Customer Reviews

Greg Giraldo: Midlife Vices

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at first, I was skeptical bout this release. having only seen Greg when he was roasting someone. but after watching this dvd. I was relieved to see that Greg Girado has a presence on stage. I'm not going to give out any jokes because that would just be mean. but check it out. you will laugh your ass off.

He skillfully tricks you into believing he's just your average comedian whose performance is ridden with cliche narratives of the American cultural landscape. But you'll soon find you've been fooled. I find the more aware a comedian, the better he is. He must take risks with the audience. Sometimes he must trust that his audience is not vanilla but again we're not sick pervs either. With awareness of this, Giraldo is able to become several great comedians at once with material that is crude (Stanhope) and political (Maher, Stewart). He also does numerous pieces that make fun of our use of language, reminiscent of the late Carlin. Nevertheless Giraldo is not just a mish-mesh of other comedians, he masterly weaves everything in a special way. Each joke is not random, he's telling a story that hopefully should vibrate with the younger generations.

Many of the philosophers of our day are comedians, and Greg Giraldo proves the truth in this statement. Admittedly, some of his material can be a little blue or might seem a bit irreverent, but this just gives his material the edge that lets you know it was created from real experiences. Like any good book or piece of art, each time you come back to it, with more maturity, there is something new to appreciate. Every piece of work Greg has done that I've seen, way back to his first Comedy Central work has been great in this way, and "Midlife Vices" keeps this tradition going. I highly recommend this product.

As of this writing, all that is known about Greg Giraldo's death is that he accidentally overdosed on what are said to have been prescription drugs. With that in mind, watching his dvds and listening to his cds now, of course, have lost a bit of their humor - why does this end seem to be so common for funnymen? Whether it's Belushi, Bruce, (a little bit more slowly but no less deadly) Pryor, the list goes on and on. Maybe these new age philosophers have to be medicated to be able to talk about the kind of things they have to talk about, night after night. I don't know, but it's a sick, sad world out there, and Greg's humor addressed it, more often than not. It may not have been as legend making as Lenny Bruce's or Richard Pryor's yet - whereas Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor both roared onto the stage and howled their way through routines that left you wondering whether you'd just had a religious experience, Greg tended to saunter onstage, a little wired (but surely on nothing worse than coffee and cigarettes, right?), and basically announce, "Okay, @#!$%!s,let's see who gets on whose nerves, first, okay?", and then he'd stand there and make you feel like an idiot for believing so much of what we do is important to the grand scheme of Things, and you'd sit there going, "Yeah, we are all a-holes!" -, but he was on his way with a fanbase of individuals who wanted to hear just how screwed up a country (America) had to be to be able to trivialize Death by throwing it into the title of a dessert, and noting that our country will never be able to make do with compact cars because we won't get off our fat asses and exercise, and therefore, the average American family will not fit into a compact car at one time. He was known for his celebrity roasts - I watched them assuming one would eventually end with the roastee getting up and kicking Greg's unshaven, Dude-do-you-ever-get-any-sleep? form all over the stage. But, like Don Rickles fifty years before him, Greg said things with just enough of a wink, and the silent acknowledgement that hey, he was one of those a-holes he was describing, that you'd sit there and listen to him insult your firstborn and your dying mother, and nod, "That's pretty damned accurate." This is only one of his performance tapes, and he can found all over Youtube, on CDs, etc.; what he has left behind won't easily fall by the wayside in this age of things going immediately viral, so I'm not worried about that. What I am worried about is that people will just watch the clips here and there,and repeat the best known zingers from The Skidrow King of Caustic, and that's doing Greg a disservice. Check out his work in its entirety; he has great timing, thoughtful insight about where we are and where we're all going, God help us, and he could even make Last Comic Standing bearable. Eventually, just like with all the great talents, we'll watch and listen to Greg again without the first thought being, "Man, what a loss;" - we'll go Damn, he was funny, and as time goes by, we'll see more and more just how right the dude was about quite a few things. By the way, not really for preteens, but they'll get hip sooner or later.... AND, Greg, when you see Bill Hicks, tell him that you kicked Denis Leary's aaasss all over Colin Quinn's show!!! O,and Kids: Drugs are bad, m'ok???

Unfortunately Giraldo is no longer with us, but "Midlife Vices" stands to remind us just how funny he was. I hadn't seen this special, but his performances at the various Comedy Central roasts made me curious. This set is funny all the way through.

Giraldo shows a more mature sense of timing here--if you like your delivery rapid-fire, this special isn't for you. He wasn't afraid to pause and work things out as he went, and his instincts were good enough that he didn't talk himself into a corner with no way out.

There are some bonuses on the DVD as well: his first Comedy Central special, and an unsold pilot for a talk show about sex. The first special is a tight 22 minutes of well-written and well-delivered material. His bit about Civil War correspondence makes it a must-see (it's also on the "Good Day to Cross a River" CD). The sex show pilot is so-so, but Giraldo was engaging enough that Comedy Central should have retooled it and given it a shot.

Only pity is that Comedy Central has since done a "documentary" about Giraldo that should have been included on this disc, much as the "It's Just a Ride" was put on the "Bill Hicks Live" DVD.

I gave this DVD to my teenage son as a gift, and watched it with him a couple of weeks ago. What a talented man this Greg Giraldo was - and what a shame that he is dead at such a young age. This was one of the funniest, edgiest stand-up routines I've ever seen in my life. I recommend it to anyone who is NOT a total fuddy-dud!

I was actually in the audience when this special was filmed and I was hysterically laughing. Giraldo is not only funny, but insightful. Although his act has adult themes, and some of them were not exactly tasteful they were all funny. Some of his jokes remain funny after hearing them again and again, the true test of a comedian's material, i think. I highly recommend watching/buying his special!

Love this album. Some people argue that isn't great because of lack of bonus features but I still think the DVD is completely worth it. His jokes are great and the execution is awesome. Like one of the other reviews said, check it out you will laugh your ass off.

This DVD is a great way to remember Greg

he has died and will not make any more, since he is not a rhyme talker

he was funny and this DVD is a fine example

also has his TV pilot show and an early appearance from years ago

When it comes to great standup comedians, you probably won't hear the name Greg Giraldo. In his short career, Midlife Vices was his only "official" one hour special. He also recorded a comedy album entitled Good Day To Cross A River, but this is the only one that exists in both DVD and CD form. Greg Giraldo died on September 29, 2010 and the world lost one of its most talented, underrated comedians. Many comedians are considered underrated and are taken too soon, but some (such as Bill Hicks) find their audience after their death. It's been over a year since Giraldo's untimely demise at the age of 44 and his talent and brilliance has yet to be rightfully acknowledged.

Giraldo is most known for his work on the Comedy Central Roasts. This platform is where most people became acquainted with him and the reason why many obituaries referred to him as an "insult comic." Giraldo was certainly well-versed in insult comedy and his witty, offensive jabs at Jeff Foxworthy, Pamela Anderson, William Shatner, Flavor Flav, Bob Saget, Larry the Cable Guy, Joan Rivers, and David Hasselhoff are some of the funniest five minute clips you could hope to find. His final Roast appearance was on the Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff and what a way to go out that was. Closing that roast, his five minutes of destroying everyone on that dais is some of the most bitingly funny five minutes I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. While his presence and, more importantly, his jokes elevated those specials and a simple youtube search of his appearances will make you wish you could hire him to insult people you don't like, it's unfortunate that his legacy has been mostly relegated to those appearances. As brilliant as those insults could be, they don't skim the surface of what he was capable of conveying through his comedy.

I've listened to Good Day to Cross a River countless times in the last few months and have seen this special several times. Either one would be a good place to start, although Midlife Vices has the advantage of being able to see him perform his material. I've been depressed before by the deaths of stand-up comedians and I'm sure many share this sentiment. I frequently wonder what Carlin would have to say about the things going on today, for example. With Giraldo, it's hard for me to really accept that he's dead. I feel like I've lost an old friend and it brings me great sadness that he's not around anymore. His passing, coupled with how underrated he was, just doesn't seem...fair. Luckily, Midlife Vices is a hilarious stand-up special, bittersweet only because it reminds you of what could have been.

The special runs just over an hour and covers a wide range of topics, smoothly (and sometimes nonsensically) jumping from one subject to the next without missing a beat. For someone so unknown and underrated, his comedy is so remarkably accessible and his stage persona so likable and charming. He doesn't seem like a larger-than-life figure and watching him is like watching your buddy performing rather than just some famous comedian. His comedic style relied heavily on observational humor, to which he brought keen, intelligent, and intelligently low-brow observations. Giraldo could riff on the smallest thing to maximum effect, which is likely why he jumps to different subjects so quickly. Many comedians tell amusing stories with a punchline. In a two-minute clip, you'll laugh maybe four-five times. When listening to Giraldo, I laugh every few seconds. He had a gift for making the build-up just as hilarious as the pay-off. As with his CD, some of his funniest observations are on marriage and relationships. He briefly recycles a few jokes from Good Day to Cross a River, but adds to them and keeps them sounding fresh. His observations are thoughtful, logical, and unafraid to go wherever necessary for a laugh without any desperation. When he touches on controversial topics like politics, he avoids getting overly political and I can't imagine too many people being offended.

Always on his toes, he screws up during a prolonged joke and recovers well, mostly with his smile and permeating charm. In something I've never seen in a one-hour special before, he points out a Jamaican man sleeping in the third row. This is a particularly inspired moment that seems mildly frustrated, but never mean-spirited.

Giraldo had all of the things a great comedian requires: great stage presence, unparalleled delivery, intelligent material, and clever observations. His jokes are delivered at a rapid-fire pace and he never lingers on one subject too long. If he had been able to release more material and live a bit longer, I have no doubt he would've seen his star grow in stature. I also believe, with time, he would have been considered one of the greatest comedians ever. Truly great comedians are few-and-far-between and there aren't many alive at this very moment. Giraldo's death is particularly tragic because of his unfulfilled potential and avoidance of mainstream attention.

If you are a fan of stand-up comedy, I can't imagine this special disappointing you. His humor is accessible enough to appeal to a wide range of tastes and IQ's. Now that this unacknowledged legend of comedy has been silenced, it's time to honor his legacy and give him the credit he deserves. Midlife Vices is a good place to start, because it's really the only place to start as far as video evidence of his comedic prowess goes. I've seen stand-up specials by comedians held in much higher regard than Greg Giraldo that don't come close to the brilliance displayed here. I admit that Good Day to Cross a River may be the superior set, but both appropriately sum up what a great entertainer and thinker Giraldo was. Buy the special, show your friends, and enjoy it. With this special, I wholeheartedly believe that Greg Giraldo's passing was one of comedy's most tragic losses.

GRADE: A-