Stark Raving Black

George W. Bush has finally left office, leaving a famously angry comic to figure out what to yell about next. Instead of relying entirely on political grievances, the 60-year-old turns his attention to mortality, aging, and the troubling realization that he is now a mainstream act. The standout routine is an agonizing story about performing at a charity benefit. He explains exactly what it feels like to deliver profane, godless material to a crowd that just finished weeping to country music stars Vince Gill and Amy Grant.

Filmed in August 2009 at the Fillmore Theatre in Detroit, Stark Raving Black catches the performer grappling with the subprime mortgage crisis, the push for alternative energy, and a new Democratic administration. He chose Detroit because he figured the city had a right to be as furious as he was. While he still targets both sides of the aisle, the tone shifts inward as he details his parents’ marriage, his father’s peculiar smile, and his own impending demise.

The audio release won a 2011 Grammy for Best Comedy Album. It stands as one of his darker performances, focusing heavily on death and existential frustration. He closes the show by predicting that the world will become a perfect utopia exactly one day after he dies.