America's Funnyman

(Helping America Laugh: Neil Hamburger)

Now that marks two acts of intensely surreal and hilarious comedy for 2008. Back in May I had the pleasure of seeing Tim and Eric perform in their Awesome Tour show in Seattle. It was arguably the best stand-up variety act I'd ever seen. That is, until last night when Neil Hamburger graced the stage at the delightfully B.O.-stenched Rogue Hero bar in town. Given the laughs per minute rate and the run time of the performance, Neil and his Too-Good-For-Neil-Hamburger-Band took first place among best comedic performances I have seen to date. Distasteful and tacky do not adequately describe the mayhem delivered in his brand of punchline humor and songwriting. Above all else, the level of commitment this man puts into his character is something truly shocking and awe-inspiring. There is never a moments rest. His guard is never down. He is, without a doubt, the hardest working man in show business.

The experience carried over into today. I came up with an idea: Get Neil to perform at my going away party. As of this afternoon, I've been in talks with Neil's booking agent. I sent in an inquiry to see if Neil performs private parties and to negotiate a price for his appearance. The agent responded rather quickly and told me that private parties require a fly-in and would cost around $3000 dollars, depending on the situation. I'd like nothing more than to book Neil Hamburger for a party, especially a going away party in my own apartment, but I don't know how I can raise a few thousand dollars in a month. Any tips?

I leave you now with a sample of Mr. Hamburger's work. Here he is performing a round on the talk show circuit: