pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news

Adam Carolla had a busy weekend.  The most recently fired celebrity on Donald Trump’s NBC Celebrity Apprentice, the former co-host of Loveline with Dr. Drew, the former co-host of The Man Show with Jimmy Kimmel, and the #1 podcaster in the world (with the Guinness World Record to show for it) played Seattle on Friday night, Spokane on Saturday night, and Portland’s Newmark Theatre last night.

I don’t always agree with what he says.  He’s middle-of-the-road politically – not claiming alignment with any party.  He’s quite in favor of many good social issues (gay rights, sex education, women’s reproductive issues, etc), but he’s staunchly conservative on fiscal and immigration concerns.  But in all honesty, how many times do you agree with everything even your loved ones say?  While some people may have “something for everyone to like,” Adam may very well fit into having “something for everyone to hate” or at least “have issue with.”  Eh, I still fall into the “love camp”…

His sharp wit, funny stories and quirky-yet-still-grounded sense of humor make coming back to listen daily a treat.  His Monday to Friday daily podcast is one of my favorites and it quickly goes to the top of my queue (subscribe iTunes).  His ACE podcasting network is also growing and excellent things abound: Penn Jillette’s PennSundaySchool, Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend (the funny & charming news gal), Ace on the House (home improvement), CarCast (I’m not even a gear junkie, but this is a fascinating show), et cetera… all great!

I thought comedian/songwriter Josh Gardner was to open the show.  However, they played the title track to Mr. Stinkfinger via laptop and then Adam came out.  Josh’s comedy albums are available now… Mr Stinkfinger EP and Winter Bush:

Adam’s stand-up shows are basically 90-minutes.  They are sometimes free form, but this one seemed a little more planned, with a little thrown in as far as what happened to him this past weekend.

He walked out with an oatmeal cookie… with dried cranberries in it.  This opened up into a rant about the adding shit to shit and why we keep fucking good things up.  Next on his complain list was “Spring Forward,” and he went through a funny USA Today bit about what people would do with their extra hour (back in the fall).

He got off complaining for a bit to talk about a Leno show appearance with Queen Latifah.  She had been going on about “limin’,” which apparently is what they call “chillin'” in the Caribbean.  Adam’s bit after her was about children’s toys at Christmas, and how you need lineman dykes to cut the toys out of their boxes.  Apparently people got in a huff because they thought he was calling “Queen” a “limin’ dyke.”  Ah, good times.

Up next, a little bit about his NBC Celebrity Apprentice experience with a few clips from last night’s show (where he got fired).  Apparently Buick didn’t like his jokes.  Oh well… now once Penn Jillette gets fired, I can quit watching that rubbish.

Next he played a cartoon rendition of “Gay Eyes,” a made up movie that Adam worked up during a 2009 podcast with Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston.  I can’t find the cartoon-version on line anywhere, but I remember hearing it when it went down.  Here is the audio.

The next 45 minutes… what Adam is known for… more complaining.  No “what can’t Adam complain about” requests from the audience, but some pre-loaded hyper vigilance rants that hit on many topics: tagging the landscape in Los Angeles, buttons on car keys, shower handles in hotels, key cards in hotels, toys under sofas, custom shoes, WC Field’s smoking & drinking poster in the doctor’s office, L.A. ice cream truck, recumbent cyclists, Click-It or Ticket, auto flush toilets, the L.A. “river,” rescue dogs, and how Mexicans grieve.

He ended the show with a stroll through memory lane via his Social Security Statement.  From an astonishing $1k to $9k/year of earnings for most of the 80s to stardom in the mid 90s.  His “money can’t buy you happiness” was a nice, uplifting non-rant about applying yourself to work towards doing what you want to do.

Some of his stories were ones we’d heard before via the podcast or radio show… he was playing to his audience; so it was all good.  Adam is a busy guy… ever turning logs in the fire.  Keep up to date with him via the links below… and by all means, if you like to listen to podcasts, make room in your queue for what I consider to be one of the best / funniest ones out there.

The Appropriate Linkage:

• Adam Carolla’s Site / the Podcast (iTunes)
  
• Adam Carolla’s Tour Dates
• Adam Carolla’s Social Media Links (see below)
  
• Newmark Theatre’s Site / Facebook / Twitter

Next show for me… Maynard James Keenan’s PUSCIFER on 3/14 in Portland.

~Dan – np: John Zorn – IAO: Music in Sacred Light