A quick Google search for Brian Stollery will yield the descriptor "corporate comedian," but after listening to Stollery's For Brian Out Loud, it's hard to imagine the hilariously self-deprecating comedian standing in front of an audience of austere, self-assured men and women in suits. That's because Stollery's humour stems from the fact that he is just a regular dude, stumbling through life like the rest of us.
Stollery doesn't shy away from poking fun at himself, whether it's his inability to conduct simple math equations or his fear of being emasculated by his girlfriend while doing the caulking in his bathroom, Stollery has no problem admitting to all of his shortcomings for the sake of comedy. Yet despite Stollery's almost proud assertion that he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, it is evident that he is selling himself short: one listen to the album is enough to recognize the wit present on each of the tracks.
Stollery has the sort of comedic finesse that allows him to broach such mundane topics as home repairs, taxes, and car tires, and still have the audience engaged and laughing. His exuberant delivery of each punch line verges slightly on "dad joke" territory, but there's a sarcastic wit that underlies each track that saves the album from ever seeming too goofy or campy.
Stollery succeeds in bringing to light the absurd in every day scenarios and in turn demonstrates that life (and sometimes even death) needn't always be taken so seriously.
(Independent)Stollery doesn't shy away from poking fun at himself, whether it's his inability to conduct simple math equations or his fear of being emasculated by his girlfriend while doing the caulking in his bathroom, Stollery has no problem admitting to all of his shortcomings for the sake of comedy. Yet despite Stollery's almost proud assertion that he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, it is evident that he is selling himself short: one listen to the album is enough to recognize the wit present on each of the tracks.
Stollery has the sort of comedic finesse that allows him to broach such mundane topics as home repairs, taxes, and car tires, and still have the audience engaged and laughing. His exuberant delivery of each punch line verges slightly on "dad joke" territory, but there's a sarcastic wit that underlies each track that saves the album from ever seeming too goofy or campy.
Stollery succeeds in bringing to light the absurd in every day scenarios and in turn demonstrates that life (and sometimes even death) needn't always be taken so seriously.
