Hastings has a deadpan, extremely dry humor spiked occasionally with more off-the-wall moments that makes his routines largely unpredictable, always a good sign for comedy. As strange a comparison as this may sound, considering Hastings' 6'6" frame and routines covering everything from ads for pharmaceuticals to his exploits as a 50-something farmer in Ohio, he repeatedly reminded me of Jack Benny, with those impassive stares at the audience eliciting some of his biggest laughs. In fact fairly late in this routine, Hastings adopts the classic Benny pose, with one arm crossed over his waist and his other hand up to his face. Of course at this moment Hastings is doing a very funny routine about erotic asphyxiation, something I doubt ever turned up in a classic Benny routine, so the comparison only goes so far.

Hastings has become known to some comedy aficianados for his self-help character Jack Freeman (it might be fun to see Jack in a duo some day with Al Franken's Stuart Smalley). Here, though, Hastings is all Hastings, waxing philosophical about being out in his field in a Hugo Bass suit the first day of deer hunting season (chained to a feral cat) or surviving the rigors of having a British parent (in fact his quick thinking in response to a limited audience reaction to a question he asks here provides one of the funniest moments in the show and proves how adept Hastings is at winging things). He does this all with a wonderfully self-deprecating air that also deflates a lot of pompous attitudes about life that come from the public in general.

A nice indication of Hastings' observational style actually comes from his website review of this DVD, where he takes Comedy Central to task for bleeping some of his racier comments for broadcast while frequently breaking for what Hastings terms "4 minute commercials" for "Girls Gone Wild." It's that sort of irreverent humor, coming perilously close to biting the hand that's feeding him, that may have kept him from Los Angeles superstardom, but it's exactly the kind of hilarious truth-mongering that will gain him an audience everywhere else.

The DVD

Video:
The full frame image is fairly typical of all of these Comedy Central taped routines. There's excellent coverage from a multi-camera setup, with frequent pans and dollies as well as close-ups, all in a perfectly fine television image. Colors and saturation are excellent.

Sound:
It's kind of strange to see a 5.1 soundtrack on a comedy concert DVD such as this, as most of the separation seemed to be of the audience. The standard 2.0 soundtrack suffices just fine for an outing like this, with excellent separation and fidelity. There are no subtitles available.

Extras:
None are offered.

Final Thoughts:
Hastings is a very funny gent, able to poke fun equally at the absurdity of everyday life and his particular part in it. While occasionally racy (this is certainly nothing for kids), most comedy lovers will find a lot to like in Irked and Miffed. Recommended.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet