Denis Leary: Lock 'N Load

A few weeks ago I watched Denis Leary's famous No Cure for Cancer show and I didn't think it was as brilliant as many had said. Regardless though, I came back for Lock 'N Load because I had enjoyed it enough for Leary to see more. What I found was a much funnier show with a lot more structure and flow to it. In No Cure, Leary had tried to put his anger into specific subjects in a way that Bill Hicks did (and, with some jokes, in EXACTLY the way Hicks did!) and I didn't think he pulled it off. With Lock 'N Load though he seems a lot happier with his material as he covers more ground and seems to be keeping it more meaningful to him. OK so this means that he is not as political but it does mean he is funnier, has a more varied delivery and doesn't get accused of "borrowing" material from others.

Coffee, kids, modern youth and other subjects all get discussed – and "discussed" is a key word for me. Leary does not just get angry here, but rather talks on subjects where his anger and ranting comes out in a way that makes sense within what he is doing. Before I think he confused being an "angry comedian" with just shouting and ranting and thus that was what he did from the start and throughout. With the air of unprovoked aggression watered down a little, I found it easier to enjoy and get into as a show and it was stronger as a result. His observations may be extreme at times but mostly it rights true and most viewers will relate to him – something he didn't really pull off by being on the attack from the first second of other shows. The songs and asides are not as good as the stand-up material though and it is a shame that they are split as equals. A couple of the songs are very clever and funny but not all of them – it would have been better if these had been kept to a strong minimum and let the stand-up show be the majority.

As it is though, the show is still fresh and funny. Leary has cut back on the "anger for anger's sake" and is better for it as he rails against things that get to him – whether it be religion or his own family. The end result is a show that is a lot more enjoyable and lively that some of his earlier shows as this has a good flow and structure to it.

Okay, I gotta admit, I haven't seen this. But I do own the CD.

The stand-up is very funny (my favorite joke is about woman controlling interior design - "I've been to Wayne Gretzky's house. The man has 5 MVP trophies. You know where they are? They're in the @#$%ing garage!"). Well, most of the stand-up is good, and if it's not, his random obscenities and creative tweaking of his voice make it enjoyable.

A lot of the in-between stuff, the "fluff" as I call it, is very weak. One song ("The Environment Song") is awesome. Another song ("Life's Gonna Suck When You Get Older") has it's moments. The rest is VERY poor, and just takes up my life.

The highlight of the album/show is the ending rant, where he completely goes off on the Catholic church and the priests (I'm Catholic and still found it funny). It is bitingly funny (whatever that means) and it gets pretty harsh.

Stand-up material - 8/10. Fluff - 4/10 Overall - 7/10

This is a very funny special from the man, Denis Leary. But in a way, I feel he has matured a bit since No Cure for Cancer. here, he rants about the Lord of the Dance (and seeing a real Irish man dance had me in stitches), Marv Albert, Coffee-flavored coffee and morons at 7-11, beer flavored beer and micro-breweries, President Leary, Fat F***s, Leary's kids (that's my favorite) and religion. Hilarious stuff all around, with 2 new songs (there are more on the album, but the album sucked because it had the songs on it). A+

I named my cat Chickenhead based on this show. Funnier than No Cure For Cancer, the only thing that i don't like about it is that it has not been on HBO since the month it premiered and it is not available for purchase. If you have not seen it, I highly advise it, he has a rough sense of humor that is like no other.

I've been a fan of Denis Leary's work ever since I saw Ted Demme's 1994 film "The Ref," which is an EXTREMELY underrated black comedy about a bickering couple taken hostage by a harmless thief around Christmas.

Leary was hilarious in the film and I made an effort to track down some of his other efforts. A lot of his film output hasn't been so great (the one with Sandra Bullock - "Two If By Sea" - is okay at best), but his stand-up still rocks.

"Lock N' Load" is a scathingly offensive attack on everything in sight: life, politics, alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, religion, sex, kids, family, etc...

Leary has put on a few pounds since "The Ref" (looking a bit on the chubby side) which led me to believe this was only filmed recently - however I was surprised to find it had been filmed almost a decade ago! Some of the parts are simply hysterical and it proves, if nothing else, that Denis Leary is one of the funniest men in the world.