Warning: If drug references, gay jokes, racial comments, religious comments, fat jokes, sex jokes and more offend you, then you should probably pass on attending a Stephen Lynch gig. His latest show, The 3 Balloons Tour does not shy away from what he’s known for delivering, that is, all of the above-mentioned. Lynch is, as he calls it, a “musician trapped in the body of a comedian”, this is somewhat true, but I don’t think he is trapped in anything; I think he is completely and absolutely as much a comedian as he is a musician/singer.
Lynch is a talented performer who has a sensational voice, and the incredible ability to mimic and improvise. Plus, he can play classical guitar and piano falling off a log, and no doubt other instruments too.
Lynch may not be PC, but I did find him hilarious. Yes, he does often have a go at anyone and everyone no holds barred, including swearing at the crowd and yelling at hecklers. He got a tad frustrated with one of them and sang sweetly that this particular heckler was a ‘C%*T’, to which the crowd responded with a ruckus roar.
Before you turn your nose up at the comedian, it must be said that he has a few notable achievements under his belt. To date, he has released two studio and live albums, and his YouTube clip viewings are in the millions. Furthermore, he is also a Tony-Award nominated actor and starred in the Broadway show, The Wedding Singer.
I had in my head that he would appeal to the university crowd and I did feel a bit out of place at the Metro (which Lynch referred to as a “dodgy old porno”), as the 500-odd crowd sported Metallica tops and ‘goatees.’ They howled, hooted and hollered at Lynch’s squirm-worthy descriptions and vulgar miming actions. These were loyal hard-core fans who knew all the words to his songs including Little Gay Robot, Waiting (about AIDS), Big Titties of Yours, Special Ed (about a disabled friend), Craig (about Catholics) – you get the picture!
Lynch isn’t doing shock-worthy work because he needs to, he has the talent to make it as a singer in the traditional sense, but then he would be ‘just another singer with a great voice’ perhaps that’s why he has decided to push the envelope and go the risqué route. You can tell he really loves getting people going, seeing how far he can wind people up. I think what makes Lynch different from being just another comedian who uses shock tactics is his sheer talent and intelligence. It appears that he no doubt sees the absurd and the ridiculous in the everyday, and he is not backwards in coming forwards about what 99% of people treat as the ‘elephant in the room’ scenario.
Yes, some people will find him confronting, offensive and rude, but I thought he was quick and nuanced. I thought his work was clever as well as crude, relevant as well as rude.
Lynch had us laughing at society at large, and though he occasionally crossed the line and mentioned a few things that can be viewed as downright wrong, his purpose seemed more for sensationalism than anything else, especially when he said, “Tragedy +Time = Comedy.’ As they say, if we can’t laugh at ourselves who can we laugh at? I’ll let you be the judge.
