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Comedy Central Presents

Brian Regan

Comedy Central · 2000 · 30 min

A high-energy breakdown of food packaging and gym culture.

Brian Regan finds the absurdity in mundane routines by blowing them out of proportion with sweat, volume, and extreme physicality. He does not rely on edge or shock value. Instead, he zeroes in on the bizarre logistics of everyday life, turning minor inconveniences like food packaging into frantic meltdowns. He plays the fool so the audience does not have to, contorting his face and voice to act out conversations with juice boxes and gym equipment.

Filmed at the Hudson Theatre in New York City, this half-hour set for the third season of Comedy Central Presents aired in the fall of 2000. Regan was already a seasoned club comic and had found huge success with his 1997 album Brian Regan Live. This televised appearance served as a bridge between his road origins and the large theater tours he would mount later in the decade.

The tight 22-minute set is heavily front-loaded with food material. Regan questions the aggressive marketing tactics of cranberry juice, breaks down the suggested serving size of ice cream, and mocks the impatience required to microwave a Pop-Tart. The broadcast proved highly popular with viewers, establishing a wider television audience for his clean, observational style.

The set list

3 bits
  1. Trying yoga and health routines

    Regan discusses why yoga and common health trends are not for him.

  2. Visiting the eye doctor

    Relates the frustration of having to decide whether lens number one or lens number two is better during an eye exam.

  3. Dieting versus eating Fig Newtons

    Contrasts extreme health diets involving lemon rinds and steamed raisin skins with his preference to eat Fig Newtons by the sleeve while watching a strong man show with his favorite pillow.

How it plays

Tone
Clean, humorous, and observational.
On stage
Completely clean comedic style relying on facial expressions and relatable observations rather than dirty humor, props, or profanity.
About
Health and diet, Visits to the eye doctor, Everyday life occurrences

What the critics said

Praised for putting health and everyday struggles into funny, enduring words that withstand the test of time and provide a full half-hour of clean, enjoyable comedy.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: insidepulse.com, icheckmovies.com, jameskellock.tripod.com, allthetropes.org, dead-frog.com, imdb.com, tvinsider.com.

Details

Released
Runtime
30 min
Where
Comedy Central
Director
Paul Miller
Topics
Before
Brian Regan Live (1997)
After
I Walked on the Moon (2004)

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