TVSquad

If you recognize Steven Wright's material tonight on his Late Show with David Letterman spot, you either have a good memory, or you bought the re-release of Wright's I Have A Pony that hit shelves Tuesday. Wright will be performing material from the CD, which was originally released 24 years ago.

Warner Brothers released this "Deluxe Anniversary Edition," which also includes his first HBO special, A Steven Wright Special (coincidentally, produced by Peter Lassally from Johnny Carson's Tonight Show), as part of its 50th Anniversary celebration.

Wright's material was always off the wall, unlike anything anyone had heard when he first did Carson's Tonight Show in 1982. Some have worked in the same field of quick-fire absurdism that Wright cleared (like Mitch Hedberg and Demetri Martin), but Wright's comedy was never rooted in a particular time, place, or even galaxy, really. Which is why I Have A Pony still sounds fresh today.

Somehow I missed this special, When The Leaves Blow Away, when it originally aired on Comedy Central, but it's re-airing tonight on the network at midnight, and the DVD of the special was released today.

Wright was on The Late Show With David Letterman last night, and he was in great (if hairy) form. He's a Boston-area guy and I've loved his stuff since the 80s. If you've never seen him, he's sort of an older, darker Demetri Martin, going from one quirky observation to another unrelated quirky observation. He was an influence on many standup comics.

After the jump, a clip from the special (he used some of the material on Letterman last night).

If you missed the Comedy Central debut of Steven Wright: When the Leaves Blow Away last night because you were out partying with your friends and playing bar games that involve standing on your head and drinking vodka out of a dogfood bowl, I would highly recommend you try and catch it this Tuesday at midnight and again at 2:00 am. Wright hasn't done a stand-up special in several years, and this return to the stage proved he hasn't lost any of his wit or knack for twisting the most mundane things about everyday life into the philosophical ruminations of a man just a few inches from the brink of completely batshit insane.

Most of the material was new, though I did notice he slipped in a few riffs from his old acts. He also played a few songs for the audience, including one he wrote when he was three about hunting down his cat with a pair of scissors. You can watch a couple clips from the special on Comedy Central's Web site.

Listen up Steven Wright fans, the deadpan comic genius has a stand-up special coming up on October 21 on Comedy Central. The special, titled Steven Wright: When the Leaves Blow Away, will air at 9 pm, and if you miss it, you can catch it again at 11 pm that same evening, or on October 23 at 10 pm. Personally, I'm stoked. Steven Wright is one of my favorite comedians of all time, and this special promises all new jokes. I hope that's true and he doesn't pull a George Carlin where he sneaks old material in with the new stuff. 'Cause you know, that's just kinda lame, man. The special will tape at the Elgin Theater in Toronto.

Happy news for fans of Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist: the second season of the Comedy Central animated series about a shrink whose clients all happen to be comedians will be out on DVD November 21. The show starred Jonathan Katz as a therapist who tried to help his patients by, essentially, setting them up so they could tell jokes. The series also introduced many people to the comedic genius that is Jon Benjamin, who played Katz's son Ben. Benjamin would go on to voice Coach McGuirk on Home Movies, and occasionally offer his dry delivery to other cartoons such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Venture Bros. Looks like I have yet another DVD set to ad to my "To Buy Later" list on Amazon. Look for Garry Shandling, Steven Wright, Rita Rudner, and Emo Philips to appear in this season.

[via Toon Zone]