Note to fellow Epinionators: Parts of this review also appear on my previous review of Mitch Hedberg's first album. I feel that the tribute and comments section on Mitch's personal life and death belong on each review and need not be rewritten. I've included enough original material on this and the previous review to ensure that this is not a copy and paste job.

RIP Mitch Hedburg

In case you missed the news, comedian Mitch Hedberg passed away on the night of March 30, 2005. When the news came out the following day, which just happened to be the day before April Fool's Day, many people hoped that it was all a joke. Howard Stern's website was the first to mention it, then as the day passed on, other news sources began to report the tragic news. Hedberg had been found dead in his hotel room and the initial reports said the cause of death was a heart attack. He was only 37 years old.

If you had ever seen Mitch on television or in person, his drug and alcohol problems were obvious. In fact, they became part of his performance. I remember the first time I saw him on Comedy Central, he actually sat down on a part of the set to deliver several minutes of his show. It was like he couldn't even stand for the entire half hour. Friends of mine who were lucky enough to see him live said he would drink four or five shots of vodka or something equally strong before going on stage. Following his death, I read several news reports from comedy club owners who reported seeing him shooting up heroin backstage.

One might think that Mitch's chemical impairment would have gotten him booed off stage and audiences wouldn't tolerate it, but the effect was quite opposite. He was like a updated version of Cheech and Chong. His slurred speech and stoner-like delivery were part of his charm. His jokes were hilarious and simple, and it was even more funny when the jokes would bomb or he'd forget the punchline. Now that he has passed away, I feel almost guilty for having laughed at this guy while he slowly self destructed on stage over the past few years.

But he sure was funny...

Mitch All Together

This is Mitch Hedberg's second and last album and was recorded live and released through Comedy Central. What's interesting about this album, as compared to the first one, is Mitch's style of delivery. On the first album, Mitch sounded slightly drunk or even high and he stuttered a bit and talked slowly. On this album, his delivery is very fast faced and spastic. It sounds like he either drank a lot of coffee before going on stage or he more than likely did some kind of speed, perhaps cocaine. Compared to his last album, this one is like Mitch in fast forward. Listen and compare them both for yourself to hear the ways that different drugs can effect a person.

Hedberg's spitfire delivery doesn't make this album any less enjoyable. In fact, I thought it was better than the first. The whole package is much tighter and there is less dead time between jokes, so you get a lot more funny for your time and money. This album also includes a DVD with a video of the same show you hear on the CD, but it is only worth watching once. In a way, it is kind of sad to see his on-stage antics.

This album starts out like the first one in that he jokes about the CD itself. This time, he mentions how the only way it would be sold in stores is if he brought one in and left it. He pokes a little fun at the audience during this, and it's hilarious. The next track continues his series of jokes about food and he goes on about the various shapes and sizes of sandwiches. His spiel about club sandwiches and the 'club members' who created it is classic.

The highlight of the third track is when he tells a joke about chainsaw juggling and it completely bombs out. He saves it by mentioning that the joke will not be on the album and he will replace it with something much funnier. Given Mitch's bumbling style, he is still funny even when he can't tell the joke right. It is sad in a way, but still fun to watch, sort of like seeing a drunk guy fail a field sobriety test on the show COPS.

Some of the other highlights on the album include more food talk. On one track, he questions refried beans, saying "Why do we eat refried beans? Maybe fried beans are just as good, and we're wasting time." He also tells a long story about going into a Subway to buy some bread to feed some ducks and how Subway won't just sell you the bread alone. He concludes the story by saying that ducks can get free bread at Subway. You have to hear it to believe it, but trust me when I say it is hilarious.

Where the first album started off a little weak and ended strong, this one is the exact opposite. He hit the floor running at the beginning of this album, but you can tell the drugs start to wear off toward the end. He slows down a bit and the album loses some steam. It is still much funnier, on average, than most of the other comedy albums I've heard, and definitely not to be dismissed. This CD runs for about 45 minutes and leaves you wanting more.

Mitch Hedberg was into drugs and only released two albums before he died. Shannon Hoon, the lead singer of Blind Melon, which just so happens to be my favorite band, was into drugs and only released two albums before he died. I could go off on a political rant about stiffer drug penalties for drug offenders, but that wouldn't belong on a comedy album review. It all makes me sick when I think about what could have, should have, and would have been.

This was the last album Mitch released before his untimely death last month. Given his popularity in the stand-up circuit, I'm sure several more comedy albums will be released posthumously, but they will not be as much fun to listen to knowing that he is gone. His joke about the Fedex guy and how, "He's a drug dealer and doesn't even know it," just isn't that funny to me any more.


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends