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- Several months ago, our comedy contributor, Ryan Hubbard, gave a Critic’s Choice to comedian Maria Bamford. I should have, but didn’t, look into whether I’d like her work (I have the utmost respect for our critics, but I don’t like everything they like).
Of course, had I done so, I would have only kind of liked it – her back catalog is hit or miss. Her Comedians of Comedy appearance isn’t terribly funny, and How to Win! is just good: all the pieces are there, but it doesn’t quite come together. Don’t get me wrong, there are some hilarious bits, but it’s merely very funny instead of mindbendingly, game-changingly brilliant. She has a very odd approach that’s even more reliant on timing and intonation than most comics, since she doesn’t really tell jokes; she tells long, unpredictable quasi-stories, and the humor’s all in the language and pacing. It’s a high-wire act.
- Maybe that wasn’t very interesting, but that’s how the sausage of information is processed. The process of me learning about Maria Bamford really isn’t all that different from how people learn about and become passionate about, say, TIFs or torture. Keep it in mind, at least.
