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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Stand-Up

Garry Shandling

HBO · 1991 · 60 min

Stand-up from the gap between his two landmark shows.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Garry Shandling performs with the cadence of a man who barely has to try, turning deep-seated neurosis into something that feels like casual conversation. Arriving in the gap between his two television shows, this hour captures his blend of self-deprecation and relaxed confidence. He talks through the anxieties of long-term relationships, offering proof of his extreme loyalty by noting that when he goes out with his mother, he never checks out other moms to see what their macaroni and cheese tastes like.

Filmed in March 1991 at the Irvine Barclay Theatre in California, the set marked his return to television after ending the sitcom It’s Garry Shandling’s Show. He reportedly spent five months running hours in small clubs to prepare, later complaining to the press that the thousand-seat venue in Irvine felt cavernous and disconnected. If he was uncomfortable, the tape does not show it. He maintains his affable persona throughout the night, touching on safe sex and his moderate politics, pointing out that while he has never burned a flag, he has never put one out, either.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Explaining lateness as getting pulled over by cops and beaten up

    Subtle reference to the Rodney King beatings right at the start of the set

  2. Looking at other women while in a relationship

    Compares looking at another woman to looking at someone else's meal—you're just looking, not diving over the table to eat it

  3. Vacation in Hana and adopting a stray herding dog named Shep

    Recounts Shep trying to herd a bull, leading to a Jerry Lewis-like chase where Shandling falls in a deep hole and breaks his leg; later Kevin Nealon retrieves the dog

  4. Attending the White House Correspondents Dinner and meeting President George H.W. Bush

    Chronicles being picked out on a tour, Bush laughing at him dancing with his girlfriend, meeting Marilyn Quayle, and stealing silverware on the way out

  5. Tucson's climate and the 'dry heat' rationalization

    Points out that a welding torch is also a dry heat

  6. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Calling Shep the dog out on stage closer

    Brings the actual dog on stage to conclude the show and verify his earlier story

How it plays

Tone
Self-deprecating, neurotic, sardonic, and personal
On stage
Neurotic-worrier persona resigned to nerdiness, sensitive, anxious with cutting self-deprecation and an insecure air of confidence
About
relationships and commitment, sex, dogs and pets, meeting President George H.W. Bush and the White House, insecurity and vanity (hair), flying and travel

What the critics said

A brisk hour demonstrating his comedic strength with an affable spin on the neurotic worrier, though some critics felt certain elongated storytelling segments were only mildly amusing compared to his peak work

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: latimes.com, themoviedb.org, allmovie.com, mubi.com, nytimes.com, cinemaloco.com, en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, interviews.televisionacademy.com.

Backstory

Filmed around late March 1991 following the end of his Showtime series; incorporates recent references to events like the Rodney King beatings and his hosting of the Grammy Awards.

Details

Released
Taped
Barclay Theatre, Irvine
Runtime
60 min
Where
HBO
Topics

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