The Day the Laughter Died

Mitch Hedberg

(February 24, 1968 – March 30, 2005)

Uploaded by ratm2459 on Mar 16, 2007

Mitch Hedberg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mitchell Lee "Mitch" Hedberg (February 24, 1968 – March 30, 2005) was an Americanstand-up comedian known for his surreal humor and unconventional comedic delivery. His comedy typically featured short, sometimes one-line jokes, mixed with absurd elements and non sequiturs.

Hedberg's comedy and on-stage persona gained him a cult following, with audience members sometimes shouting out the punchlines to his jokes before he could finish them.

Mitch Hedberg
Hedberg during his Comedy Central Presents special in 1999
Birth name	Mitchell Lee Hedberg
Born	February 24, 1968 Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	March 30, 2005 (aged 37) Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, film
Nationality	American
Years active	1989–2005
Genres	Observational comedy, surreal humor,word play
Subject(s)	Recreational drug use, everyday life,American culture, self-deprecation,drinking culture
Influences	George Carlin, Emo Philips, Jackie Vernon, Steven Wright, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Hicks, Cheech and Chong, Bobcat Goldthwait
Influenced	Dale Amler, Jon Lajoie, Ryan Maglunob, Mike Birbiglia, Demetri Martin
Spouse	Lynn Shawcroft (1999–2005) (his death)
Notable works and roles	Strategic Grill Locations Mitch All Together Do You Believe in Gosh?
Website	www.mitchhedberg.net

Above Article Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Hedberg

*       *       *       *       *       *       *

Seven years ago today, 

Mitch Hedberg passed away.

Although I'd never heard of him 

until over a year after he died, 
he's one of my favorite comedians. 

Please Note:
He used a lot of profanity in his live shows, 
so your best bet for hilarious clean comedy 
is to catch his TV performances.

As funny and inspiring as he was,

I fear we lost him before he reached his prime.

Life is too short to bicker. 

Better to snort* and snicker.

Blessings & Joy,

Dean Burkey

* Meaning to laugh, not to inhale anything illegal or hallucinogenic.


Be sure you also check out these other related blog posts:


The Comedic Brilliance of Mitch Hedberg's Delivery


Some of My Favorite Mitch Hedberg Jokes


My Favorite Mitch Hedberg Routine


Mitch Hedberg's Jokes Still Inspire!

The Dufrene Joke Structure: Setup, Punchline, Tag

Mitch Hedberg's Last Performance on the Late Show

Click Here for More Comedy-Writing Resources!

The Comedic Brilliance of Mitch Hedberg's Delivery

Uploaded by bbyparit on Sep 28, 2009

(Please Note: The above video contains some mild profanity.)

The Comedic Brilliance 

of Mitch Hedberg’s Delivery

It’s not just the way he writes his jokes that’s funny; 

it’s the way he delivers them too. 

Mitch Hedberg doesn’t just say his jokes; 
he declares them.

As in these jokes of his ...

(Mitch Hedberg): 

“Every book is a children’s book, 

if the kid can read!”

(Mitch Hedberg): 

“Dogs are forever in the push-up position!”

His cadence alone is pure comedy!

When I drove to Savannah, GA on October 30, 2009; 

I passed Orlando and saw a picture of Nemo. 

Using Mitch’s comedic cadence, I came up with this joke: 

I found Nemo.  

He was part of the seafood combo platter at Red Lobster.  

And he was delicious.
Especially with cocktail sauce.

And this one:

Is Savannah in Louisiana?  

I shouldn’t have turned left.  

Is Savannah in Indiana?  

I’m still lost, 

but I’m making great time.

In my recent blog My Thoughts about “The Hunger Games”, I wrote this bit, which sounds much better with Mitch’s voice:

My Hunger Game is deciding 

what kind of pancakes to make for breakfast.

This morning I made round.

Because trapezoidal pancakes are too hard to flip.

In another previous post: “How to Become a Super Hero (Without Having Your Home Planet Explode)”, I referenced his joke: 


(Mitch Hedberg): 
“I went to a doctor.  
All he did was suck blood from my neck. 
Don’t go see Dr. Acula!”

Mitch not only declared his jokes 

and used a comedic cadence, 

he also added characterization by using quotes, 

by bringing his material to life. 

(Mitch Hedberg): 
“People associate long hair with drug use. 
I wish people associated long hair 
with something other than drug use, 
like an extreme longing for cake. 
And then strangers would see a long haired guy and say, 
‘That guy eats cake!’ ‘He is on bundt cake!’ 
Mothers saying to their daughters, 
‘Don’t bring the cake-eater over here anymore. 
He smells like flour. 
Did you see how excited he got 
when he found out your birthday was fast approaching?’” 

Mitch combines declarations, cadence, and quoting 
with his unique vocal delivery: A hip persona. 
He presents himself as a druggie rocker of sorts, 
but his vocalizations exude a soul and style 
similar to jazz musicians and “hepcats” from the 1950s.


Most successful comics use characterizations 
to bring their material to life; 
such as Brian Regan
who uses his own “Goofy Man” voice.


So find your own Comic Voice, your persona, 
the unique thing about you that makes you funny
and gets you laughs. 
Make your own humorous observations 
and present them in your own inimitable, hilarious way.
And then, seven years after you die, 
an ardent student of comedy/adoring fan may blog 
about your comedic brilliance too. 

Blessings & Joy,

Dean Burkey

Mitch Hedberg

(February 24, 1968 – March 30, 2005)

Thank you Mitch for entertaining us!

Be sure you also check out these other related blog posts:


The Day the Laughter Died


Some of My Favorite Mitch Hedberg Jokes


My Favorite Mitch Hedberg Routine


Mitch Hedberg's Jokes Still Inspire!

The Dufrene Joke Structure: Setup, Punchline, Tag

Mitch Hedberg's Last Performance on the Late Show


Click Here for More Comedy-Writing Resources!

Inspiration from Nick Vujicic: Life Without Limits!

Inspiration from Nick Vujicic: Life Without Limits!



Uploaded by gracesupang on Dec 2, 2007



Uploaded by richgrad on Sep 12, 2007

Uploaded by richgrad on Sep 13, 2007

Inspiration from Nick Vujicic: Life Without Limits!

Since Nick Vujicic can smile 
and give God thanks and praise, 
so too should we!


Blessings & Joy,

Dean Burkey

My Thoughts about “The Hunger Games”

My Thoughts about 

“The Hunger Games”

Have No Fear: No Spoilers Here*

(Click the movie poster to see the official Trailer.)


Click Here for the Trailer from the Super Bowl

Although they both have the same title, the movie “The Hunger Games” differs drastically from the book “The Hunger Games” in that the movie lets you see and hear what’s going on, whereas the book makes you read all them words. 


Also, the movie doesn’t require page-turning and can be finished in 142 minutes. Less if you don’t stay for the closing credits. Whereas the book requires page-turning and can take much longer than 142 minutes. Even if you skip the back cover.


Of course, you could speed-read and finish in two minutes, but then you’d wonder “What just happened?”


The main problem with the book “The Hunger Games”, um, actually any book, is that in my mind, all the female characters look like Winona Ryder. 


Which isn’t a bad thing. Obviously. But that does make it hard to distinguish one character from the other. 


And, of course, the male lead always looks like me. 


Well, the male lead, or whoever fills the role of the female lead’s love interest.


Despite the typical opening of studio logos and the clichéd ending of closing credits, the best feature of this feature film is: 


24 go in, but only one comes out. Automatically making this movie 12 times more exciting than Thunderdome -- where two go in, but only one comes out.


Both the book and the movie make the readers/viewers wish the Olympics would be held in Hungary, so the media can have a field day calling them “The Hungar Games”.


If the competitions took place at an airport, they’d be called “The Hangar Games”.


At the dry cleaners, they’d be “The Hanger Games”. Sounds the same, but the winning results won't be ready until next Tuesday. And management is not responsible for staining or other garment damage. 


My Hunger Game is deciding what kind of pancakes to make for breakfast.


This morning I made round.


Because trapezoidal pancakes are too hard to flip.


Until next time, ...

“May the odds be ever in your favor.” 

And may all your evens be Steven.

Blessings & Joy,

Dean Burkey

* (At least no intentional spoilers, because unlike so many other biased reviewers, I haven’t read the book or watch the movie yet, lest either one should sway my opinion. Which made for a fun blog, if I do say so myself. “And I do. Cherish you.”**)


** Lines from the song “Cherish” -- written by Terry Kirkman.

Inspiring Video: BOATLIFT, An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience

BOATLIFT, 

An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience

(Narrated by Tom Hanks)

"Average people; they stepped up." 

-- Robin Jones

Uploaded by RoadtoResilience on Sep 7, 2011

Tom Hanks narrates the epic story of the 9/11 boatlift that evacuated half a million people from the stricken piers and seawalls of Lower Manhattan. Produced and directed by Eddie Rosenstein. Eyepop Productions, Inc.

BOATLIFT was executive produced by Stephen Flynn and Sean Burke and premiered on September 8th at the 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit: Remembrance/Renewal/Resilience in Washington. The Summit kicked off a national movement to foster community and national resilience in the face of future crises. See www.road2resilience.org to become a part of the campaign to build a more resilient world. The film was made with the generous support by philanthropist Adrienne Arsht, Chairman Emerita, TotalBank (www.arsht.com)

Sometimes, 

out of the worst tragedies 

come the greatest triumphs!

Dean Burkey

“I Drink String Beans!”

I drink string beans.

I prefer the health benefits of raw fruits and vegetables, but eating uncooked string beans is not a culinary delight. You won’t find customers at a fancy restaurant telling the server: “I’ll have the Raw String Bean Soufflé.” 


“What is today’s Raw String Bean du jour?” 


“Does that come with cole slaw?” 

I used to drink spinach, but now I actually eat that. You can’t drink everything. At some point your teeth want to feel involved. Needed. Wanted. Like we all do.

But still, I plop string beans into a blender and hit Liquefy. That’s quite a setting. Liquefy. Sounds like something the Wonder Twins would do. “Oh no! We’re trapped! The only way out is that drain.  Wonder Twins Liquefy!”

Bananas are cool to eat. Even though you can’t eat without them thinking maybe Darwin had a point.

But still, I Liquefy them too. Just because I can. And because it makes smoothies taste better. And pumps me full of potassium.


Smoothie is a weird word.
“How smooth was that?”
“Eh. I wouldn’t say it was smooth, but I would say it was smoothie.”

I think the Liquefy button was made for bananas and smoothies. They certainly didn’t have string beans in mind. ‘Cause no matter how long you run the blender, you still wind up with a twine or two of string bean string going down your throat.

Although it’s those brushes with death that help us appreciate life, it’s really just for the health benefits that I drink string beans. 


On the plus side, drinking all those “strings” means your mouth’s already flossed. ;o)

Now let’s talk about how you can rewire a blender to turn back time and open portals to other dimensions.



Blessings & Joy,
Dean Burkey

My Thoughts on Adele's Hit Song "Someone Like You"

My Thoughts

 on Adele's Hit Song
"Someone Like You"

Published on Sep 29, 2011 by AdeleVEVO | #1 on the YouTube 100

Music video by Adele performing Someone Like You. (C) 2011 XL Recordings Ltd

Cool song, but it took me forever to figure out what she was singing at the end. Sounded like she sang "Sometimes it laughs in love."

I thought, "That's true; sometimes there is laughter, but who's it? And why is it laughing?" 

I quickly (slowly) realized that couldn't be right, because that didn't make sense. But the arrangement, the lyrics I could understand, and the awesome vocal performance attracted me to the song. Although I couldn't comprehend it, I couldn't turn away. I didn't even know who sang the song for a while either. I kept hearing the name Adele a lot, but I didn't know who she was. Finally I Googled the lyrics.

So yes, this is a great song. 

But let’s buckle up and face a few facts:

The constant pleading refrain of  “Don’t forget me - I beg!” makes her sound clingy. 


Her showing up uninvited out of the blue so much makes her sound a tad stalkerish too. 


And if she’s that clingy and stalkerish, I’m sure he won’t forget her. 


Despite years of in-depth therapy. 

“I still remember her, Doc. 

Increase the voltage!”

Perhaps that pleading need to be remembered tugs at our heart-felt desire to out live our lives. Or plugs into our Jungian collective unconscious. Or simply sounds catchy.


Maybe that’s why we blog. So thousands of years from now, when archaeologists excavate the Internet, they’ll come across one of our posts and say: 

“That Dean Burkey 

sure could make great pancakes.” 

Her wanting someone like him reminds me of this (Author Unknown) joke: 

I just broke up with someone 

and the last thing she said to me was 

“You’ll never find anyone like me again!” 

I’m thinking, “I should hope not! 

If I don’t want you, 
why would I want someone like you?”

A powerful, moving  song, sung by a tremendous singer. Easy to see why this song's so popular. Kudos to Adele.

“Yo, girl. It’s cool you can sing.

But why you gotta break my heart?”

This song's so sad, I can’t be around sharp objects where I hear it. 


I also can’t be around sharp objects when I hear the Barney song. 


But that’s for different reasons.


And by sharp objects, I mean plastic sporks.


Oh, like I’m the only one who finds hybrid utensils freaky.

Blessings & Joy,

Dean Burkey

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