LOL WITH IT: Michael Ian Black returns to the Troc, 11/11

Michael Ian Black's new comedy special, which spawned the CD Very Famous, was taped right here at the Troc. And a week from tonight, he will be performing there again.

options

LOL WITH IT: Michael Ian Black returns to the Troc, 11/11

POSTED: Friday, November 4, 2011, 11:00 AM

Filed Under: Comedy LOL With It

Ryan Carey on who and what's giving Philly the giggles.

Michael Ian Black's new comedy special, which spawned the CD Very Famous, was taped right here at the Troc. And a week from tonight, he will be performing there again. The former member of The State and Stella is more famous for his sketch and film comedy — you may remember his scintillating performance in Wet Hot American Summer — than for standup. But punchlines are definitely not foreign to Black, who was one of the floating heads on VH1's I Love the... series and briefly guest-hosted The Late Late Show when Craig Kilborn retired.

Very Famous is very funny, but it's not laugh-a-minute, since Black's style is more conceptual and clever. He opts for longer setups and bigger rewards — which is risky in comedy — but I'd have a hard time imagining him doing it any other way. Some of his topics include his preference for "girly drinks," high expectations for his kids' Halloween costumes, an anecdote about the time he tried skydiving, and "opportunities to be hilarious" (often at the expense of others).

I asked Black about his penchant for post-modernism, to which he replied, "Well, I don't even know what that is, because isn't the present as modern as it can get? And wouldn't everything after the modern be the future?"

Fair enough.

Black's smartass-professor style is more popular with certain demographics than others, and I asked him about his target niche.

"This special is only enjoyable for experts on eighteenth century France. If you're not fluent in French, don't even bother..."

You, City Paper readers, are an educated lot, so you should fit in nicely at his show next Friday. In the meantime, catch up on Black's podcast, Mike and Tom Eat Snacks, co-hosted by Tom Cavanagh.

Fri., Nov. 11, 8 p.m., $20, with Doogie Horner, Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215-922-6888, ticketfly.com.

(ryan.carey@citypaper.net) (@slackerDIYtoday)

Posted by Ryan Carey @ 11:00 AM Permalink | Post a comment

Comments (0)

Q&A with SHARI SOLANIS: "The goal isn't pornography"
What we're trying to do this weekend
SEXY TIME Q&A: I've never had an orgasm during sex with a man — and I'm 30!
NOW SEE THIS: Transit cop arrests marijuana activist for alleged disorderly conduct.
CONCERT REVIEW: Primus (3D & quadraphonic sound) @ The Tower 10/17
Q&A with Tony Goldwyn: "Life is gray, and relationships are, too"
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: Indian fare rules, Dunder Mifflin lives on, Tom Jones is a god
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: The Archbishop meets the Geator, the Mayor goes suit shopping, Le Bec Fin fin.
Q&A with Goon’s Seann William Scott
CITY PAPER WRITING CONTEST 2013: Send stories! Send poetry!

About this blog

Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

Follow Critical Mass editors Patrick Rapa and Emily Guendelsberger on Twitter:

@mission2denmark | @emilygee

Search this blog:

Topics:

Blog archives:

May
April
March

February
January

Past Archives: