Wayne Orr

Best of Gallagher: Volume 2

From strange props and random weirdness to outrageous social commentary and food-splattering finales, Gallagher remains one of the wildest comedic minds of our time. Routines include The Maddest and Stuck in the 60s.

Gallagher: The Maddest

Gallagher wants to talk to you about style. Yeah, the sweaty guy on roller skates with the one-of-a-kind "bowling ball wearing a hula skirt" hairdo. Might seem like an odd topic coming from the man who uses humor as a blunt instrument (and not just when he's wailing a watermelon with his Sledge-O-Matic), but that's just what you get in this hour-long stand-up piece from 1983. You see, for comedy's prop master extraordinaire, style isn't so much about finesse as it is about flair. Flair he's got in spades, as long as you're willing to call stupid hats and a trampoline disguised as a huge couch flair. The bits travel well-worn paths through mating and parenthood, and the material does often betray its age (the fact that National Enquirer headlines are stupid isn't exactly revolutionary comedy). However, what ultimately makes Gallagher giggle-worthy isn't the material itself, but the zeal with which he swings for the big laugh. Hammer in hand or not, the man's got style.

Gallagher: Totally New

The unpredictable Gallagher is back in action for this comedy special, taped live at the Mayfair Music Hall in Santa Monica, California.