CD Review
Myq Kaplan and Micah Sherman: Please be Seated
4 1/2 stars (out of 5)
Myq Kaplan and Micah Sherman have only recorded one music-comedy-duo album and they’ve already received more encores than Bruce Springsteen did in the entirety of ’75. Well not quite, and their encores were all mandatorily imposed on the audience, but these are two of the most lovable, bubbly, happy-go-lucky applause-demanding fascists around, and they conquered two grossly cliché near-always-catastrophically unsuccessful stand up ploys: The tag team duo (recall the last big time comedy tandem) and…the musical instrument! (You don’t actually like Bo Burnham, do you?)
After the initial track (which is an encore) they conquer everyone’s face with the classically educated and patriotically mocking “Comedian’s National Anthem,” which is a wonderful compilation of as many keystone characteristics of American comedy that can be stuffed into our short national tune. Replacing Star Spangled’s “Whose broad stripes and bright stars…” with phrases like “Blacks and whites are different, I hate Los Angeles,” the song is utterly hilarious and leaves one pleasantly wondering why exactly it is so great to hear a handful of words you can’t say on cable instead of “The Rocket’s red glare.” They have Carlin’s seven words out of order to hit the meter, but it doesn’t lessen the charm.” I thought the first version was too pretentious. The other nods to comedy greats this reviewer picked up on are Seinfeld, Foxworthy, Henny Youngman, Allen, Rock and Dangerfield… Cable Guy and Carrot Top excluded from this tally.
Another notable favorite is a song about Sherman’s acting career with the refrain “Run away from my face,” which is a very clever and articulate roll-call of every actor who doesn’t also model on the side. Some of the set focuses on finding a remedy for Sherman’s faux depression, and they’ve also prepared a song to help you with the struggles of receiving a Phd in not-killing-yourself.
All this complete with a track that takes a solid jab at pop radio, (which is always encouraged,) a tune that encompasses a delightfully vague and absurd summary of the inventions and progress of the human race, and sly fade-outs into a few studio tracks to apply some mocking auto-tune and include a couple extra bits.
The humble, cheerful and inviting personalities of the duo go quite well with the quirky subject matter…presenting the same type of weird, passionate, co-piloted solipsism that is reminiscent of say… Troy and Abed of Community. The light-hearted self-deprecation (well, deprecation of Sherman) provides good fodder for back talk, and these two squabbling but cooperating amigos restore some faith in the guitar-wielding comic gig. Please be Seated is worth unseating oneself to acquire.
