CD Review: Mitch Hedberg, 'Do You Believe in Gosh?'

ONE OF MITCH HEDBERG'S classic one-liners went, "I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too."

He doesn't anymore.

In March 2005, Hedberg's addictions caught up with him, and he died of multiple drug toxicity in a hotel room in New Jersey.

I used to laugh at that classic one-liner, but these days it's more of a grimace.

Three years later, Comedy Central is hoping we're ready to laugh again. Out now is "Do You Believe in Gosh?" a stand-up performance recorded two months before Hedberg's death. The album has funny moments, but listeners familiar with the comedian's personal history may find that Hedberg's troubled specter looms over the proceedings. Even the album cover, a photo of the comedian sipping Coca Cola through a straw, seems to offer a visual allusion to the consumption of other substances.

Much of the material on Hedberg's previous albums dealt with stoner-friendly topics like snack food and television commercials. "Do You Believe in Gosh?" does include bits on anchovies and carrot juice, but Hedberg also delves into darker subject matter.

He seems particularly fixated on missing body parts, with references to amputation, a woman born without arms and an extended bit on the Headless Horseman. Granted this material is more silly than morbid, as when Hedberg quips, "I'd hate to be the Headless Horseman's dentist. You wouldn't make very much money."

Hedberg also delves into his professional life, noting, "I got a door deal here. Tonight I'm working for 50 percent of the door, and then tomorrow I'm working for 50 percent of the door, and then on Sunday I'm going to have a door."

Since the album comprises a seemingly unedited live show, the 40-minute run time includes at least as much laughter and applause as it does Hedberg. His reactions to the audience are sometimes as funny as his jokes. At one point he trails off, then assures the audience, "Trust me, it's hilarious. Go into my head and come back out and tell me I'm wrong."

Toward the end of the performance, self-consciousness seems to win out over that professed confidence, as Hedberg refers to his jokes as half there or needing work. In some cases he's correct, but we'll never hear the fully realized versions.

As with Hedberg's old "I used to do drugs line," the album "Do You Believe in Gosh?" triggers the opposite of giggling. To quote lyrics by The Smiths: "That joke isn't funny anymore / It's too close to home / and its too near the bone."

The album's strange poignancy may be best captured by one of Hedberg's typically absurd setups:

"I want to ride in a cold air balloon. I'm afraid of heights and I don't want to leave here. Well, then take a ride in my cold air balloon, cuz we ain't fucking going anywhere."

Written by Express contributor Meg Zamula