Jim Florentine - Cringe 'n' Purge
Rating
RIYL
Bill BurrLouis C.K.
David Cross
Paul F. Tompkins
Release Date
10/25/2011
Label
Metal BladeTracklist
1. No Apologies2. Superstitions
3. Gay Guys
4. Old School Parents
5. Religion
6. Opening for Slayer
7. Hip-Hop Stinks
8. Sex Jokes
9. Kids
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Over the past half an hour or so, after writing one rambling paragraph after another only to delete the contents, I’m finding that it’s comparatively tough to review a stand-up album.
Is it funny? Yes.
Album successful! Five stars!
Comedy all comes down to technique and subject matter. If the comic has good technique and you like the subject matter, it’s a winner. So to boil down Cringe ‘n’ Purge to its rudimentary parts, Jim Florentine is an intellectual storyteller, but he’s unapologetically vulgar and offensive (he begins his set warning those in the audience who “DVR Glee” that his set probably isn’t for them). He doesn’t have the clipped irreverence of Zach Galifianakis, the drug-addled, bizarre ramblings of Doug Benson, nor the playful, upbeat stories spun by Arj Barker. Florentine is incisive, and his raspy voice drips with a sort of world-weariness. It’s kind of like listening to your one unstable uncle command the conversation during Thanksgiving.
So, if you’re looking for a light album, or an outright hilarious album, look elsewhere. Florentine’s act has its own rhythm. For as many laughs as he gets working the crowd, there are as many enraptured silences. Florentine takes his time, mixing a few one-liners into long stories and short invectives, lending the audience some insight into his own unique, sardonic worldview. Expect a lot of dick jokes, a lot of sex jokes, and a heaping helping of smart social commentary on the side.
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