One thing that is universal is the appreciation of humor. No matter where you are from or what social, ethic or religious group you are part of everyone enjoys a good laugh. Just about all countries have their own unique brand of comedy. The one under consideration here is the Irish in the person of comedian Tommy Tiernan. Recently he had a special on Comedy Central. Because of the adult language a lot of his act was bleeped out during normal viewing hours. Comedy Central did air the show after 1 a.m. as part of their uncensored ‘Secret Stash’ programming. If you missed that then there is another way to catch this very funny comedian, a new DVD from Image. The name of the show and the DVD is ‘Tommy Tiernan: Something Mental’. As a person of Irish heritage this was like listening to the tall tales of a quirky older uncle after dinner. It should be mentioned up front that his particular type of comedy is not for everyone. It is politically incorrect, rude, crude and often socially unacceptable. His is a brand of humor whose roots many trace back to comedians such as Lenny Bruce. It is cutting edge and different and you will laugh, a lot, during this performance.

The style that Tiernan uses is not often seen with American comedians; at least not in recent years. He is in many ways more like the old time Irish story tellers from the old country. They are the ones that would sit in front of the fire place or at the local pub and weave their tall, humorous tales for any and all that will listen. American audiences have become accustomed to the quick one liners or the short joke that comes out of the stand up comedian like rounds out of a machine gun. With Tiernan the stories are more involved and punctuated by his constant manic energy. He is always on the move as he tells his stories. I feel a little sorry for the camera men that had to keep a lens on this constantly shifting target. It would appear that the goal of his performance is to illicit some degree of understanding from his audience. He is there to tell his stories and if you laugh then all the better.

This performance is divided roughly into two sections. The firsts consists primarily of jokes aimed at the differences between American and Irish cultures. It includes many jibes at the racial Irish stereotypes of drunkenness, laziness and over devotion to their religion. Tiernan takes these prejudices and turns them on their ear owning and then dismissing them. This part of the performance is not the best showcase for his comic talents. For that you need to stick around for the second half. In this part of the show he takes on the Irish story teller persona and things get really interesting. At times it seems as if he is rambling without a point to make. Then he manages to pull the whole story together. There are no punch lines here, not really. What you do get is a story that pulls you in and holds your attention.

The DVD opens in Tommy’s dressing room. As he pours a cup of tea for himself he looks around. In the room with him is a beautiful blond woman talking to a priest, an older woman, a soccer player and Jesus playing cards and a couple of American types. Jesus is smoking a cigar and mused to Tommy that he hopes the audience doesn’t find him offensive. These people represent just a few of the strange characters that will inhabit the stories he is about to go on stage and tell. The performance presented here was filmed in Chicago. As he takes the stage the audience goes wild with anticipation of what is to come.

Unlike most American stand up comics Tiernan does not have a near by stool with a bottle of water on it. He does not use a microphone on a stand or even a hand held one. He employs a little headset microphone which becomes understandable as soon as the performance gets started. He is so animated dashing around the stage and uses his hands for a physical emphasis that any other microphone would be a hindrance. He starts out warning the audience that there will be a lot of cursing. He demonstrates by using the dreaded ‘F’ word as most parts of speech. When this was shown on the normal Comedy Central it must have been an hour of bleeping sounding like some sort of warning siren. Here on DVD you get every dubious word. He claims that the reason for his foul language is not due to a lack of vocabulary. He is an Irishman speaking the English language and the English language doesn’t suit his soul. He would speak the Irish language but he doesn’t understand a word of Gallic. He goes into the differences between his home land and the States. Over there a person might invite someone in for a cup of relaxing tea. Here everyone is on coffee and is jittery. Naturally the topic soon moves over to the love the Irish have for alcoholic beverages. He was asked by an American friend how many beers he planed too drink one night. Tommy had no understanding of the question; putting a number to his drinks. For him beers are to be consumed not counted. He also goes into his religion, an Irish Catholic. It gives him a sense of mystery. He talks about rivers visited by the Virgin Mary that now have magical healing properties. People save their whole lives for just a few minutes in the river and then nothing. During the second portion he goes more into stories from his growing up in a small Irish town. Tiernan muses about the typical aspects of growing up that are universal. He would get into trouble and try to talk his way out. His life is relatable to the audience and they respond. One thing that a DVD cannot capture is the synergy between the performer and his audience. There is a chemistry there that just cannot be brought across on any recording.

The DVD is very well produced. It is in 1.78:1 anamorphic video which does help bring across his manic style but this is lost with the many close ups of Teirnan. The audio is in Dolby 5.1 and it does provide a full surround experience. You will feel like a part of the audience with the sounds of the audience all over your living room. There are also a few extras included. The first is really not that interesting. It is a walking tour of Chicago with Tiernan. Next is the gem of the pack a 25 minute interview with Tiernan. This goes into his personality, differences between Irish and American audiences and any topic that drifts into the comics mind. Last there is ‘Meet the Badgers’ about an African priest. It is extremely politically incorrect. This is a fun performance for when you have some friends over just make sure the kids are not around.