Customer Reviews

From Heaven

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Ah, and the world just got a bit funnier. Todd Barry is one of the very best out there right now, period. It's a shame he doesn't get more attention than he does. With this album he once again proves that above all else, GOOD, SOLID WRITING is important in comedy. This is humor in purest form, virtually gimmic free...

...unless you consider his near comatose delivery a gimmic. That's debatable (though he sounds a bit peppier this time around.) He has a brand of sarcasm that is so smooth yet scathing, it is observational humor at its best. Yes, here's where I'm supposed to say "he takes the absurdities of our worlds and tackles them with his wit." To which you are supposed to reply "yeah, that's what most comedians do." True, but Todd does it better.

Todd is able to come up with material ABOUT ANYTHING. This is the man who had a joke about the band FUGAZI in his act a few years ago. I never thought there could be ANYTHING funny about Fugazi, but I stand corrected. Renting an apartment across the street from Sara Jessica Parker ... Parkning ticket money going to the homeless ... restaurant chain, Chipotle ... his aim is broad but deadly. There is a purity to Barry's comedy that doesn't require overselling, wild gesticulations, excessive theatrics and perhaps that's why Todd Barry albums tend to be superior to a lot of other guys out there. This is a guy who works out very well on audio recording, you don't feel like you're missing out by not being there. The art of subtlety usually trumps excess and that brilliance shines on this album.

This is also recorded in a small venue (which frankly ALL comedy albums should be.) You can hear distinct voices in the audience, (this was recorded in a Chinese restaurant ... no kidding.)

For those of you who have not yet discovered this guy, you really need to do yourselves a favor and check him out.

I thought this one was OK. I personally favor 'Medium Energy' and was hoping to get that same punch out of 'From Heaven'.

This isn't my favorite Todd Barry CD, but even mediocre Todd Barry is pretty damn funny. I prefer to see video of his comedy to get the full effect. But its great to listen to him in the car. I buy all of his CDs and eagerly await the next...

Todd Barry is a consistent, funny top tier comedian. His laid back style focuses on the small details of life and character flaws of everyday and odd people. I find him very funny.

He is also a very self-depricating in a very amusing way about himself and his career.

Fans of Todd Barry will not be dissapointed by his 3rd effort. His dry clever wit and unique style makes him a stand out in his field.
Also check out his web site for even more fun. www.toddbarry.com

In the vast field of stand-up comics working today, there are very few who are actually funny. Good stand-up comedy albums - the ones filled with consistently sharp, undated material that stands the test of time - are even rarer. Simply put, if someone like Dane Cook's onstage shtick is criminally unfunny (and it is), then it stands to logic that it won't sound any better in CD form (and it doesn't).

It pleases me to tell you, then, that New York-based comic Todd Barry and his third album "From Heaven" meet both of the above criteria. Barry, with his signature low-energy delivery and knack for putting a surreal twist on everyday observational humor, is heading the pack alongside other greats like David Cross, Zach Galifianakis and Demetri Martin. And "From Heaven" is the perfect antidote for Cook's routine of fratboy-appeasing non-jokes and shouting fits.

Barry kicks off his set with a bit of faux egoism, simultaneously joking that he could care less about his small-time opening acts and claiming he regularly hangs out with (and awkwardly high-fives) Chris Rock. It's all a gag, of course, because as Barry himself says, he's only "semi-famous" and "borderline respected." As if to validate his low level of celebrity, Barry even later reveals that "From Heaven" is being recorded in a Chinese restaurant rather than a sold-out Madison Square Garden or Carnegie Hall.

But small, intimate settings are where Barry has always shined. Whether he's asking patrons about their meals ("Noodle Gift"), comparing credit cards ("Amex") or questioning the restaurant's billing policies ("Audience Member's Tab"), Barry has always had a unique relationship with his audience, which he is usually able to mine for big laughs.

For the most part, "From Heaven" showcases Barry's uncanny ability to take a completely original approach to many of stand-up comedy's staple topics. When gearing up for a bit about his apartment in the city, he resists taking the "they're so tiny!" route. Instead, he mentions how the landlord boasted that the building was across the street from Sarah Jessica Parker's town house.

"Great," Barry says unenthusiastically. "For all my Sarah Jessica Parker needs. Now we can work out all our differences without having to spring for taxi fare."

He later tells a story about going to the zoo to see pandas but enjoying the prairie dog exhibit more and spins it into a metaphor about what it must be like to be in the audience of a show where he is the opening act.

Essentially, if there is any unexplored joke within a given scenario, Barry will not only find it, he'll reveal several hidden layers of humor and bring them to light as well.

Elsewhere, several of his stories discuss the pointlessness and illogical nature of several facets of American life. Like his friend who, while riding as a passenger in his car, refuses to buckle up because he describes himself as "not much of a seatbelt guy." Or why Old Navy sells mock-ribbed turtlenecks and purple camouflage cargo pants. And my personal favorite, the guy who makes his child wear a Dead Kennedys T-shirt so people will know how good his CD collection is.

"From Heaven" is sprinkled with a fair bit of profanity and blunt sexual references, but Barry's usage of them never veers into shock-value territory. His cursing punctuates his routine to perfect effect, and he waters down his most offensive jokes with a blend of innocence and self-effacement.

All in all, the 51-minute set captured here proves to be just as good - if not better in parts - as Barry's first two albums, "Medium Energy" and "Falling off the Bone." Not every joke is a grand slam, but the ratio of hits to misses is a good one. It is unlikely Barry will ever be catapulted to the stratospheric levels of fame enjoyed by some of his undeserving peers (don't think I forgot about you, Carlos Mencia), but that's not the point. What matters is his ability to do his job well, and "From Heaven" is a worthy showcase of that.

"No, He's not related to Dave Barry."

I am asked the question for the above answer nearly every time I recommend Todd Barry to strangers. I hope I have my facts straight.

Say Todd (I know you are reading this), any chance you'll ever be in the neighborhood of Fairfield, Iowa? I can guarantee a crowd of no less than two people if you were to do a show here. My wife and I are both fans of your work. I'll even offer up an incentive.

If you do a show in Fairfield, Iowa, I will personally place as many as 10 (ten!) posters all over town. I will staple one poster per unit of time, every unit of time, for the last ten units of time prior to you show.

Look me up! We have a new civic center in town and I hate musicals!