Black takes stage at Carnegie Hall
Lewis Black's characteristic profane, angry humor lights up the audience as he vents on 'The Carnegie Hall Performance.'
Published May 2, 2006
It's no secret that Lewis Black is an angry son of a bitch. When he performs, it's as if everything in the world has thoroughly pissed him off, making his life essentially unbearable, and he ensures that everybody who hears him is aware of it.
The subject matter of his routine is in a league of its own, as those who are familiar with his work will no doubt agree. For those who have never been privy to the anomaly that is Lewis Black, think first of the most controversial, outrageous thing you can think of, multiply that by 35 and you shall have the material of Black.
His extremely liberal use of "fuck," "shit" and other profanities, though maybe shocking at first, quickly desensitizes the listener to the words, and they become as commonplace as any other words in the English language.
Black begins his routine on The Carnegie Hall Performance appropriately with a lengthy rant about Carnegie Hall, during which he mocks the hallowed concert hall and explains to his audience how he has doubts that he should be there.
"It's just not right," he said. "I don't belong here, you don't belong here."
He then verbally assaults Yom Kippur, Catholics and the concept of candy corn. The contemptuous mocking of these, the holiest of institutions (and candy corn), might seem sketchy at first, but, just like the abundant amount of profanity, they quickly become easy to stomach as the act progresses.
For the greater part of the album, he attacks the current political situation without mercy.
He progresses to "comment" on the situation in New Orleans, now that his audience has become accustomed to the edginess of his material. "Unbelievable job we did in New Orleans," he begins his rant on the treatment of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
From there, the number of taboo topics simply escalates. From the Terry Schiavo controversy to gay marriage, nothing is off-limits for Black. What makes this performance a memorable one is not the profanity, nor the fact that his act fully immerses the audience in societal discrepancies, but the subtlety of his underlying messages.
Lurking beneath his material is a call for society to examine the subjects not traditionally fit for conversation and the pressing need to fix those problems. Or perhaps it's just a way to gain an audience. Regardless of the motive, his material brings controversy to the surface and thrusts it into the listener's face, making it palatable through humor and profanity.
