Brennan is sharp and quick, this special forces him to focus and slow down some, and over time a portrait emerges. I'm guessing this is all an amplified and/or limited version of the real Neal, but it's perhaps not entirely off the "mark." (I realized I didn't put a review up for this even though I saw it quite a while ago, when I was writing up my *mandatory* 600 words for Marc Maron. Sigh.)
I think it's not a stretch to say that whatever Neal feels prevents him from fitting in, is something that he's pretty proud of actually. And maaaaybe it's something he's even more proud of than his stylish glasses. Talk about sharp and focused!
This special was funny to me (joke funny) but also funny to me in thinking back how the anxiety of comedians use to be more of a whisper. Well yes and no, I mean Woody Allen certainly did not exude stability, but I think of Robin Williams, the mighty George Carlin, Kurt Cobain.
It reminds me of an old line : please don't wind up dating a comedian. Insert an image of "Thalia and Melpomene" here?
That said, even if you watch this and at the end feel like Neal needs a hug. I am not so sure about that.... I think that might be more the projection of one side (even a deep cut) of Mr. Brennan. Or maybe it's a bigger piece, and his favorite Bill Murray film is "The Razor's Edge." (A good movie, at least from what I recall long ago.)
Anyways, writing it up now it was nice to notice that he has a "Blocks" podcast, and it features Neal in intimate 1-on-1 discussion, and we see him operating off the cuff, and engaging with another person in what feels real, to me at least. I'll never have a burger and a milkshake with him, but those podchats feel kinda like that, and I can almost pretend we're friends.
Even then. I still wouldn't hug him.
Maybe those are closer to the Real Neal Deal? Either way he remains a guy to definitely watch, and definitely listen to even if his words come out of someone else's mouth.
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