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The Rocker
Self-appointed rock and comedy god Dave Hill showcases his
signature style in first-ever album
By Michael Shashoua / Jester editor-in-chief
For those who are familiar with comedian Dave Hill, his debut album
“Let Me Turn You
On,” being released June 9 by A Special Thing
Records, might be a bit of a disappointment, as it features
signature bits that those who have seen him live in his home base of
New York in years past will already know.
But for those who have yet to discover the comic, who has long
gestated a persona that is certainly different than traditional
stand-up comedy, but not quite so far out there as to be called
performance art [see 2006 and
2009 reviews of live shows], “Let Me
Turn You On” is certainly a good introduction to his tone and
sensibility.
Two pieces, “The Magic of Japan” and “The Time I Went To Prison,”
are emblematic of what Hill does. He has done other pieces about
playing with his hard rock band in Japan, usually told in a cocky
way, about how they would utterly destroy with their musical
prowess. In “Magic of Japan,” we get a bit of the backstage element
of that – Hill’s fascination with the deluxe bidets on many toilets
in Japan, and how that feature could keep one on the seat for hours.
“Prison,” a story Hill has told in performance frequently over the
years, lets him share his vulnerable side. As something of a stunt,
Hill decides he must perform comedy at a prison, choosing Sing Sing,
about an hour north of New York City. His bravado gives way to
vulnerability once he starts going through the procedures to enter
and prepare to perform – but also some subversion as he jokes about
picking “the gayest looking picture of myself” to put on flyers
about his show.
The less familiar pieces on the album are a mixed bag – “Irritable
Chimps” and “Osama the Elephant” have elements that are either
unnecessarily gruesome (the former) or just dull (the latter). But
there are plenty of gems. “Erotic Short Stories” finds Hill vamping
over some funky guitar playing – drily delivering one-liners like
“‘Is this infected?’ he asked the sexy lady doctor. ‘Not yet,’ she
said.” And in “How To Run A Marathon,” Hill decides the hardest
thing about running a marathon is “shutting the fuck up about it,”
and then goes on to describe his plan to leave his house some random
Tuesday and just run one without telling anyone. It’s a brilliant
play on extending the joke by going off on a creative take on a
premise.
Overall, “Let Me Turn You On” is less consistent and through and through “awesome” as Hill’s live shows that I recall seeing, but it still has enough worthwhile material to recommend it. The whole album is only $8.99 digitally, or you could just pick and choose a few of the tracks recommended in this review.
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Feedback? Email shashouamedia@gmail.com or michael.shashoua@jesterjournal.com
© 2005-2018 Michael Shashoua