Customer Reviews

Patton Vs. Alcohol Vs. Zach Vs. Patton Ep

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this mini album for two reasons, one being that Patton Oswalt's two full-length albums -- "Feelin' Kinda Patton" and "Werewolves and Lollipops" -- are so good that I gave "Patton vs. Alcohol ..." the benefit of the doubt. The other reason was that Zach Galifianakis, quite possibly one of the most brilliant comedic minds in the last 15 years, was involved.

The combination of these two respected performers is the only thing that pushes my review to three stars. Beyond that, "Patton vs. Alcohol ..." essentially boils down to a less-than-30-minute, drunken, tongue-in-cheek insult-fest between Patton and Zach with a hefty amount of recycled material from the former and a small handful of zingers from the latter.

From what I gather, this is a recording of the tail end of one of Patton's sets, and he is extremely drunk. Zach is either sharing the stage with him or he is off to the side waiting to begin his own set, I can't tell (since the two were both on the "Comedians of Comedy" tour, my guess is the latter scenario). As Patton slurs his way through a few of his well-known bits (Tom Carvel's ice cream shops, the Chipmunks' Christmas album), Zach begins to playfully berate him for not being funny. The two then begin to trade insults by calling out the low points of each others' careers.

And that's basically it. Patton is so inebriated that his stumbling delivery deadens the impact of what are actually very funny jokes when told in a sober context. The highlights are when Zach gets on a roll by belittling Patton's association with the sitcom "The King of Queens" and other less prestigious work, but those moments are few and far between.

As the title of my review says, this mini album mainly serves as proof that Zach needs his own stand-up album. But because a lot of his humor is visual -- not to mention that his brand of comedy isn't really suited for the album format the way typical comedians' are -- I don't think we'll be seeing that any time soon. But who knows, he is currently being touted as the best thing about the surprise box-office kingpin "The Hangover," and has come more into the public eye in the last six months than in almost the entirety of his career, so maybe something will happen.

In the meantime, I would only recommend this to superfans of either Patton or Zach, or obsessive completists (I fit squarely into both of these categories.) For a better representation of Patton's genius, pick up his two full-lenghts; for the most extensive taste of Zach's comedic stylings (as of the writing of this review), check out his "Live at the Purple Onion" DVD.

Just to start off, I will say this album is pricey, as it's only 30 minutes long. It was recorded at the end of a show, Patton is extremely drunk, and Zach just wants to end the show and go home. What follows is a torrent of insults thrown back and forth between the two. These guys are two of my favorite comedians, so I really get a kick out of stuff like this, but if you aren't a huge fan already there isn't much reason to buy this.

Also, Amazon doesn't seem to have copies of this sometimes, in which case you can find it on Patton's website.

The other reviewer is right--this is a lot of money for an EP, and if you're new to Zach or Patton, you really want to get their longer, separate works first.

If, however, you're a big fan of both and just want to listen to them cruise through the closing of a set together in all its sometimes-quiet honesty, it's interesting. Their chemistry is great and most of the banter takes place to the accompaniment of Zach's piano playing until one of Patton's insults makes Zach lose his temper (he's kidding, but he does rage better than anyone).

Very quirky and enjoyable but best if you're already a fan.

Like most anyone who'd fork over $10 for 25 minutes, the purchase was a novelty. If you're heading into it, under that premise (something for the mantlepiece), you're doing it right. If you're looking for something "new", or "cutting edge", or "the lost tape", picking up "Macaroni Company" will get you closer. This is a sound guy hitting "rec", for a few minutes, at the end of a long, drunken show.

The (3?) bits have been regurgitated, ad nauseum, over the past "x" years. If you follow Patton, you could sing along. Though, the scotch affects his timing, somewhat. They're not even the "A" bits (Chipmunks, Carvel, etc.).

The dialogue b/w Zach and Patton is incidental to the whole thing; and isn't really that contentious. Zach (unsuccessfully) tries to end the show; while Patton solicits comp drinks. I guess, if you're drunk, it may be amusing. If you're not (drunk), it comes across as dumb, lazy, and gratuitous.

Save your $10, and have someone burn it for you. I'm sure there's a neophyte, around the corner, who'll hook you up for Season 1 (KOQ).

The other reviewers have missed the point entirely. This CD was originaly available to people through Patton's website, (perhaps Zach's too, I'm not sure,) but it was never intended to be on shelves at Borders or Walmart. The Idea being that if you were a big enough fan of the conventionally released stand up albums to be checking out the website, then you might dig this HILARIOUS 30 min. of drunken ramblings. It is overpriced because it is not something you can run down to your local Tap 'N Cap and pick up while your buying some beef jerky and the newest release from some band invented by the Disney Channel. The individual sellers set the price, (you'll notice amazon isn't selling it new in stock) and it's not available at Costco. This is an EP for people who love The Comedians of Comedy DVDs, who love Patton, and who love Zach. This is not a stand up album, and was never meant to be. It is the sort of thing that would have been offered as a fan club treat back in the days before the internet.

That being said, if you've ever visited Patton or Zach's website you know all this, and you're not reading this. I only hope some idiot doesn't start selling Patton's "Frankensteins and Gumdrops" on here for the $75.00 donation they would have had to make to WFMU to get it, and then reviewers start saying, "I spent my trailer payment to buy this here albumun and it aint even as long as that Gallagher albumun where ya'll can hear the mellons-a-smashin'."