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Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories. Up next, The story of one of the best and weirdest stand-ups to ever hold a microphone. Mitch Hedberg was an old fashioned one liner spitter like Henny Youngman and an observer of the foibles of everyday life. like Jerry Seinfeld.
Here's Greg Hengler with a story. Ladies and gentlemen. I'm extremely proud. to present Mitch Hedberg. Mitch Hedberg was one of the greatest comedians of all time.
He might not be a household name like George Carlin or Louis C.K. but he'll always be remembered for his signature style An unconventional off-beat delivery. Yeah, I gotta write these jokes, so uh I sit at the hotel at night, I think of something that's funny, then I go get a pen and I write it down. Or if the pen's too far away, I have to convince myself that what I thought of ain't funny. His comedy typically featured short, sometimes one-line jokes mixed with absurd elements and non-sequiturs.
I've always wanted to have a suitcase handcuffed to my wrist. All right. My friend asked me if I wanted a frozen banana. I said no. But I want a regular banana later, so yeah.
I'm out to dinner with a group of friends and someone offers to pay for the check. I immediately reach for my wallet because inside is a note that says, say thanks. I used to do drugs, I still do, but I used to too. Mitch displayed a visible delight in being on stage. and he embodied a warmth that would draw his audience into his world.
I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it. He earned a cult following and the admiration of his fellow comics. I order the club sandwich all the time, and I'm not even a member, man. I don't know how I get away with it. I like my sandwiches with three pieces of bread.
So do I.
Well, let's form a club.
Okay, but we need some more stipulations. Yes, we do. Instead of cutting the sandwich once, let's cut it again. Hell yeah, four triangles. We'll position them into a circle.
And in the middle we will dump chips. Or potato salad? Cool. I can deal with that. Uh Let me ask you a question.
How you feel about frilly toothpicks? I'm for them!
Well this club is formed then. I like to take a toothpick and throw it in the forest and say, you're home. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Hedberg moved out when he turned 18 to pursue his dream of being a stand-up comic. You know, when it comes to racism, people say, I don't care if they're black, white, purple, or green.
Oh, hold on now. Purple or green. You gotta draw the line somewhere. To hell with purple people. Unless they're suffocating.
Damn. He lived out of his car and honed his routine and built his reputation playing comedy clubs across the country throughout the 1990s. Here's fellow comedians Shard Hogan, Doug Stanhope, Dave Attell, and Chuck Savage. The unique thing about Mitch is that he didn't do a lot of typical setup type. You know, joke jokes.
It was just.
so much different than anything anyone was doing or is doing today. Here was a guy standing on stage with his eyes closed. Just kind of doing this You know, thoughts basically that were like hilarious and so out there. And as a comic, you kind of always know where the jokes go and like, you know, with his stuff, it was always, it blew me away. A good comic says funny things, and a great comic says things funny.
And that's what Miss did. He said things funny. When someone tries to hand me out a flyer, it's kind of like they're saying, here, you throw this away. It's weird to hear that a guy who made his living performing in front of people was terrified of doing so. But Mitch Hedberg had severe stage fright.
And so the prototypical Hedberg performance involved dark sunglasses, long hair draped over his eyes, and set long staring contests with the floor. And finally, Mitch would bookend this list by completely closing his eyes to keep the crowd at an even safer distance. You know, on TV, when they have a fishing show on TV, they catch the fish, but they let it go. They don't want to eat the fish, but they do want to make it late for something. Where were you?
I got caught. Liar, let me see the inside of your lip. Every comedian messes up a joke on occasion, but they usually ignore their flubs. Not Hedberg. He tended to ruminate on his failed jokes, criticizing them on stage at a level few comedians could ever get away with.
Dogs are forever in the push-up position. Yeah. That would uh Thank you. That joke is dumb, I'm aware of that. Uh-huh.
Advil has a candy coating. It's delicious. Then it says right on the bottle: do not have more than two.
Well, then do not put a candy coating around it. For I cannot help myself. Let me have Tan Avil. Do you got a s I got a sweet tooth there? I think I screwed part of that joke up, huh?
I apologize about that. Deadspin likened it to him breaking the fourth wall. In an odd way, It made him even more endearing and relatable to his fans. I find that Duck's opinion of me is very much influenced over whether or not I have bread. You know that, Petrus Farmbread, that stuff is fancy, man.
It's wrapped twice. You open it and it still ain't open. That's why I don't buy it. I don't need another step between me and toast. Hedberg's innovative on-stage persona brought him to the doorstep of fame.
and he soon earned top billing. At the 1998 Montreal Comedy Festival, Mitch wowed the crowd. I got a king-size bed. I don't know any kings, but if one came over, I guess he'd be comfortable. Oh, you're a king, you say.
Well, you won't believe what I have in store for you. is to do your exact specifications. When I was a boy, I laid in my twin-sized bed, wondering where my brother was.
Alright, I had a cold sore. I put some CarMex on it. Carmex is supposed to heal cold sores. I don't know if it does, but it will make them shiny and more noticeable. Thank you so much.
Thank you. Please welcome Mitch Hedberg. Mitch! As an encore, Mitch booked the ultimate stand-up gig, a spot on The Late Show with David Letterman. I got a Vnex shirt on man, I like Vnex, you know?
And I hate turtlenecks, man. A turtleneck is like being strangled by a really weak guy. Hi. Yeah. Yeah.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. This is so unusual to hear so much applause. I think you're trying to trick me and make me think I'm done. Yeah.
Letterman wanted him back right away. A rare request for stand-up comics. By the end of 1998, Mitch landed a half million dollar TV deal with Fox and starred in his own special for Comedy Central. He was even dubbed the next Seinfeld by Time magazine. This shirt is dry clean only which means it's dirty By the early 2000s, Mitch was performing 300 shows a year and sometimes three in a night.
Hedberg never passed on a job even at the peak of his fame because he had been rejected so many times in his career. that he felt if he didn't say yes. he might not be given the opportunity to perform again. Ultimately, Mitch's drive to succeed and his drug use, most notably, Heroin took him over the edge. This morning, we've learned a popular comic from St.
Paul has passed away. Mitch Hedberg died in a hotel room in New Jersey on Wednesday. Hedberg died of a massive heart attack caused by drug abuse. On March 29th, Yeah. Mitch was not the next Seinfeld.
But he never needed to be. He was Mitch Hedberg. As a comedian, you have to start the show strong and you have to end the show strong. Those are the two key elements. You can't be like pancakes, all exciting at first.
But then by the end you're sick of 'em. And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler. And anyone who had ever seen Hedberg perform knew just how unusual an act he was, especially the closing of the eyes. He didn't interact with the audience the way any other comic ever had. And then there was just the writing, and then there was just the performing, and the difference between comics who say funny things.
In Comics Who Say Things Funny, Hedberg did both. and he did it like almost nobody else. 300 shows a year. And he never passed on a job, well, because of all the rejection he faced. And what a way to go, alone in a room.
Just a tragic end. to a life that brought so much joy to so many. The story of Mitch Hedberg. Here. on our American stories.
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