Alex Pavone

Live From New York Comedy Club

BY Stacey McLachlanPublished Sep 12, 2015

7
Alex Pavone seems like the sort of guy you'd want to find yourself in the kitchen with at a party. He'd be telling elaborate stories about his poor life choices or relegating a rapt crowd with a vivid recollection of the people he met one night in a 24-hour McDonald's. He'd do it with a lot of swearing and perhaps some dangerous physical manoeuvres (on this album, he manages to incur a wound just two minutes in), but this isn't a bring-the-kids type of hypothetical party, so embrace the rough-around-the-edges charm.
 
Pavone is a 29-year-old Torontonian living in New York, and his comedy is rooted in his experiences, exploring new places and running into off-kilter characters. Though he's apparently fumbling his way through life, his high-energy delivery deflects pity. He shares his financial problems ("I'm so broke, I lived with a man for eight months in the same bed; I woke up every two hours to make sure I didn't have a boner") and body image issues ("I want to take off my shirt and have a girl drop a line from the '80s, like 'Oh, Doctor' or 'hubba hubba'") with the same self-deprecating glee, eager to pull a laugh of surprise or recognition. Though he's plenty of fun, there isn't a lot of solid joke-writing on display here, so lovers of a well-crafted setup might not find a fit here.
(Comedy Records)

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