There are a lot of stand up comedians around lately. It seems that too many of them are getting television series, specials or even films. Most gained their modicum of success with an act consisting of one line jokes or humor based on every day observations. What has been missing for far too long is the humorist. These are people that don’t really tell jokes they relate to the audience through more involved stories. Some of the greats in this field include Will Rogers, Mark Twain and Jean Shepard. While not up to the illustrious and almost impossible to reach standards there is a man who is doing his best to bring back this nearly lost American form of humor, Mike Birbiglia. He turns his back on the typical quick paced comedy routines most stand up comedians use. Instead he prefers to weave a series of very personal stories for the audience. Most comedians are like the office jokester who stands around the water cooler and rips people and popular culture apart with barbed one-liners. Birbiglia is more like a favorite uncle whose visit you always look forward to. He relates to the audience with his stories bringing them into his life and allowing the humor to evolve naturally. You may have seen part of his act on any number of late night TV talk shows or his Comedy Central cable specials. If not the perfect way to get to know this new age humorist is through a DVD release from Shout Factory; ‘What I Should Have Said Was Nothing - Tales From My Secret Public Journal’. This is a two hour look into the life and style of Birbiglia that you should not miss.

Like many so called over night sensations Birbiglia has been honing his craft for many years. He began by winning the ‘Funniest Man on Campus’ competition in Georgetown University. From there it was a string of one night gigs in one comedy club after another. His big break was appearances on Comedy Central’s ‘Premium Blend’ showcase series. From there he was one of the youngest comedians to be featured on David Letterman’s ‘Late Show’. He has gone on to success in the comedy circuit and is quite popular in Europe as well as here in the States. He is now hitting it big with this DVD release, commercials and even some talk of a television series. He has mentioned in an interview that he prefers the DVD release of his material because the Comedy Central special was cut; not so much for language but the television necessity of commercials. The most important thing with his stories is the flow and pacing and that require either watching him live or if that is not an option for you, the DVD. He weaves his stories is such a way that one flows organically into the next. There is an almost seamless transition as topics ebb and flow into each other.

Birbiglia is a quite, unassuming young man who takes the stage walking around greeting his audience. His material is from his so called secret public journal, actually a blog he has keep keeping online for some time now. This is in keeping with the style of other humorist who frequently were writers. In today’s technology oriented world the blog has for the large part replaced short stories and columns presented in newspapers. He admits that the stories he tells are true and the material is frequently embarrassing for him to relate openly. The audience responds very well to the openness of the man. He uses his act as a form of therapy by helping himself and others to laugh at these situations and events. He starts off his storytelling with one about his parents; He admits that he doesn’t like them. It is not that he doesn’t love them, he does, it is just that if he met them at a party he wouldn’t hang out with them. He sees them as older, more boring versions of himself. He describes them as white, Olive Garden Italian Americans. His dialogue with the audience morphs into a story about his childhood. He was a timid kid. All of his friends would go to a local pond and jump off a thirty foot tall tree into it. This was not part of his skill set; his skills include making English muffin pizzas. One day he climbed the tree just to see what it looked like and a friend told him now he has to jump; what is the worse that could happen since it is only water. Birbiglia then lists some of the terrible things that happened in and around water like drowning and pirate attacks. Many people can readily identify with the plights that affect his life. He talks about having trouble waking up in the morning. He likes his job because most of his gigs are later in the evening. Many people wake up ready and anxious for the new day. Birbiglia enters the day reluctantly like a slow moving cow. He then talks about a job he had recently performing for the troupes in Guantanamo Bay. There he signed autographs for people who have gone so long they didn’t realize that he is not famous. He transitions to his addiction to cable news. He goes into how they treat every story with the same intense level of importance. The news stories get special graphics and sound effects whether they are pieces about kids having sex at the mall or insurgents blowing up a bus. He touches on one subject in his act that did stir up a little controversy. He describes President Bush as a father who decides to build a deck in the back yard without having a clue how to do it. Five years later there is a pile of wood and duct tape but dad claims that he is just finishing up the deck and then shouts ‘deck accomplished.’ Even with a subject like this Birbiglia doesn’t push things, it lets the story unfold and draw the audience in. He finishes up by picking up his guitar which has been off to the side of the stage. He begins with just strumming while talking and then breaks into song. The audience goes wild in appreciation for his stories and letting them share in his strange view of the world.

This is not your typical comedy DVD. It is a throw back to a simpler time where the audience was required to pay attention and really listen to the story teller. This is the oldest form of entertainment; from telling stories over a fire to now on a stage in a comedy club. The venue may have changed but Birbiglia brings back this venerable art form.