The West Coast Report April 18, 2004 - Bobby Slayton @ The Punchline

We ventured down to the Punchline in San Francisco last night to catch one of my favorite performers, Bobby Slayton. The Pit Bull of Comedy always sells out his San Francisco shows, and this weekend was no different. Whether you’re a young interracial couple, a table full of Asians, or a 66-year old white man, everyone seems to enjoy the great comedy of Bobby Slayton. Opening up for Bobby was a familiar face to me and a not so known comic.

The host for the night was a young lady by the name of Leslie Chollar. I’ve seen her before and I wasn’t too impressed. She comes off like a female Steven Wright, but less funny. She did have a couple of good lines, but for the most part, I couldn’t get into her set due to lack of continuity.

The feature comic was a Ralphie May sized guy named Kevin McPeek. He did a few fat guy jokes, talked about getting bit by a spider, and he told a story about having been on a gay date without knowing it until it was too late. He was a really funny guy, but he kept doing this thing where he would do a bit, then look at his watch and say “A couple more things before I get started”. He said that like 7 times, which got really old & played out. Another thing I didn’t like was that he did a line about a homeless guy having a dog. He goes on to talk about how the dog thinks it’s on the longest walk ever. Now when I heard that, something went off in my head. I know I’ve heard that joke somewhere, else by a bigger name than this guy. I’m not pointing any fingers as I can’t recall who I heard say the joke before, but I didn’t feel good about having heard it. Unfortunately, the guy lost me at that point because he did a line similar to Brian Regan’s line about being on an airplane and telling someone he’s a comic and having them want him to tell a joke.

Finally Bobby Slayton took the stage. Now this was my 7th time watching him, and every time is like the first time with this guy. He’s so full of energy for an older guy, and his timing is impeccable. He works off the crowd, and generally points out a gay man, an Asian, a couple and a black guy, all of which he goes back to during the set. Slayton isn’t too well known, but he’s got a huge following and is an awesome comic. He’s now a West Coast guy, usually only working San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles, but I recommend anyone checking him out if he makes it out to their area. I can’t say enough about this man, as I have been a fan of his for 10 years now and I’ve listened to his CD, Raging Bully, at least 200 times. The best thing about last night was that he was selling his new CD! Filthy and great, on the new CD, I’ve Come For Your Children, Bobby delivers an hour of his brilliant stand up. He stays fresh and keeps up with the times, and to see him work the room is a thing of art. Check out his website, www.bobbyslayton.com, and feel free to get a hold of me if anyone needs some of his stuff.

-Munir