"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it."

The Comic Spotlight is back again, moved up a couple of days from it's regular time on Friday. And this time around, we are highlighting funnyman Mitch Hedberg. And when I say "we" -- I mean "me", the royal we -- joe.,... or 2.0 for some of you. If you've never heard Hedberg's stand-up routine, you have definitely missed out. But his style isn't for everybody. It was very dry and understated at times, almost to a fault. I use the past tense because Mitch Hedberg was found dead of an overdose in May of last year. Today though, we'll be highlighting Hedberg's humor & celebrate his life rather than his tragic death.

Hedberg brought a unique delivery that will forever be remembered. Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Hedberg was known for his disheveled hippie look, his relaxed, almost sedate stage manner, and his dawdling delivery — his face forever concealed behind a pair of shades and a wall of floppy bangs.

MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Race Car Passenger"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Traffic Lights & Bananas"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Monster Magnet & Jelly Beans"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Pancakes"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Donut"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Fire Exit"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Dufrenes"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Waterfalls"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Wine & Winos"
MP3 Mitch Hedberg - "Movie Pot"

Much like Steven Wright, Hedberg was a master of the sharp-as-glass-shards one-liner ("Rice is great when you're hungry and want 2,000 of something"; "I would imagine if you understood Morse code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy"; "When someone hands you a flier, it's like they're saying, 'Here, you throw this away.' ") I first saw Mitch on his Comedy Central half-hour special a few years back & really took a liking to him. His odd, stoner-yet-likeable delivery & random, almost stream-of-consciousness jokes grew on me quickly, and I found myself watching his special quite a bit & recommending it to others.

The above comedy clips come from his two cd's, 1999's Strategic Grill Locations and 2003's Mitch All Together, which includes the aforementioned special on a bonus DVD. Check out ... (dot dot dot) for more Mitch links & a list of his best quotes.