Endearingly Immature: Mike Birbiglia

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MIKE BIRBIGLIA IS LIKE a little Muppet you'd want to keep in your pocket all day.

The Boston-bred comedian infuses his comedy routine with such an innocent playfulness that it's hard not to be at least a little charmed by his goofy brand of stand-up.

Birbiglia brandishes that impish charm on his second stand-up CD, "My Secret Public Journal." The new CD is a more story-oriented approach to comedy culled from his weekly blog of the same name. Birbiglia sends the blog to 30,000 subscribers and reads it on the syndicated radio show "Bob and Tom."

The schtick of the album is that Birbiglia is recounting the most horrifying personal stories he can. It's all on the advice of his therapist, who suggested the idea of keeping a journal. His stories include the worst gig he ever performed at a celebrity golf tournament (where he was aghast to find out he was one of the celebrities to be paired with a donor golfer) and an awkward experience getting dissed on stage by a sportswriter at a large banquet.

Overall, "My Secret Public Journal" is an enjoyable listen. Birbiglia is so fundamentally likable and his stories succeed because he comes across as a lovable eccentric. He's relatable — as if he's the wacky, stoner little brother of "The Office's" Jim Halpert.

In fact, Birbiglia's persona is almost child-like. He's got a detachment from the real world that gives him a unique voice. Hearing him describe his inability to figure out which outfit to wear for which occasion or his fantasies about French toast skis establish him as an amusing character.

Not all his of stories are as good as the others, of course. One of his tales about returning a big screen TV he bought from an online superstore might make a fun story at a bar or over the watercooler, but it isn't necessarily high enough caliber to make it to a stage act. Additionally, some brief stabs at President Bush seem misplaced.

But in a stand-up world made of high-strung Dane Cooks and crass, clumsy Carlos Mencias, it's nice to see a comedian who's humble and subdued. He's like your quirky cubicle-mate, only in an easily digestible, hour-long dose.

Written by Express contributor Dan Miller