Dwight York: Quickies

by John Delery

Jokes come in all sizes; sometimes the smaller, the better. Dwight York proves that on Quickies, his barrage of bawdy and balmy humor.

If he were being paid by the joke or laugh, either way he would bankrupt his record company, Stand Up! Records: This CD, one of the most entertaining comedy releases of 2009, is that hilarious and that full of bodacious punch lines. (“Took a drug test the other day; it came back negative, which means my dealer has a lot of explaining to do.”)

Warning: Have an inhaler or oxygen tank nearby because York never lets his audience catch its breath during his routine, a test of his memory and the crowd’s endurance for amusement. “I hope you like jokes, because here we go,” he announces at the outset, the shot from the starter’s pistol for what becomes a 49-minute marathon without a pause for water or air.

Actually, he performs the comic equivalent of a Fourth of July fireworks grand finale: a nonstop salvo of one-liners that spotlights York’s silly side (“The other day I saw two midgets playing miniature golf. Surprised you don’t see that more often”) and his devilish side (“A banana a day is supposed to be a good way to keep the colon clean. Turns out you have to eat it”). Dwight York, as inventive as he is suggestive, is what Steven Wright would be if Wright had Robert Schimmel’s blue streak, and that’s a compliment to all three master comics.

To buy York’s album, just click the image below.