- George Burns
Today, I was informed that comedian Mitch Hedberg passed away in his hotel room at the young age of 37. The exact cause of death isn't known yet, but it is believed that it was the result of a drug-induced heart attack.
I don't know how many of you guys were aware of Mitch, but he really was one of the brightest lights in a comedic world that is, let's face it, a bit lacking. In a profession where making black jokes and redneck humor is all that seems to go over huge anymore, Mitch was like the stoner version of Steven Wright.
His comedy wasn't high-brow, it wasn't intellectual...It's didn't have to be. No, Mitch made his name by mixing razor-sharp one-liners and dead-pan observational humor with his greasy long hair, dark glasses, and generally dirty "hippy-like" attitude and demeanor. Not everyone loved his act, but to me? I've lost track of how many hours of my life I've spent listening to or watching his material. He had a really special ability to point out the absurd and often subtle oddities in everyday life, and that's just something that isn't seen nearly enough when all you see when you turn on Comedy Central is dick and fart jokes mixed with heavy doses of cheap racial humor.
This couldn't have come at a worse time for Mitch, though, because it really seemed like he was poised to break through to the top of the world of comedy. He's had two albums released by Comedy Central and if you watched the channel for any length of time, I'm sure you saw his special once or twice, but that's not the top. He got his name out there, but his talent deserved such a larger stage.
A stage that HBO was poised to give him as there was a full stand-up special for him in the works. That's one of the biggest things you can do in that profession, folks. Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, George Carlin, Dave Chappelle, Dennis Miller, they've all done it. They've all made big names for themselves. Mitch was primed to see his comedy get out to the mass public, and now all I can do is imagine what it would have been like.
Mitch, that was one hell of a weak Pre-April Fools joke, man. It really was.
Just Some of my favorite Mitch quotes:
"The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how much I play, I'll never be as good as a wall. I played a wall once. They're relentless."
"I tried walking into a Target, but I missed."
"I wish I could play little league now. I'd be way better than before."
"I would imagine if you understood Morse code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy."
"I played golf....I did not get a hole in one, but I did hit a guy and that's way more satisfying. You're supposed to yell FORE, but I was too busy mumbling that ain't no way that's gonna hit him."
"I get the Reese's candy bar, if you read it, there's an apostrophe. The candy bar is his. I didn't know that. Next time your eating a Reese's and some guy named Reese comes up to you and says let me have that. You better give it to him. I'm sorry Reece; I didn't think I would ever run into you."
Colin
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