Take the Hit

David Spade leans fully into his trademark brand of smug, self-deprecating smarm. Returning to his home state, he embraces his self-described dirtball roots, delivering a set built on petty grievances and a complete refusal to be earnest. Whether he is breaking down the mechanics of trying to get a pet tarantula high on cheap weed or screaming about wearing a t-shirt with his own face printed on it, the comic operates with a casual meanness that masks a tight, efficient joke structure. Filmed at the Tempe Improv in Arizona in early 1998, the HBO hour arrived during a transition period in his career. He was two years out from Saturday Night Live and just starting his run on the sitcom Just Shoot Me!. The format let him stretch out beyond sketch constraints, featuring extended riffs on deadbeat dads and the misery of hotel accommodations where the first seven floors are a homeless shelter. Often cited by other working comics as an underappreciated favorite, the set cemented him as a highly capable standalone act who did not need a larger-than-life scene partner to hold a room.