If you've seen the surprise comedy hit of 2009 so far,
The Hangover, you will have been introduced to the beardy charms of Zach Galifianakis. Stealing scenes from the
boring as batshit handsome and chronically single (hi, Jen!) Bradley Cooper and… the other one, like a hirsute comedy ninja, we felt it only fair to provide a helpful guide, for those without a beard to love, to getting a little Zach in your life.
I'm well qualified to helm such a guide as, inexplicably, until recently I was one of those very people. Somehow, despite the best efforts of my friends' "OMG you MUST watch this" YouTube forwardings, Galifianakis managed to fly under my radar (whoops after you rear admiral, etc). When it comes to comedy, I am like an even less friendly version of the classic armchair art critic (i.e. I don't know much about art, but I know what I like); roughly 0.38% of comedy actually made it through my filters, and even less made me laugh. I credit this Galifianakis piece (from his own show) for cracking my icy façade:
Melty, right? "Chicken!"
Galifianakis' CV reads like a mad scientist was asked to create the ultimate offbeat indie comedian and responded with glee: his own short-lived show (Late Night With Zach) roles both major and bit on Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Wonder Showzen, The Sarah Silverman Program, and… Tru Calling? Well, at least he had the temerity to refer to the latter, which provided him with over two years of solid work (playing a coroner, natch), as "Truly Appalling" and "the worst TV show I've ever seen."
Here is what I'm sure he would agree was the best thing to come out of his tenure on the show:
The whole weird/surreal/offbeat comedy thing is a fine line to tread; it's not unusual to attend a Comedy Festival show or see some public access television spot that purports to be "weird" or "wacky" and ends up being little more than a vague update on the Seinfeld template of "[Insert topic here], what's up with that?" only with something "weird" or "wacky" substituted for the traditional "girlfriends", "my parents" or "microwaves".
Galifianakis is one of the few who can effortlessly pull off the offbeat thing (though, as with anything comedy, that assessment is entirely subjective; one man's offbeat comedy is another man's drunken hobo shouting on the tram at 3pm). Here's Zach warming up with the crowd at a taping of Ellen:
And here's a moment from the series of Absolut "commercials" he made (with Tim and Eric). Did Absolut really ask him to be a part of their ongoing artist series? Who cares, IT'S NOT FUNNY, THE HOT TUB'S TOO HOT:
In short, I could continue posting clips all day, and while it wouldn't make for particularly good blogging, it would make for exceedingly entertaining viewing. The big question now, in light of The Hangover (and the currently-in-preproduction and imaginatively titled The Hangover 2) and associated success, is whether Galifianakis will "sell out, maaan" (unlikely) or, perhaps more correctly, be able to sustain what his fanbase see as his strengths in the face of a widened audience. I'm inclined to think that as long as Bradley Cooper keeps the media distracted and allows Galifianakis to toil away in the relative (and glorious) gloom, things will be okay.
**** Mister Nick has just bought it to our attention that Galifianakis also has quite the talent for lip-syncing. - Ed ****