Today Comedy Central seems like a network dedicated to bringing people nothing but reruns of ‘South Park’ and ‘The Office,’ which is totally fine. I don’t have cable, instead I pay for way too many streaming services – but I see it whenever I’m at a hotel and refuse to leave because the world is a scary place. Anyways, back before it was a syndicated haven, it had so many shows devoted to stand up comedy; from game shows to stand up specials. The latter is how I stumbled upon one of the greats, Mitch Hedberg.
Stand up comes in many different forms and none of them seem easy, but Mitch Hedberg made his deadpan one-liners seem effortless. They were always so simple, like the one about not needing a receipt for a donut because who returns a donut – but at the same time it felt like it would take someone with that particular set of skills to deliver them like he did, and that’s what I loved about him. I was immediately smitten with Mitch Hedberg’s talent and would try and watch whenever he was on TV, which wasn’t too often in hindsight but I tried nevertheless.
Since watching him on Comedy Central all those years ago, I’ve never really quite found anyone else that matched up to him. Dimitri Martin may come close, but he’s also so particular that it’s both easy and hard to compare the two. Guess that’s the thing with the better comedians. They have a style that can be broken down, allowing them to be grouped together but at the same time they’re still so good that they still feel one-of-a-kind. That’s Mitch Hedberg, forever and always. To show you what I mean, below are just a few of my favorites…
Alcoholism is a disease. But it’s like the only disease you can get yelled at for having.
I don’t own a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same.
My belt holds up my pants and my pants have belt loops that hold up the belt. What the fuck’s really going on down there? Who is the real hero?
Sadly, none of these jokes are ones I got to hear live. That’s because Mitch Hedberg passed away my senior year. Like meeting Fred Rogers, seeing Mitch at the likes of The Comedy Store would never be something I got to check off. However, his comedy will live on for as long as people crave the addiction that is laughter. Which, in today’s world, feels like it’s less and less. Melissa McCarthy said it best on her 2023 appearance on Hot Ones when she noted how important it is to balance out our lives with laughter and comedy, or else shit just stays dark as fuck.
Of course, I’m paraphrasing but as we spend this week with comedian crushes, remember that a nice laugh will do you some good today. So pop on your favorite comedy, look up a comedian you love on YouTube, or go old school and pick up an old joke book from the library. Wherever you do, just laugh today.
Crushgasm 