Bill Burr: Why Do I Do This (2008)

Standup. Bill Burr is hilarious! It helps that he's a self-admitted psycho -- but one who knows how to draw the line between thinking of something psycho and not actually doing it -- then relating his thought processes to us with uproarious effect. (His description of the two steering-wheel inches that separate driving sanely from causing untold carnage may be the most memorable.) Burr is funnier than anyone I've heard since Carlin and holds total control of the stage. He's not politically correct but his motives are right on! (He riffs against animal population control then notes "It's not deer that are causing all that highway congestion.") This guy actually makes pedophilia, racism, and Hitler funny -- because he gets us laughing at them. (He neatly pegs the paranoia that pedophilia has branded on today's society and he rightly identifies fast food as a societal soporific. His proposal that everyone carry a chloroform rag in their shirt pocket, ready to take any wacko down before tattooing their forehead with "Could be the next Hitler," should be considered by Congress in special session.) Burr looks and sounds a bit like Jim Gaffigan in Beyond the Pale -- esp. when he channels that small voice inside the bystander or audience member -- but he's very high-energy throughout his performance. (Again, it helps that he's psycho.) Be aware that he's as facile as most standup comics at peppering his banter with "JC" and the two primary four-letter words. But don't miss this guy -- his social commentary is crazy like a fox. IW. 4.5 stars.