If you aren’t familiar with the comedy of Chris Maddock, you may want to get to know him a little better as he’s quickly making a name for himself on the national comedy circuit. The Minneapolis-based comedian recently released his debut comedy CD Point of Entry via Stand Up! Records. Recorded at popular music venue 7th St. Entry in his home town, the album proves that there’s good, cutting-edge comedy to be found even in the unlikeliest of places.
Maddock got his start in comedy after running an open mic night Grumpy’s in Minneapolis, where he worked as a waiter, and served his time bombing wildly in his first few attempts at stand-up. Thankfully, the 34-year-old was not dissuaded and grew to become quite a talented act. Point of Entry finds Maddock at his best as he reflects on his gender-switching sister, felony ice sculpture destruction and his mentally-handicapped cat. His material is wildly unpredictable, as Maddock generally will end up at a punch line one simply never saw coming.
“Why’d you name me Blowjob, Dad?” ‘That’s all you were ever supposed to be, son,’” Maddock quips, musing about naming his son after awesome things. “What’s a blowjob, Dad?” ‘Ah, shit. Sit down, son. Take your pants off.’”
Edginess is something to be expected of Maddock, who is also a bassist in a heavy metal band and is married to a body-piercing artist. He happily tells tales of his drug-taking experiences and run-ins with the law, and successfully tears down Eric Clapton and the entire Christian rock industry while at the same time endearing his audience to him with his suggestions on how to maintain a happy marriage.
“We complement each other all the time. Every day, I’m like, ‘Baby, you look fantastic,’” he begins. “And she doesn’t go, ‘No, I don’t,’ she says, ‘Thanks, Daddy!’”
Some of Maddock’s transitions are somewhat awkward, giving the impression that he was either nervous or not quite as prepared as he wanted to be, and there are many points throughout Point of Entry where Maddock could have easily ended a joke much sooner than he did. In citing the over-use of ‘extreme’ in advertising, Maddock nails it after mentioning an ad in which the “extreme” product being pushed was soup; however, he continues on with an almost cringe-worthy bit about ‘raping your thirst’ with an “extreme” energy drink; it simply feels unnecessary.
Point of Entry may not be stealing the top spot in the comedy album charts anytime soon, but the debut effort is a solid 50 minutes of laughs that will have you spitting out your coffee more than once. Pick up Point of Entry at Amazon.com and expect to see more of this promising comedian in the future.
