“I wish Lewis Black was here … I hate to break it to everyone, but Lewis doesn’t do shows anymore. He has an impersonator – Colin Powell.”
John Bowman’s jab at his fellow comedian set the tone for last night’s 2008 Homecoming Comedy Show as a strong mixture of comedy and political insight. Sponsored by Student Entertainment Events, the comedy show featured Black, Greg Giraldo and Bowman, who work together on Black’s Comedy Central show, Root of All Evil.
They also shared a political theme throughout their performances, with the current economic situation and the upcoming election as prevalent issues.
“I’m gonna miss watching [President Bush],” said Bowman, who is a producer for Root of All Evil. “He’s like his own f—ing bobblehead.”
Giraldo, who regularly appears on Black’s show, took the time to acknowledge the university before diving into politics.
“Nothing says kickass football player like a small turtle,” he said.
He then turned to focus specifically on energy and foreign oil.
“How are we gonna cut our dependence on foreign oil?” Giraldo asked. “Drive small cars? Americans are never gonna do that – drive small cars – because Americans have fat kids. Have you seen them lately? They look like little weebly-wobblies.”
For Black, who grew up in Silver Spring and attended this university for one year, his performance was his own homecoming.
“Last time I was in the Cole Field House was like in 19-f—ing-9, 6, 12,” he said during his performance.
In an interview, Black said his brand of comedy stems from his “angry optimism” about the direction the world is heading.
“Don’t tell me we can’t have alternative energy, because we have a computer and it’s this big,” Black said during his performance, referring to Apple’s iPhone. “Don’t tell me we can’t have alternative energy, because I can download … porn in a second.”
Black showed a clear disdain for conservatives and liberals but reiterated several times his independent political status.
“Republicans have been standing around farting, and the Democrats have been saying, ‘Oh, let me smell it,'” he said.
Black encouraged students to maintain their own independence, calling any loyal Democrat or Republican student “idiotic” and encouraging students to think freely without political limitations.
“This is the time when you look at every possibility that is out there and you do not determine that this is the narrow, this is the way it goes,” he said during his interview. “You become more conservative as you grow older; that’s the deal. It’ll happen. You don’t need to pick it up as you go.”
Philip Sharp, a sophomore sociology major, wasn’t surprised that Black’s performance was centered around politics.
“I just thought it was interesting that he didn’t pick any sides,” he said, adding that he enjoyed the show.
Senior mechanical engineering major Bradley Oliver was also not surprised the theme was around politics or that Black was independent.
“That’s what he does,” Oliver said.
Oliver said he has seen many of Black’s performances on television and had been looking forward to seeing Black in person.
Though most of Black’s performance was centered around politics and the upcoming election, he doesn’t expect students to be affected by his performance and doesn’t want them to be.
“I just hope that [students] know that I challenged them to think for themselves and that there’s no thought to be afraid of,” he said. “Freedom takes place entirely inside your head.”
After more thought, Black added, “You know, really, the only message I have is: You’re not crazy. They are.”
dnhan@umd.edu
