Eddie Izzard HBO Comedy Special

After watching an hour-and-a-half of Mr Izzard, I can say without a shadow of a doubt in my mind that the future of comedy is a British transvestite named Eddie. But transvestites are just male lesbians, anyway, according to him.

He wore something my friend Jessica used to wear that Nick called "the Geisha outfit", with smashing red lipstick, vinyl pants and high-heeled sandals. Also, he provided HBO with the best one-shot comedy special since Chris Rock walked onto a DC stage back in 1996.

Eddie's comedy is completely fresh, relying more on jokes and observations about world history than "Isn't it a pain in the ass when your condom breaks?"-type of material that permeates and infects many of today's lesser comedians. I have heard many comedic routines about Hitler in my day, but his takes the cake.

And I want to buy him a drink for the first comedian with the sheer courage to mock the recent school shooting craze. Somebody had to, and this was great.

I predict that, much like Chris Rock before him, this will be Eddie Izzard's breakthrough to the mainstream. At least I hope it is, because I want this man to stare at me from magazine covers and television screens.

I feel very bad for anyone without HBO. It used to be because you missed Mr Show (the rightful heirs to the KITH/MP throne) and Dennis Miller, but now you're missing this. Sorry.

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Michael Keegan
6.15.1999