01/14/12: Mike Birbiglia - Dog Years (2004)

01/14/12: Mike Birbiglia - Dog Years (2004)

1. Intro
2. Dunkin Donutos
3. In Da Club
4. Laundraholic
5. Dying and Wendy's
6. Automobiles
7. Online Banks
8. Ladies and Gentlemen
9. Vet Questionnaire
10. The Olive Gardener
11. 10 to 400 Pounds
12. Alaska, Texas
13. Doctor
14. Military Brat
15. Panda
16. Cracker Please

     Next on the agenda is the self-released first album from comedian Mike Birbiglia. This was another case of going backwards. His most recent album "Sleepwalk with Me" was in my opinion one of the best 5 comedy albums of 2011. His comedy is impressive in the sense that it is fairly long-form. Hes good at telling you a long story and having it be funny along the way. I had listened to a couple of his earlier CDs including "Two Drink Mike", the true predecessor of "Sleepwalk with Me".
     "Dog Years" was self released before he signed to a label. This was a funny CD but especially if you've never heard him before. The reason I say that is due to the fact that A LOT of the material on this album was also on "Two Drink Mike". I am a big enough comedy nerd that i still enjoyed the hell out of it. It was interesting to see how he and his material developed over the few years between albums. It was not ALL material I had heard but it was probably a majority.
     It is truly enjoyable to listen to him talk about his love of Rap music. I am also impressed by the sheer amount of material he has about bears. The list gets longer and longer every time i listen to another of his albums. He goes on a fairly long rant about Pandas preferring food over sex and it becomes one of the highlights of the album. He is a very middle of the road comedian. He isn't going to offend anyone with his jokes, but he will make you laugh, and he will tell you a good story. This album is a great starting point if you haven't heard him, but you will be doing yourself a major disservice if you don't listen to "Two Drink Mike" and especially "Sleepwalk with Me". This was an entertaining first release but he has come a LONG way since then. (014)