Hats Off, A Comic Genius

Pete McBrayer is an Athens comedian with the modest, self-proclaimed epithet of Comic Genius. He’s also an Indie comic who plays rock clubs rather than comedy clubs. In New York or LA this would be called alternative comedy, but on his free-to-download album he insists he’s just an old-school comic telling jokes. Yet like his obvious influence Rodney Dangerfield, there’s a consciousness to this schtick. It’s not just a guy telling gags, it’s a guy telling gags in contrast to all the guys at the clubs telling loud stories with vulgar sound effects and claiming that's more sophisticated than a guy telling one-liners.

At their best, gags are as well-crafted and distilled as haiku. McBrayer’s not as polished as Rodney—few comics have ever matched the vibrant, life-affirming rhythms of No Respect, not even Dangerfield’s own cheesy, trend-chasing follow-up Rappin’ Rodney—but I don't think he's looking to be. He, like myself, risks provincialism with local references, little interest in national obsessions like Paris Hilton or American Idol and using a normal speeking voice. But if you want generic comedy, there’s always the Punchline. What's wrong with smart, engaged neighborhood comedy?

Around 2001 to 2002 the open mics in Atlanta all dried up leaving just the Punchline and the historically black Uptown Comedy Corner. But Athens had a biweekly show at tiny club called DTs Downunder. It was a 90-minute drive and the place would only hold 20 people if filled—it was never filled—but those were some of my best sets ever. Today, Atlanta boasts an open mic every night, but they can get pretty tedious. That comic genius is on to something playing with bands at music venues. I need to play ISP sometime.

It’s nice to see interesting comedy coming out of the Classic City.