Review: Lee Camp “Pepper Spray The Tears Away”
Lee Camp is a pretty angry man. But not in a Lewis Black-type of crotchety old man. More like a Howard Beale, run-to-your-window-and-yell-at-the-top-of-your-lungs-type of guy. Camp has endless rants about taking on big business and sticking up for the little guy.
If you are a follower of his Moment Of Clarity video podcast you’re probably familiar with his style and nature already. In fact, I’d rekon along with like-minded comedian Jamie Kilstein, Camp comes across as the unhinged ID of the “Occupy” movement.
Camp opens up Pepper Spray The Tears Away shot out of a cannon! In fact, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t take an inhaling gasp until the the album’s third track (about 7 minutes if we’re counting). There’s no setup punchlines. Hell! There’s barely time for audience laughs and applause breaks as Camp makes your head spin as he trashes congress, right and left wingers, and Jay Leno monologues. Camp’s material is deeply rooted in sarcasm, taking the piss out of our shit culture, viral videos, politics and the use of the word “fuckelberry.” He also rages on about the speed in which we’re bombarded with information. In fact this made me giggle based purely on the speed in which he himself delivers the material then jumps off the topic.
Camp is whip-smart, hyper vigilant, and sometimes belligerent toward the word around him. The rants and jags are so rapid-fire it does require multiple listens to catch everything running off. His style of comedy isn’t going to appeal to someone expecting riotous laughs or dick and fart jokes. Rather you’re going to have to find his cadence and groove then just settle in and listen. Because Camp is able to mine terrible truths and pull out chuckles; and if you aren’t able to laugh at these absurd truths, you might just cry.