Album Review: "Party"- Nick Swardson

*Get the album on Amazon here*

Stand-up comedians are subjective. One man's funny (non-political Jim Gaffigan) is another man's chore to sit through (political Jim Gaffigan). So I was handed this album by a coworker, promising aching sides and private jokes upon its return. Nick Swardson is best known for playing prostitute Terry on "Reno 911!," as well as penning a few awful screenplays like "Grandma's Boy." His stand-up persona is a pot-smoking, booze-drinking slacker obsessed with any activity associated with the bowels. The album is a recording of fifteen bits done in front of a live audience, plus two pre-recorded skits. While the bits are numbered on the back of the album, they seamlessly blend into this one stand-up concert. The album opens with a pretty funny skit called "Blackout Morning," where a hungover Nick checks his answering machine and finds out all the horrible things he did the night before after getting smashed at a wine and cheese party. Following this is the concert, where he tells more stories about drinking, passing out, and smoking pot. While some of this is also pretty funny, some of it is also pretty done-to-death humor. He unsuccessfully tries to justify using the words "ret@rded" and "g@y" in everyday life.

The best material here seems to be stuff that is well rehearsed- the birthday gift of 20 pornos, the diarrhea cat, movie previews for films with blow-your-mind titles- all good stuff. He falters, and seems to realize it, with a joke about babies and suicide, but gets back in the audience's good graces with a story about ordering the album "Sound of the '80's." His bit about being on "Wheel of Fortune" is a little long as is ten minutes on old people, which closes out the concert. The album ends with a terrible piece called "Cary and Mindy," a skit he recorded with David Spade. If your humor doesn't rise above pre-teen gross-out level, then you'll love it.

Swardson's delivery is often good. He has some clever ideas, and can read an audience well. The problem is when he starts to ramble, filling the air with "that's weird," or other words we weren't allowed to write or say as kids. The concert album is an average effort, I laughed as much as I didn't, so I'll score it right smack in the middle with three stars.

The DVD includes Swardson's appearances on two episodes of "Comedy Central Presents." These discs were released by Comedy Central Records, and both episodes were directed by Paul Miller. The first, and better, show was taped in 2000. Many of the seven year old jokes are also on the album, but the other stuff is good. Vanna White's job interview is kind of obvious, but his impression of an ape studying a family, like Jane Goodall observed her subjects, had me laughing. Describing video games he grew up on now that he is an old person was also clever, and seeing him actually do the jokes, which is the biggest drawback to the comedy album, shows he can mug with the best of them. I'd give this one four stars. The second episode was taped in 2006, and is not as good. More obvious comedy comes from airport security signs (really, no one has had these exact same thoughts?), the "ret@rded" and "g@y" defenses, and so on. This one doesn't go as smoothly, except when he is mocking a giant photograph of himself as a child. I'm going to have to go three stars on this one.

"Party" is an acquired taste. Stand-up-wise, I never missed Dave Attell, Brian Regan, and pre-political Jim Gaffigan when they were on Comedy Central. Swardson isn't terrible, but I can take him or leave him.