It’s a strange thing to see David Cross in the year 2018.
A comedian who has defined himself as being a part of the counter culture since the early 90s. Outspoken athiest and never afraid to back down from bringing his personal politics into his comedy.
A lot of his older material could also be considered almost “anti” becoming a parent. Older Cross bits sometimes involved trash talking the kind of parents who are suddenly only talking about their kids.
But it’s 2018 now. It seems like every comedian is getting political (the amount of Trump jokes on display at this years Just for Laughs is staggering). Political comedy is no longer niche, it’s mainstream. And about a year ago, Cross became a father.
It must have been a bit of conundrum for Cross. After all, as a comedian, you’re at your best when you write what you know. And presently, Cross knows quite a bit about being a new father and is very well versed in just how corrupt and twisted the American political system is at this moment.
Cross, probably wisely, stayed the course.
He (of course) has a Trump bit, which he openly admits is just cathartic fantasy. He also has quite a bit of kid material, which he openly admits is a little tricky to navigate given his last 30 years of material.
By opening up to the audience how weird some of this was to him, he prepared us for the fact that a David Cross show in 2018 would be very different from the almost nihilistic comedy of his past. It must be strange, because for most of his life he likely thought that his only legacy would be his work. But as of a little more than a year ago that is no longer true.
So it’s 2018 and Cross now navigates the waters of being a father and a comedian at the same time (and being a supportive husband who will go to a couple’s colonic).
If you’re in the audience and you’re expecting David Cross to be exactly the same as he was on stage say 15 years ago, you might be disappointed. But Cross has the benefit that we are also getting older. Many of those same people who were likely laughing uproariously at the notion of never having kids find themselves to be parents now. And Cross brings his comedic analysis of that situation to stage with great effect.
All in all, seeing “Oh Come On” is seeing David Cross in 2018. He’s a little older, his life has changed, and everyone is doing political humour now. He simply takes to the stage and talks about what he knows and we get to laugh along with it.
There are still plenty of chances to see “Oh Come On” (he’s in Ottawa tonight and in Toronto tomorrow), full information about the tour here.
Keith does all sorts of things here on 9to5.cc, he works with the other founders on 9to5 (illustrated), co-hosts our two podcasts: The 9to5 Entertainment System and Go Plug Yourself and blogs here as The Perspicacious Geek.
