The Many Faces of Andres du Bouchet

Conan O'Brien writer gets freakier on double-length album compiling best pieces from selected shows

By Michael Shashoua / Jester editor-in-chief

Comedian Andres du Bouchet presents inventive material that at times is quite sexually graphic – in a purposefully gross way – on “20-Sided Guy,” an extended digital-only album running over two hours, with long, extended high-concept pieces. The tracks were compiled from live recordings of different small shows in L.A. and up and down the West Coast. These are the kind of live recordings where you hear distinct specific audience members’ laughs.

Du Bouchet presents characters or variations of his own personality that are all equally highly confident and misguided at the same time. “One Hundred And Me Percent,” in which he imagines a lengthy musical of his own life story, is one he delivers in his own voice, while “J.P. Buck’s,” a fake ad for a quirky steakhouse, and “So You’ve Been Turned!” in which he plays a Minnesota-accented leader of a support group for new vampires, are a couple examples of masterful character work that extrapolates from du Bouchet’s own personality.

Du Bouchet is a writer for Conan O’Brien and his sensibility is in that vein, but in his own act, he is free to be a lot more graphic and explicit. On most occasions, though, it scores – particularly with “Se7en 2wo,” his pitch for an imagined sequel to the dark classic suspense movie ‘Se7en” – there’s something in there about the remnant of a character from the first one who now speaks like a Brooklyn dockworker for no logical reason. The absurdity of that element adds another color to the premise.

“20 Sided Guy” is at times personal, at times pop cultural, but just about always masterful. It may be a little too extreme to be released by anyone other than an indie label like A Special Thing Records, but it deserves a listen.