America's Finest

David Cross - Shut Up You F**king Baby!

by Patrick O'Malley

BEWARE !! For Shut Up, You Fucking Baby! is not for the faint-hearted, as the title clearly conveys (which in record stores you'll find titled as David Cross's Shut Up, You [lift flap for dirty word] Baby!). Take me for instance - a devoted fan and someone who agrees with much of what is said on this live comedy collection - I still squirmed and was taken aback at times due to the deftness with which Cross delivers his unrelenting barrage of uniquely American truth that is at once saddening, maddening, and truly hilarious. Anyone familiar with David Cross's brand of comedy needs no warning, it is assumed that in the course of a show you will be shocked, likely offended, you may wet yourself in joy or anger, possibly be emotionally scarred for life, or maybe even enlightened. Just the same, for those who know Cross and especially for those who do not, consider yourself warned.

This recently released two disc live comedy album was culled from two performances on last summer's cross-country tour which featured Cross doing stand-up and fellow Atlanta locals UltraBabyFat performing music. It was an atypical tour in that Cross traveled with UltraBabyFat (who played every show), and also invited local bands to perform at some of the stops. The main reason for including the musical acts, I'm guessing, is so Cross could skip all the designated 'comedy clubs' in favor of traditional theaters and venues devoted primarily to music. Based on his description on disc two of a trip to Kansas City to do comedy at a club, I imagine Cross went for this alternative format in order to forgo all the promotional duties that come with headlining a comedy club. That's one likely reason, but also because Cross is an alternative comedian. Everything he's participated in has always been hilarious, but definitely not mainstream. That's really too bad, because his and Bob Odenkirk's former alternative comedy vehicle, Mr. Show, was the funniest thing on television during it's four-year run on HBO. His stand-up comedy certainly does not appeal to everyone, but it's important enough that everyone should at least have a listen to decide for themselves. Enter Shut Up, You Fucking Baby!.

Very little of the comedy on these discs is unrelated to politics or society, although some of the comedy is told in the form of straightforward amusing stories from Cross' point of view. The rambling, or as Cross puts it in the liner notes - the "amusing, drunk-at-a-party way" with which he imparts these stories is utilized as well as it can be. If you can get used to it you'll appreciate Cross' style as it spares us an all too rehearsed and flat routine which in turn gives Cross freedom to riff, which it could be said is what he does best.

The political 'bits' are really where it's at, of which the time Cross spends discussing George W. Bush is some of the most hysterical satire. Cross unassumingly broaches the subject by saying "I think there's a very strong possibility that George W. Bush may, may - may go down in history as the worst president we've ever had. Like the worst. Like really bad, dangerously bad. And I don't mean like in a Millard Fillmore/James Polk kind of way". He corrects himself in the liner notes; "I meant to say 'Absolutely, without a doubt'". Cross then goes on to bolster his argument with a number of Bush policy decisions that boggle the mind, like the Bush administration's growing disdain for the environment and pursuit of renewable energy as he quips "I can't wait 'til water's $20 a gallon, but we still got our $1.50 gas!". Another dagger is Cross' reminder that George W. Bush, as a major focus of his successful presidential campaign, perpetuated the blatant lie that "He's just like us! He's just a good ole boy from Midland, Texas! I'm a straight shooter man. I'm a Washington outsider. I'm such a Washington outsider just like you 'cause I'm sure all y'all had the same kind of upbringing just like me you know where your Daddy was head of the CIA and then Ambassador to China and then Vice President for eight years and then President of the United States for four years. Yeah, I'm just like you!". It goes on for some time, but stays consistently funny as Cross touches on all manner of issues as he sees them with the Bush administration. Of course the American people are to blame for his election, but Cross has a bigger bone to pick with the media's and public's perception that Bush is any different as a man since 9/11. Or rather as Cross succinctly puts it, "He's the same fucking moron he was on the tenth". Further adding that by bombing Afghanistan, "He's only doing the job that we sort of, not really, actually didn't elect him to do. I mean, that's not cause for celebration. What did we expect he was gonna do? The planes were gonna hit and he was gonna hole up in a Motel 8 with a bottle of Jack just crying in the corner going 'I don't know what to do! I don't want to be President, I don't know what to do!' No! That's not his job, that's the Vice President's job apparently". Cross spends more time on Bush than anything else, except perhaps religion. That being an even touchier subject, I'll simply repeat my warning - beware. Only one other subject on these discs is likely to draw more criticism for insensitivity, albeit misdirected, and that's September 11th.

Cross introduces his discussion of 9/11 by saying "so I was in New York for September 11th. Or, as I like to refer to it, the week football stopped". Some will inevitably hear this joke about, or more accurately relating to September 11th and freak out. This misses the whole point, and is akin to being just like the ignoramuses that Cross skewers throughout. Cross prefaces his 9/11 stories and experience by saying "suffice to say it was really fucked up, the most surreal thing I've ever experienced, it was crazy". It being a comedy show this makes sense, the gravity of what happened goes without saying and Cross is only telling a couple stories about the first times he smiled after 9/11 from his unique point of view and as a New Yorker. Clearly if there is actually someone like 'Gabriel' in this country (the name Cross makes up for the inconceivably audacious man he saw roller-blade down a closed Houston Street with gas mask and all on 9/12, the day after), then surely someone, somewhere bitched as Cross imagined about the postponement of football games the Sunday after 9/11. September 11th is merely the setting for these jokes, not the punch line, as many are sure to quickly misinterpret.

Obviously David Cross has no patience for those who can't keep up or follow the jokes, and why should he? This isn't the banal stand-up that many people are used to; it's not the kind that attempts to appeal to everyone and, most importantly, alienate no one. It's likely to elicit highly polarized reactions from listeners, few will find themselves torn between what they love and what they hate about Cross and his comedy. His unstructured style will undoubtedly bother some, and with good reason. Regardless, most will fall on one side of the fence or the other, as is the case with many of the past's edgy social-satirists. At points it does go too far, but that is what's best about it. To dig deeper and break new ground he's got to know how far down the bottom is. I want to wince at times, because if he's on the edge then the payoff when he hits something dead-on is much funnier than any peak a regular comedian who plays it safe will ever reach. When listening to Cross the word 'rant' is likely to enter your mind, and it's apt, but I at least sense that this is a product of Cross' frustration with current world affairs more than of his inability to fit the show into the typical stand-up mold.

No matter how you slice it this stuff is pretty hilarious, and darkly so. It's a must listen for anyone who's not hypnotized by the omnipotent monopolistic media engine that runs most Americans. The hypnotized should listen as well in hopes of liberating themselves from irrational and constrained thinking, but most will likely dismiss it as purely anti-American when it is clearly the opposite - the definition of American. It's a pioneering effort predicated upon free thinking and the recognition of absurdity. I would bet that a larger percentage of the US would prefer to burn Cross' double-album in effigy rather than listen to it, a sign that all is not well in the homeland. It'll make you laugh, then think about why you laughed, then you'll realize what he's said is really not funny if there's any truth to it, which in just about every case there is, and it'll make you sad that you have to laugh so as not to get so bogged down in depression that you give up on caring about America. Beware but enjoy, this is sharp wit at it's finest.