Following the release of his album
\nNo Cure For Cancer<\/i> in 1993, Denis Leary’s career took off
\nfaster than Rodney King running from the LAPD. I can’t even begin
\nto count the movies he’s appeared in – and I’m too lazy to look it
\nup on the Internet Movie Database. But like many comedians who
\nsuddenly find some level of fame, Leary’s genius as an on-stage
\ncomic fell to the wayside.<\/p>\n
\nLock ‘N Load<\/i>, Leary’s 1997 follow-up to
\nNo Cure For Cancer<\/i>, features Leary in true form, ranting
\nabout the world we all live in, even if his style has calmed down
\njust a notch. But the constant reliance on goofy songs and skits
\nthat break up the flow of the monologue end up hurting this
\nalbum.<\/p>\n
Granted,
\nNo Cure For Cancer<\/i> featured a total of four musical numbers
\n– three of which were studio efforts. And I have to admit that
\n“Life’s Gonna Suck” is hilarious – especially Leary’s declaration
\nat the end, “Well I think I smell a lawsuit in that one.” But Leary
\nis a
\ncomedian<\/i>, first and foremost, and the numerous songs and
\nskits just don’t carry the same punch as his on-stage banter
\ndoes.<\/p>\n
“Save This” tries to make fun of all the organizations dedicated
\nto protecting animals, but it doesn’t have the anger that a song
\nlike “Asshole” did. As for “Insane Cowboy (In Africa)” and “Love
\nBarge,” the latter a half-assed cover of the theme from “The Love
\nBoat” – Dennis, c’mon, what the
\nhell<\/i> were you thinking? Oh, and as for “A Reading From The
\nBook Of Apple,” isn’t it bad enough that people lived through Fiona
\nApple’s rambling speech on MTV? Why do we have to hear it again and
\nagain? (Hey, look – “Deaf Mute Cocktail Party” is actually
\nsomething of Leary’s that could be played on the radio!)<\/p>\n
The live bits on
\nLock ‘N Load<\/i>, however, do make up the slack. Leary is in his
\nnatural element pointing out how stupid some aspects of society
\nhave become to the flock in the audience. Whether it’s Michael
\nFlatley, Starbucks, Samuel Adams or even the Catholic Church in his
\nsights, Leary’s rapid-fire delivery of ridicule and anger is right
\non target, proving that Leary is only getting better as a comedian
\nas time passes.<\/p>\n
Leary even saves some ammo for his own life on “My Kids,” as he
\ndares to open up his own life to the crowd – and his own scorn. Any
\nparent will appreciate some of the subjects Leary talks about, from
\nnoise-making toys to surprises found in one’s VCR. Too much of this
\nrings true, especially as the parent of a five-year-old – though I
\ncommend Leary for not copying Bill Cosby in terms of questioning a
\nchild why they did something. (I think Leary will back me up here,
\nwhen I say the three favorite words of a child are “I don’t
\nknow.”)<\/p>\n
The final bit, “Lock ‘N Load,” is a continuation of the theme
\nfrom “Fuck The Pope,” though Leary’s rant sounds like it was
\nrecorded in the studio rather than in front of an audience.
\nNevertheless, it’s one of the more creative bits on the disc, and
\nallows Leary to show his talents in a new format.<\/p>\n
\nLock ‘N Load<\/i> is similar to
\nNo Cure For Cancer<\/i>, yet is fundamentally different than the
\nfirst album. Leary is still hands-down one of the best comedians
\nI’ve ever heard, right up there with Robin Williams. But if Leary
\never graces us with a third album (and I’m hoping he will soon),
\nplease –
\nplease<\/i> – drop the songs and the sketches!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"artist":[5894],"rating":[5615],"class_list":["post-37161","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-denis-leary","rating-rating-b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/37161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/37161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37161"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=37161"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=37161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}