Freak Wharf [Explicit]

Paul F. Tompkins | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: December 1, 2009
• Label: ASPECIALTHING RECORDS
• Copyright: 2009 ASPECIALTHING RECORDS
• Total Length: 53:28
• Genres:
  • Miscellaneous > Comedy
  • Miscellaneous > Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• ASIN: B002XI062Y
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,674 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More than I expected July 4, 2010

By Michael Taylor

Format:MP3 Music

I enjoyed "Impersonal" a lot, and it certainly had some well-crafted jokes, but other than "Peanut brittle" and "jazz" the rest seemed a little bit too crafted. It just sounded like a guy doing bits he had been doing for ten years and had gotten a little too comfortable doing. But Freak Wharf has a more conversational, less contrived style. He is clearly doing material for most of it (he even says, "Now I'm doing material"), but it seems like his time spent riffing and getting outside his comfort zone has improved his delivery a lot. The material remains brilliant. The last bit, about the Go Ask Alice protagonist's descent into addiction has had me laughing for hours since I finished the CD. Buy it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Like Having PFT In Your Living Room! December 3, 2009

By The Unlawyer

Format:MP3 Music

You want to feel like Paul F. Tompkins is standing in your living room performing his act?

Sure, you could just hire him, but who has $250,000 lying around to cover his exorbitant appearance fee? A better option in these tough economic times might be to fork out 10 bucks for his amazing new CD - FREAK WHARF.

The album brilliantly captures PFT's hilarious, bizarrely relatable flights of fancy. He's a comic at the top of his game here. At one moment, he's making us laugh with his finely-tuned material, and the next he's leading us down an absurd rabbit hole in a blur of whimsical stream-of-consciousness.

My only complaint is that the CD isn't 5 hours long... or that I don't have $250,000 to burn.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Ohhh you pie people. You make me laugh. March 2, 2011

By R. Reining

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Paul F. Tompkins is one of my favorite comedians. I hesitated to say he's one of the best comedians of my generation, because comedy is so subjective. But in my opinion, he is. Freak Wharf is good, solid comedy. I think perhaps I was slightly let down by this album because I loved Impersonal so much. Overall, I think his previous effort was a little better, but there is still plenty of comedy gold to be mined from this album, and not all of it immediately apparent.

Having listened to dozens of comedy albums, one thing in particular becomes clear. The funny in a joke is much more about the words being used and the way the words are said than the subject or the punchline. And this thought was on my mind a lot while listening to this album, because one thing more than anything I have come to expect from Mr. Tompkins is his ability to turn a word or a phrase and make it funny just with his inflection.

The first three tracks on the album all sound improv'd. I read that before buying it and was a little hesitant at what I would find. Sometimes improvising for a comedian goes about as well as a band "just jamming" on stage. Kind of a train wreck. But it's not the case. Some of the jokes are a little weak, but the first three tracks overall are not a whole lot weaker than the rest of the album. The final two tracks are where his true comedic genius is showcased. Cake vs. Pie and Go Ask Alice, respectively. My first listen through of the final two tracks was at work, and I could barely keeping my laughter silent.

The great thing about comedy is the ability of an artist to weave thoughts together out of words, providing immediate punchlines and also more subtle layers that you'll find during repeat listens. Freak Wharf is no disappointment. My only hope is that Paul F. Tompkins' next album is twice as long twice as soon.