When I first learned of Insomniac, I thought it would be a show from
which to stay far away. I envisioned a show where some New Yorker would travel to other cities, delve into the
nightlife, and ultimately compare everything to the dank Xanadu that is NYC. But then, a voice popped into my head and
said, quite reasonably, "not all New Yorkers are like that, you narrow-minded bastard."Frankly, I agree with myself, and Dave Attell isn't that kind of New Yorker. In fact, it was Attell's ability to blend into any situation in any town that made Insomniac so much fun to watch. Sure, he was always happy to get back home, but there was nothing phony about the great time you saw him having on screen. Attell's sense of humor is a rare mix of true razor wit and scatological references, or, to completely butcher a quote from an interview I read several years ago, a comedian who provides "dick jokes for the thinking man."
The concept of the show was simple. Dave would travel to a big city and see what went on in the wee hours of the night. He'd visit all-night bars, clubs, and spend time with people who worked odd "graveyard shift" jobs. As the veteran of several "up all night" gigs I always found those segments to be the most interesting. It was an okay concept for a show, but Attell really made it work. The man always seemed genuinely happy to be where he was and to be talking to the people he was talking to. Like any comedian, he wouldn't let any chance for a quick barb to pass him by, but it was always done in the manner of someone who would put you in a headlock and rough you up a bit before buying you a pitcher of beer and trying to get you laid.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-20-2006 @ 12:17PM
Tim Dorr said...
I think Attell's better suited for the stand-up circuit. While he was on the show, he essentially had to put his stand-up on hold. No new jokes, except for a few quips here and there during the show. I saw him live about 2-3 years after his CD and he was still doing the exact same act. Since the end of the show, I saw him on that Comedy Central special with him, Dane Cook, Greg Giraldo, and some other dude I can't remember. He finally had some new jokes, which was great to see. The guy really does have a great funny bone, and it was good to see him putting it to use. Frankly, Insomniac was just sucking the life out of him and keeping us from getting some good comedy out there.
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2-20-2006 @ 12:26PM
Aj said...
This was a great show on Comedy Central, and Attell is one funny guy! His wise ass cracks were always the highlight of the show.
His stand up special is pretty funny too, Comedy Central has run it about 1000 times.
It was on for a few seasons, so I am not sure what actually qualifies for short lived. I don't know why it was canceled, as it seems that it was a pretty popular show on Comedy Central. I got the feeling that Attell wantd to move on and tour, and do other things, which would have made it hard, as if I remember correctly, the shows weren['t actually done over one night, but rather a few days, and cut to made look like one night.
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2-20-2006 @ 2:17PM
superbagman said...
I read in an interview that the show was ended because whenever they would go out to the bars they would get a huge crowd of college kids that followed them around and disrupted the rest of the taping.
In later shows they went to other countries to try and prevent that from happening.
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3-14-2006 @ 3:35AM
Frank said...
He's one of my favorite comics because of his raunchy humor and "everyday" joe appearance. I don't think his show is short lived because he's still has a deal with comedy central for more insomniac but it's not as frequent because of the popularity of the show. That makes it harder for him to be in towns and capture the oddities of the night life without attracting groupies trying to get on camera.
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