Andrés du Bouchet is a 20-Sided Guy
Label: aspecialthing Records
Chad White, 10 sided, Want to play some DD?
I’m going to start off by saying that this review is biased. Incredibly so. I love absurdist comedy. Tim & Eric; Aqua Teen Hunger Force; John Hodgman; Portlandia; you name it, I like it. Imagine my surprise when I find out that a very entertaining, strange comedian writes for Conan O’ Brien on TBS’s Conan. Andrés du Bouchet has been with the carrot-haired man for years and his album, 20-Sided Guy, is out now.
Bouchet comfortably stands onstage before the audience and seemingly spouts out these ridiculously oddly intricate ideas about mutants of the post-apocalypse or Godzilla facing off against a “Tectonic Vibrometer.” 20-Sided Guy is riddled with risible ideas like this. They sound like they’re more accustom to a writer’s room for an Adult Swim special but, no. Each one of the 16 tracks on the CD each stand on their own as radical comedic ideas. They vary from widely sexual to outstandingly out of this world to sensationally funny. One of my favorite bits follows the thought process of a cat that holds a trial with household items – a fern’s shadow, a vase, and a figurine and his own shadow - to find his balls.
Don’t worry though; Bouchet does revert back to his “normal” state. He goes from monologues to stand up in a split second. These moments are used more so to introduce the stories he tells like in a bit where he tells the story about his crazy ex-roommate who was an actress. Try not to get used to the regular stand up moments though. Bouchet shines as he gets us into his head. Attention must be paid to almost every word that he says. The second to last track is a set of poems whose punchlines can be easily missed if a phrase or two are unheard.
Absurdity is a tough thing to do in comedy. There have been a multitude of people that have tried to dip their hands into that arena. Many of them have failed. Bouchet is one of the comedians who can ultimately stand firm. His farcical jokes are grounded with enough backstory and development that they are credible enough as stories on their own. 20-Sided Guy is not for the faint of heart but it does push the lengths of what comedy can be.
Rating: A, 39/50 sides, 1 Guy