Sex & Politics

Robert Baril’s approach to post-election dread relies on comparison. He compares his progressive friends’ endless optimism about political reform to Minnesota Vikings fans waiting for a Super Bowl victory. He points out that the nation is far more likely to get universal healthcare and free higher education before Minnesota wins a ring, and by the time they do, the president will be an atheist, bisexual, transgender Inuit little person and the official currency will be hugs. That level of cynical pragmatism defines this debut hour, which leans on his background as a Twin Cities progressive talk-radio host to mock the early months of the Trump administration.

Released in July 2017 by indie label Stand Up! Records, this special catches Baril as he was establishing himself as a fixture at Minneapolis’s Acme Comedy Company and working as a substitute teacher. On stage, he balances macro-level political anxiety—specifically comparing the concept of an “angry sky grandpa” to the “angry White House grandpa”—with highly personal anecdotes. He talks about dating like a cop, which involves shooting first, asking questions later, and putting himself on a two-week paid administrative leave to self-investigate whenever he makes a mistake. Other bits cover a misunderstood family outing to the Mall of America and the odd realities of substitute teaching.