Greetings,
I am going to do something today that I have not done before, and let's just hope that it works out. I will be reviewing an album that has no music. Why does it have no music? Well, after all the comedy got put on it, there was no room left. That's right. Today, I will be talking about a comedy album, The Top Part by John Mulaney.
If you don't already know, John Mulaney is a comedian from Chicago who, at the young age of 30, is already quite accomplished. He has been a writer on Saturday Night Live for a while and has shown up on "Weekend Update" and has made appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Okay, so he is clearly not a morning person. I first heard his hilarity as I was going through a button pushing fit on my satellite radio. I'll get that first bit I experienced later, but let's get to the album.
From the very start, John Mulaney showed that he was going to be more than willing to do what the best comedians do, and that is using his personal problems to make us laugh. In the first track "Blacking Out and Making Money", he addresses the fact that he used to have a little problem with the drinking. His talking about that is even funnier when you know how incredibly young he looks for his age. He probably still gets carded now, so I have no idea how on God's green he ever was able to get alcohol when he was younger. The fact that he looks so young is kind of an ongoing joke. Hey, if you've got it, flaunt it. I guess not everyone sees him as non-threatening, though, like the woman with whom he engaged in a "Chase Through the Subway".
If there is one thing I like it's comedians, or famous people in general, pointing out their own shortcomings and magnifying them into jokes. In "I Just Got My License", John tells us that, at the age of 26, he just got his license. Surprises around every corner. Actually, I know someone who did not get her license until she was 22, so not only did this make her laugh, it made her feel much better and less embarrassed for herself. So if John wants to consider this bit an act of charity, so be it.
Now if you're curious as to where the title of this album came from, look no further than the track entitled "Math and King Solomon". Well, actually, you should look further than the "Math" part and get to "King Solomon", because here is where you'll find it. In John's mind, the kidnapper in the King Solomon Cut the Baby story says something like,"Good idea. I'll take what I can get. She can have the top part!" I'm paraphrasing, but get it? The Top Part. Short and sweet.
There is one particular part of this album that endeared me to this funny man, most likely, forever. It was his great love and appreciation for something called Law and Order. If any of you have read my blog before, you will know that I have an overwhelming amount of love for this show as well. So I was pleased to hear him devote some time to it. And since I've always loved it when comedians say something that I've been saying myself for years, I really liked it when he discussed the recurring characters that Law and Order often chose to feature. But not only did he discuss the show as a whole, he gave special attention to Mr. Jerry Orbach. Now sometimes I don't like it when jokes are made regarding someone who has passed away, especially someone who I loved as much as the man who gave us Detective Lenny Briscoe, but this was actually full of a lot of fondness and respect. It was clearly a personal tribute by someone who admired Jerry Orbach greatly, and I have no problem with that.
Okay, on to the final track of the album and the first one I ever heard. It is called "The Salt and Pepper Diner". It is very special to me, being my first, and it is absolutely hilarious. If I break it down to its simplest form, two young boys use the classic music of Tom Jones to torture the patrons of a local diner. Wow, that kind of sounds like the summary for a Stephen King short story, but fear not. There is no bloodshed here, unless laughing too hard can give you a nosebleed or something. It would be well worth it though.
Now I only mentioned some of the bits on this album, but rest assured, there is really not a single unfunny moment here. Believe it or not, that is not an easy thing to achieve. Another thing that is hard to achieve these days if one wants to be a successful comic is to have a CD that is not littered with "F bombs" and other expletives. Okay, admittedly, he does swear a few times, but it's nowhere near as many as you'd expect. I find this kind of refreshing, and John proves the point that it's not necessary to use them constantly to be funny. Even though he does use them a little. Maybe a lot outside of this, but whatever. I am very forgiving.
So, in conclusion, for my first comedy album review, I think I chose a very good one. The Top Part is consistently funny, which is what we all want from our comedy, and we get to learn a few things about the comedian himself. Like I said, John Mulaney is already very accomplished, but if he keeps up with things like this, he will, no doubt, have a long and wonderful career.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
