long enough to give you time to feel disenchanted.

If you prefer your comedians to play offense rather than defense, then Mandel is the comic for you. He comes at the crowd, delivering his material with energetic confidence. As he projects, his gruff voice is reminiscent of a Dana Gould character. Rest assured, Mandel is no fictionalization. He's straight forward and up-front, describing himself as "kind of in between a Jew and a guy who drives by in a truck and yells "Jew."" His heritage is the source for a lot of his material, but Gentiles can rest assured he does not alienate. There's no Jackie Mason-esque kvetching here. Mandel is humorous and relatable and never exclusive.

There's not a hot-button issue Mandel is afraid to touch and he is unapologetic of his outlook, whether it's on the race issue ("Jews were slaves 2,000 years before blacks were slaves. I mean I get it, you guys are late to things..."), relationships ("I'm a little tired...I just started dating this girl...and I am worn out...from acting fake"), and immigration ("I feel like Mexican people have a right to come to this country...I just do not think they should be allowed to bring their music with them").

As much as I enjoyed some of the bits here (my favorites included tales about meth labs in his hometown and his childhood struggle with bed-wetting), there were others I didn't connect with as strongly. When you're covering the amount of territory Mandel does, that's probably to be expected. Because he moves quickly from one topic to the next, the lulls aren't lulls for very long before things are up and moving once again.

Mandel enjoys pushing the envelope and he does it in a way where you don't feel like you're being pushed. He's edgy and sometimes confrontational without coming across as too in-your-face or offensively mean-spirited. He's honest and open, and that gives him license to speak freely.

Although I didn't find this project to be wall-to-wall belly laughs, I did enjoy my time spent with Mandel and there are some genuinely funny moments waiting to be discovered. The M Word is a nice representation of Mandel and, when all is said and done, is still pretty "mm mm good."

***