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| Tyler doesn't stray far from 'Talk Soup' in Improv set | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Martin Cizmar, Get Out | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 16, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
She moved on to “Friends,” “Balls of Fury” and a short but memorable skit on speed-rapper Twista’s “Slow Jamz,” but, as she showed Thursday night at the Tempe Improv, talking about bad TV is still where she shines. Tyler, who is in town through Sunday, tackled politics, bikini waxes and hotel sex in her hour-plus set, but her best bits were about reality shows and former "Baywatch" star Tracy Bingham. On Bingham showing up to an awards show without a top, her chest covered only in glitter: “That had to be a long, uncomfortable day for a gay guy with a tube of glue.” If that joke sounds a little Kathy Griffin, it wasn’t. But, like the D-list redhead, Tyler stumbled a bit when she tried to turn the conversation toward herself. Discussing her childhood at an all white school, the jokes - “I was the only black kid at my school, so during black history month I was the exhibit" - were a bit clichéd. That’s not to say her pop culture jokes were perfect (an extended bit about Fox’s “The Swan,” which went on and off the air in 2004, was musty) but they were definitely the highlight of the show. Tyler’s raunchier material helped fill in the gaps. Stories about spanking her husband, a pantomime of the president engaged in a sex act with Osama Bin Laden and an impression of disgraced preacher Ted Haggerty talking to his meth dealer were hilarious. Opening act Josh Sneed, who has a 30-minute set airing on Comedy Central, was also good. The comic, who’s opened for Dave Chappelle, Dave Atell and recently helped out on “The Blue Collar Comedy Tour,” was polished and original. “If you’re ever feeling down on yourself go to a flea market,” Sneed said. “Where else can you pick up Jagermeister, fireworks and a cold sore in the same transaction?” Contact Martin Cizmar by email, or phone (480) 898-5695 |
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