My Name Is Hannibal

Long before he was a fixture on television or dropping bombshells about sitcom legends, Hannibal Buress built his name on a very specific brand of slow-paced, oddball comedy. His debut audio release relies entirely on a laid-back delivery that makes his strangest premises sound like casual facts. He outlines the appeal of kicking a pigeon, pitches an aggressive marketing campaign for syphilis, and explains why he punched a child in the chest for showboating at Guitar Hero.

Recorded at Chicago’s now-defunct Lakeshore Theater, My Name Is Hannibal captures the comic right as the industry started paying attention. Released in 2010, the set coincided with him landing on Variety‘s “Ten Comics to Watch” list and bouncing between writing gigs at Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. Chris Rock was already calling him the illegitimate son of Mitch Hedberg, a comparison that makes sense when Buress meanders through a roundabout story about the hardships of inventing the flaming Dr. Pepper. He takes his time getting to the punchline, content to ramble about buying a baby in Amsterdam or flicking pickle juice for flavor.