I saw Brian Malow perform two nights in a row, doing his science comedy show "Rational Comedy for an Irrational Planet." (Jan 13 at the Punch Line in San Francisco, then Jan 14 at Rooster T Feather's in Sunnyvale). "Earth's Premier Science Comedian?" thought I, "Impossible. Science is dry and crusty and tends to make one sleepy, not pee one's pants or spit out one's drink."
Permit me a WRONG on that count, and an OMG! This guy is FUNNY! I've never laughed so hard at Newton's Equation for Gravity (levity from gravity....hell yeah!). The jokes are science-y, but still really, really accessible. You don't need an advanced degree to 'get it'. It's science applied to our everyday experiences, but here, it's presented with a twist and a laugh. The act was not only smart, but nearly squeaky clean, too. It was nice -- downright refreshing, really -- to be able to hear a joke without every other word being f*** this and s**t that.
So, why two nights in a row, you ask (in my mind, as I imagine us discussing the marvels of the evening over a cup of good coffee...)? Because Brian is one of those rare comedians who does something that geeks (and I am proudly one of that number) crave: He doesn't pander to the Lowest Common Denominator. Many comics strap a half-dozen f-bombs on to a joke to get the crowd to laugh, but this guy does the opposite: he relies on the strength of his joke and, even more importantly, in doing so says to the audience, "I recognize and respect your intellect." Wow! How often do you see that?
He also did Q&A at the end of both shows with hilarious results. You've GOT to hear his story about Pluto and the curator of the meteorite collection for the Vatican...!
I'll be keeping tabs on your website, Brian...the two shows were great but please, give us more!
(Oh...and while I didn't pee my pants, I did spit out my drink during his bit on bad science in movies...)
Also...and for those who missed the shows... www.ScienceComedian.com/blog read more