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Cover image credit: Thumbnail: YouTube · 800 Pound Gorilla Media

60% Joking

Christian Finnegan

Apple Music · Album · 2019 · 61 min

A veteran comic's cynical but comfortable mid-career stand-up set.

Christian Finnegan returns to the microphone with a relaxed, self-deprecating hour that aims for the sweet spot between thoughtful social critique and standard, lowbrow club comedy. He maintains a light, conversational cynicism throughout, grading himself as a ‘B-minus human being’ while picking apart his own neuroses rather than trying to lecture the audience.

The 2019 audio release was recorded at the DC Improv in Washington, D.C., marking a nostalgic return to the venue where Finnegan recorded his 2006 debut, Two For Flinching. Coming five years after his previous special, the set caught the veteran comic (known to many from his days on VH1’s Best Week Ever and Chappelle’s Show) at a point in his career where he felt less concerned with network-friendly polish and more interested in capturing his actual, everyday perspective.

The resulting material leans into the absurdities of aging and modern life. He defends his refusal to abandon his AOL email address, details his aggressive transition into a self-described ‘bike supremacist,’ and outlines his physical decline by comparing the human body to rotting produce left in a refrigerator.

The set list

2 bits
  1. Bernie vs. Hillary vs. Trump

    Explores contemporary political division through Finnegan's socially conscious and forward-thinking perspective.

  2. Winegasm

    The final track of the comedy album.

How it plays

Tone
Socially conscious, reflective, and balanced between high-brow critique and low-brow club humor.
On stage
Well-spoken, forward-thinking, and versatile, balancing sharp intellectual commentary with dirty comedy club sensibility.
About
Social and political critique, Daily life and personal experiences, Aging and lifestyle, Race and culture

What the critics said

Praised by Vanyaland as worth the five-year wait, highlighting Finnegan's masterfully crafted balance between socially conscious critiques and accessible, everyday material.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: christianfinnegan.net, zdigital.7digital-com.prod.global.7digital.net, vanyaland.com, 800pgr.lnk.to, albumoftheyear.org, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Finnegan took time away from the stage due to other projects and personal adversity, viewing the hour as a creative re-engagement and an honest representation of his current life and career.

Details

Released
Taped
DC Improv
Runtime
61 min
Where
Apple Music (album)
Director
Christian Finnegan
Topics
Before
Comedy Central Presents (2005)

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