I ended up really liking the show. And it was surprising how much Wright reacted to his own material. Not laughing, but pausing and showing moments of amusement, confusion, and even pride. He was a little goofier than I had seen him up to then. But it's true, Wright doesn't switch up the pacing of his material as much as some comedians do. Another friend, Jay, who also saw the show made a similar observation as Gary: 'He's style is so dry. It's hard to keep the energy up.' But Jay didn't shrug his shoulders dismissively. He was still excited about a lot of the jokes, and he kept reciting them with admiration.
When the Leaves Blow Away is worth watching if you think a full hour of stand-up at Wright's pace is too much for you. The stage time is just over 40 minutes. It's a good performance, recorded over two days in 2006 in Toronto's Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre Centre.
The stand-up is followed by a half-hour film called One Soldier (1999), written and directed by Wright. It's the story of a Union soldier in the civil war, thinking back on his experiences and thoughts. The narration comes from the soldier and also from his wife, Becky, who sees him beginning to reel in his mind:
"There came a point where he told me sometimes he didn't know if things were happening, or if they just seemed to be happening. Then he said he realized it didn't really matter if it was one or the other because they were both experiences."
The black and white film is rich both visually and emotionally. Wright uses some of the lines from his stand-up in this story, revealing how tragic a lot of his humor is. Also showing how maddening it must be to be trapped in such a surreal skull.
Don't give up on the credits. Watch all the way to the end.
Have I told you this:
ReplyDeleteSteven Wright used to hang out on Block Island, where Gretchen vacationed every summer as a kid, and worked when she was in college. She worked at a little tiny grill. One day Steven Wright came in, and said, "Give me two hot dogs."
Gretchen said, "For here or to go?"
Wright hesitated, and said, "Aren't hot dogs already to go?"
Gretchen, not in the mood, said, "So... to go?"
Wright stuck out his two palms, palms up, sort of open/cupped, and said, "Just... give'em to me like this."
i remember that story. i didn't include it because it isn't mine. and i'd likely get the details wrong even if i made it sing.
ReplyDeleteLast summer I worked at the Empire Theatre on Block Island as Manager/Projectionist. Steven Wright would come in every now and then to see the summer block busters we would get...he'd show up order his usual rasinetts and a root beer... i think one time we were out of Raisinets and he kinda made a scene, but a quiet one....he's a very quiet person.
ReplyDeletei remember he came to toy story 3, i feel he just came to the movies to eat his Raisinets and relax in a dark place.