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My Name Is Hannibal

Hannibal Buress

Stand Up! Records · Album · 2010 · 50 min

A laid-back debut album featuring pigeons, pickle juice, and syphilis.

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.

The set list

9 bits
  1. Flicking pickle juice onto sandwiches

    Explaining the utility of keeping empty pickle jars in the fridge specifically to flick drops of pickle juice onto sandwiches for flavor.

  2. Barack Obama getting the presidency

    Focusing on how Obama managed to take a permanent vacation from being a U.S. Senator to apply for an even cooler job, bypassing standard racial comedy angles.

  3. Kicking pigeons

    Describing the urge to kick a pigeon while being mindful of how the press would sensationalize it as 'Black Dudes Kicking Pigeons!'

  4. Living with women and arriving home late

    Responding to his girlfriend's complaint about coming home late by explaining that if she arrived home at 3 AM, he would simply play video games and celebrate her absence.

  5. Inventing the flaming Dr. Pepper

    Wondering about the hardships, curiosity, and trial-and-error involved in concocting the drink.

  6. Reactions to his name

    Expressing irritation toward people who question if Hannibal is his real birth name, daydreaming about strangling them.

  7. God's plans and yes men

    Imagining that God does not keep yes men around because He needs people to give honest feedback if He makes whack studio tracks.

  8. Buying a white baby in Amsterdam

    Recalling his mother's advice to never pass up a good white baby sale.

  9. Syphilis ad campaign

    Personifying syphilis as an advertiser screaming in frustration about its past achievements, like killing Al Capone.

How it plays

Tone
Dry, cut-and-dry, absurd, silly, and understated.
On stage
Laid-back, deadpan, stoic, honest, and low-key with a dry register.
Pace
Metered and patient delivery; unhurried setups that allow premises to breathe and develop into roundabout payoffs.
About
odd everyday observations, relationships, politics and Barack Obama, his unique first name, drinks and food

What the critics said

Universally praised by critics for its distinctive, patient pacing, oddball observational perspective, and deadpan timing, drawing favorable comparisons to Mitch Hedberg while being lauded for genuine originality.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: consequence.net, thecomicscomic.com, music.amazon.co.uk, hannibalburess.bandcamp.com, afropunk.com, albumoftheyear.org, vice.com, en.wikipedia.org, thefader.com, variety.com.

Backstory

Recorded in his hometown of Chicago in January 2009, the exact month Barack Obama took office as President of the United States.

Details

Released
Taped
2009, Lakeshore Theater, Chicago
Runtime
50 min
Where
Stand Up! Records (album)
Honors
Number one selling comedy album on iTunesVariety's 10 Comics to Watch in 2010New York Magazine top ten Comics to Watch
Topics
After
Animal Furnace (2012)

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