Fort Worth — Everyone knows that person. The curmudgeon. The person who takes issue with just about everything in life and often screams their displeasure from the rooftops. At the very least it's mildly annoying. At most it's downright perturbing.
Lewis Black, who swung through Bass Performance Hall on his In God We Rust tour Friday night, is a curmudgeon. In fact, he's famous for it. And he's famous for it, because unlike the sourpusses you know, Black is very funny whilst complaining about everything. And Friday night bore that out to side splitting ends.
Albert Einstein said, "Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid." Lewis Black didn't set out in life to be a stand-up comedian. He holds a playwriting degree from North Carolina and is a graduate of the prestigious Yale School of Drama which boasts alumni such as Paul Newman, Meryl Streep and Paul Giamatti.
So Black began his career as a playwright. Comedy came in the form of serving as Master of Ceremonies at the tiny Hell's Kitchen playhouse he worked at. On stage in front of people, in an improvisational environment, Black's natural ability to make anything funny emerged. And after a management change at the theater, he left to take up comedy full time. And the rest is history.
Since then, Black has become a large cultural presence, from his time as a correspondent on The Daily Show, to his own Comedy Central Show The Root of all Evil, to numerous comedy specials. And his style is trademark at this point. Claiming to not write his jokes down, though he toted a stack of heavily scribbled on pages on to the stage with him Friday, Black claims to pick a topic that annoys him and then talk about it until he nearly has a panic attack.
Like so many comics, Black pokes at the absurdities of life, primarily in pop culture and politics, and his style is one of a building rage which that can often be gauged by his trademark staccato finger shaking. Nearly all of his jokes end in a conniption fit and it has almost a cathartic effect on the audience. Because Black is willing to let the absurdities of the world get to him, he becomes almost a surrogate for the audience's repressed desire to have a similar ranting breakdown when they see Jersey Shore or watch politicians sling mud at each other. He doesn't hold it in.
Friday night wrought a fairly typical Black performance. On his hit list was pop culture, reality television, cell phones, some requisite Texas humor, and of course, politics.
Many associate Black with political humor. But the argument can be made that for a man whose entire routine is built on pointing out the absurdities in life, politics is all too often an easy target. And Friday was no different. Of course, deep in the heart of Texas, Black would have a potential minefield to tip toe through. Self-identifying as a socialist and outwardly claiming to not like either of the two major parties, Black pokes fun at both sides pretty equally. Naturally, on this night the Republicans got a little more attention simply because they're in primaries, but it's also important to note that many of his attacks were based on character rather than ideology.
He knew where he was and wasn't about to do anything that would incite walkouts. Likely a lesson he's learned from those who came before him, particularly George Carlin, who did clear out a room once with some slightly too personal political humor. Black played it safe.
Or, as safe as a guy like Black can play it.
Black certainly isn't for everyone. He sarcastic, biting, profane and manic. But he's so good at being all of those things and making them funnier than anyone else can.
Like a fish in water. 
