Irish comedian Tommy Tiernan is indeed something mental. But is he too mental for American comedy audiences? The winner of six international comedy awards has an uphill battle here in the states. When we see that something has won international awards, we tend to look away. Sure, the arthouse audiences will usually show up, but how much of an arthouse comedy crowd is there? This is not to say the Tiernan is an arthouse comedian, far from it. He's raunchy, he's profane, he's confessional and he's very, very politically incorrect. He's damn funny, too but in a unique way we might not be used to. Let's check out his 2007 Chicago performance and try to figure it all out.

There's nothing too groundbreaking about the Something Mental package; Tiernan strides out onto an empty stage wearing some stylish jeans and a cool T-shirt. He's got no water glass, no stool and his microphone is of the hands-free variety. A few different cameras record the action, often zeroing in on his oddly snake-like facial mien. A tight focus on his face pulls you into his special magic like no static camera (or even a seat in the house) ever could. Is the material worth the stylish simplicity?

The answer to the above question is a qualified yes. Tiernan is nowhere near the usual quick-set-up and punch line type of comedy stateside audiences are used to. He's a storyteller, and a pretty masterful one. If he doesn't elicit the barrage of sidesplitting laughs (or the desire to do so) that we're used to, the laughs he clocks are well earned through mesmerizing elocution. Tiernan's not afraid of a long set-up, something that elevates his work to the level of social commentary and personal history. Much time is spent on Irish-ness as filtered through Tiernan's history, but plenty of other hot-button topics are touched upon too: racism, homosexuality, Catholicism, obesity and plenty of others.

If you feel you're not easily offended, Tiernan's technique will befuddle you. He'll enthrall you with his sinuous motions and gently lilting brogue. He'll lure you in with his engaging tales and make you beam while having such a good time listening. Then he'll come forth with something so outrageous you have to laugh, but you'll note among the laughter from his audience plenty of bits of shocked silence. He's not being outrageous for that sake alone, even if his observations sometimes dip into the lowest common denominator. But it's some of those LCD bits (like a riff on PMS) that truly highlight Tiernan's skill. His mercurial impression of an 'emotional' woman, while firmly rooted in cliché, is terrifically impressive - more method acting than shtick.

In all, that's Tiernan's beauty, and what makes him something other than a comedian (at least to us Yanks). His willingness to casually (but not callously) offend everyone on his way to telling a good story - and ultimately make a bunch of cogent points - is something unique in comedy-land. Laughs, well-earned and substantial, are not the end-all in Tiernan's world (as opposed to most modern American comedians), but a heartfelt, humanistic approach toward the truth surely is.

The DVD

Video:
Comedy concerts aren't traditionally the realm of HD fantastic-ness, but nowadays, we want the utmost in everything we watch. Something Mental does a pretty good job, coming at us in a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio, enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. Color-wise, it's commendable (obviously a guy on a stage isn't the most dire challenge, but his skin tones seem natural and you can really see him sweat). Aliasing isn't a problem, nor is edge enhancement or any of the other vagaries that some digital presentations are subject to. Then again, it's a frickin' comedy concert DVD, so we should expect a pretty good mastering job and transfer, shouldn't we?

Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and 2.0 Stereo are the two audio options available. I'd imagine 5.1 Surround Sound would be put to the best use by making the viewer feel a part of the audience, with nervous titters and shocked silences surrounding you. This reviewer used the TV's speakers and faux-surround-sound briefly. On balance, all of the comedian's jokes are easy to hear, mixed up front, and without any distortion issues.

Extras:
Walk in the Windy City is a wry, amusing three minute series of little vignettes featuring Tiernan walking around Chicago's sites - light but sweet, and not a bad tourism booster, either! Interview with Tommy takes a relatively sober 25 minute look at Tiernan's background, comedic inspirations, and differences between US and Irish audiences. Tiernan is very frank, earnest, and still funny, even though the interview is mostly straightforward. Meet the Badger: Outtakes consists of excised religious stuff, with a very funny (but as usual politically incorrect) sketch featuring an African Priest. Not a bad little bonus selection, boosting the whole DVD into the feature-length range.

Final Thoughts:
Tommy Tiernan's Something Mental is something new for US audiences, the viewing crew he's hoping to break with this, a Chicago performance that represents his American debut. While thoughtful and quite intelligent, Tiernan's comedy is also none-too cerebral, with jokes about ten-year-olds learning about sex, (while rebuffing a Catholic Priest, of course) but his approach is entirely different. Eschewing the typical high concept-oriented setup and quick punch line, Tiernan goes for a sort of experiential storytelling motif, complete with enrapturing delivery. The result is a deeper feeling, but minus the steady barrage of clockwork-timed laughs we're used to. Tiernan is profane and offensive, which is quite familiar to anyone raised on Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy for instance, but his work asks for more, and gives something different than what viewers used to watching Last Comic Standing are accustomed to. Comedy fans hungering for a new fix should absolutely Rent It.

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