Notes from the underground
I’m going to make a confession. I have a little crush on David Cross. He’s that bald guy from the cult program “Mr. Show,” and he’s hilarious.
The highlight of my crush was last spring. I was working as an intern for Sub Pop Records in Seattle. The label had previously released a double album of the funny man’s work, and it was the night of their 15th anniversary show. While standing near the back of the crowd watching the band Iron and Wine, I noticed a man in black glasses cracking jokes not more than a few feet in front of me.
I’m easily star-struck, and this time was no exception. I spent the rest of the night charging whiskey and cokes to my boss’s tab, trying to work up the courage to introduce myself. During the final band’s performance, I found myself standing right next to Cross, but just as I turned to speak to him, he left the show.
My dream of spending the rest of the night doubled over in laughter was ruined. But at least I had my David Cross story to tell my friends the next day.
I just watched Cross’s newest release, “Let America Laugh,” a behind-the-scenes documentary of one of his comedy tours. The DVD (which starts out like some low-budget porn, but quickly redeems itself when Cross gets kicked out of a club in Nashville, Tenn.) is largely comprised of interviews with inebriated fans — all caught on tape for the enjoyment of others.
“Let America Laugh” also contains footage from his show at WOW Hall. Eugene’s own Frog has a cameo. His appearance is actually one of the highlights of the film. I don’t want to give away too much, but let’s just say he does more than sell Cross a joke book. Walking past the bookstore hasn’t been the same for me since.
For its size as a city, Eugene gets a large chunk of face time. Also featured on the DVD is a question-and-answer session with one of the members of local band the Wristrockets, as well as an attempted fish dinner and Monopoly game in a cabin near Eugene.
After seeing the documentary, I was forced to come to the conclusion that my David Cross story is not very interesting. But while I wish I had more to brag about, the one thing I’m thankful for this week is that I didn’t end up comedic fodder — while so many others did.
Contact the Pulse columnist at helenschumacher@dailyemerald.com.
Her opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald.