The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

Funny man Galifianakis makes it rain indoors

By Emily Finkel, News correspondent

Comedian Zach Galifianakis, known best as that funny bearded guy from the Kanye West music video for ‘Can’t Tell Me Nothing,’ performed at Blackman Auditorium Monday night at an event hosted by CUP, AEPi and the NU Hillel.
Galifianakis took the stage in front of a welcoming audience wearing khakis, a denim button-up shirt and a black blazer, referring to himself as a physical composite of the Ultimate Frisbee Club vice president, Joaquin Phoenix and a lighthouse keeper.
Galifianakis’ self-deprecating humor continued throughout the night; the notes he referred to between jokes, he claimed, actually said, ‘Just have fun and be yourself,’ and he said his 2007 comedy DVD, ‘Live at the Purple Onion,’ was selling like ‘the opposite of hotcakes.’ Despite the apparent low self-esteem bit (which worked seamlessly into his act), Galifianakis was a hit with the audience.
Nani Stoick, a junior music industry major, singled out by the comedian during his act for wearing flip flops, said she thought he was hilarious.
‘It takes a lot to make someone laugh uncontrollably to the point where their stomach hurts,’ she said.
Providing jokes in a variety of formats, Galifianakis kept his act interesting throughout the evening, switching from impressions to story-telling to piano playing to videos and even calling out audience members for texting during the show. His impressions included Harvey Milk doing a dairy commercial, a guy from Queens obsessed with cargo shorts and an ‘Italian with family members somehow related to indie rock music festivals.’ But perhaps the loudest laugh for an impression came when Galifianakis, impersonating a young boy who didn’t know his uncle had just become deaf, yelled, ‘Hey, Uncle David!’ for what seemed like an eternity. He added that he had once been brave enough to continue that joke for five minutes ‘- before a ‘cricket riding a tumbleweed rolled across the stage,’ he said.
Another hit of the evening was the comedian’s endless repertoire of one-liners, such as the difficulties of walking a dog while wearing bologna shoes, set to dramatic piano music.
To end his set, Galifianakis showed a music video reminiscent of the one he did for West and Fiona Apple’s ‘Not About Love.’ The video featured the comedian lip-syncing to Michael Jackson’s ‘Man in the Mirror.’ Fittingly, as ‘Man in the Mirror’ is a song about change, Galifianakis stood off to the side of the video screen with signs stating his own personal goals:’ ‘No more eating gummy bears on my salad,’ for instance, and ‘No more updating my Twitter account every time I use the toilet.’
Just as Galifianakis was well-received by Northeastern students on Monday night, he is gaining popularity with the general public as well. Stoick theorized on his popularity with the Monday’s audience:’ ‘Because he’s younger, he gets our humor.’
His brand of comedy, similar to the style of fellow comedians Eugene Mirman and Patton Oswalt, often centering around themes of technology, independent music and just being nerdy, has generally appealed to a younger, hipper crowd in the past, but is becoming more mainstream. Having played bit parts in movies, like’ ‘Into the Wild’ and ‘What Happens In Vegas,’ the comedian will be a main character in the upcoming Heather Graham film, ‘The Hangover,’ and act alongside Will Arnett in Disney’s new movie about crime-fighting guinea pigs, ‘G-Force.’
‘ In addition to film, Galifianakis has been featured in Comedy Central’s ‘Dog Bites Man,’ ‘Reno 911!’ and ‘The Sarah Silverman Program.’

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