Lock 'n Load

Denis Leary takes the stage chain-smoking, pacing, and demanding a regular cup of coffee. Following the massive success of his breakthrough No Cure for Cancer, Lock ‘n Load delivers more of the rapid-fire rants that defined his nineties persona. The centerpiece is a widely quoted diatribe about the sudden proliferation of Starbucks and the impossibility of ordering coffee-flavored coffee without navigating a menu of mochaccinos.

Directed by frequent collaborator Ted Demme, the special was filmed over three nights at the Angel Orensanz Foundation in New York City. Though he was steadily booking film roles by this point, Leary returned to HBO to prove his stage act was intact. He applies his trademark aggression to the Catholic Church, animal rights activists, and the sheer exhausting reality of raising kids. While the companion audio release was padded with musical interludes and fake radio sketches, the television broadcast keeps the focus tight. It prioritizes the actual stand-up, letting Leary burn through his material and his cigarettes at the exact same pace.