Jim Gaffigan is funny. He’s an American comedian in every respect, filling his set with American themes, references and characters – though that’s not to say he doesn’t work hard at being accessible. His set on Thursday Night at the Sydney Just for Laughs festival (his second of three) was filled with his first impressions of Sydney, from our shirtfronting Prime Minister to the city’s nonsensical lock out laws (“so between the hours of 245am and 3am, that’s when people decide that they’re not feeling violent anymore? Is that how it works here?”). He also made sure we were on top of the American references. He must have noticed a lack of Hot Pockets at the supermarket.
Gaffigan is a self-deprecating comic in the most classic sense, but he does it with style. It’s part of his schtick but in a way that allows him to move from one topic to the next with ease – cue a generalized fat comment to begin discussions about donuts which leads to a story about a box full of donuts, an airport security search and some natural embarrassment. Food does feature prominently, after all this is a man who has a book out called Food: a Love Affair. Just don’t include Seafood as part of that love story…
As a father of five, there’s plenty of talk about his home life, too, and the general reactions he receives from people when he tells them about the large family (“Even Mormons look at me and think, now that’s a lot of kids…”). Yep: Family, Food and Fat Jokes (see also: America). Three F words that definitely sum up Jim Gaffigan’s performance. But what makes him such a loved comedian, is that his focus on these rather simple (and classic) topics is done with a unique gravitas that makes it impossible not to laugh wholeheartedly from start to finish – much in the same way that Lewis Black’s outrage makes you cackle, or George Carlin’s absurdist wordplay was his charm. It doesn’t matter what the topic is – when it’s done well, it’s done well.
He never gets too political or controversial, but religion makes an entry (“Nothing takes the air out of the room like mentioning Jesus”) – albeit in relation to fish and bread. And he seems legitimately bewildered by our lock out laws (fair enough too). But all in all, this is what might be referred to as an “every man’s comedian”. Taking the shit out of everyday life – in particular his own everyday life – to make us all laugh. And at its core, isn’t that the definition of comedy?
————–
Jim Gaffigan appeared in Sydney as part of the Just For Laughs Festival. His latest book Food: a Love Affair is available now.
