Russell Campbell

5.0 out of 5 starsIt's one thing to set the bar high. It's another to clear it.

April 8, 2019

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Now in my mid 30s (firmly), I have grown to appreciate certain things in life: how to cook a brisket in a non-convection over, making my own coffee in a chemex in the morning, and how to do my own landscaping. Doing my own yard work is (for whatever reason) something I find incredibly interesting, and take a great deal of pride in. And since I've been doing it now for a few years, I can drive down a block and tell you with a near-certainty which households have denizens that also do their own yard work. It's the little things. For example, on my property I planted a bunch of king palms. I personally believe that king palms look best when they have 4 fronds (not including the incoming shoot). Whenever I see a property with a bunch of king palms that have 2-3 fronds, I automatically know what's happened: the landscapers hack off more fronds then they have to so when they come back next time they only have to mow the lawn, knowing it will take a couple months before they're forced to tend to the palms again. The root of the problem is the yard workers don't care about a property that isn't their own. It's the difference between paying 10 bucks for a hair cut at supercuts or spending 40 dollars on a salon cut.

Greg Giraldo: A Comedian's Story is a yard that the owner cares deeply about. It's the 45 dollar haircut you get in Hillcrest while sipping a glass of dessert wine. It's a bunch of king palms with exactly 4 fronds. It's obvious that Matt Balaker and Wayne Jones care deeply about Greg Giraldo as not only a comedian, but as a person. And it shows in their work. It's no small task to write a biography on someone who is dead, while so many of the people who knew him are still alive. But the way they handled bringing Giraldo back to life on the pages proved they were up to the task (they're Works Cited was 16 pages for the love of god). In a time where comedians seem to be dying faster than former WWF superstars, it's important that stories like the one in this book get told. It's important to know that real people with real talent have battles with real demons. Balaker and Jones pay a very proper homage to a man this world lost way too soon. Buy it. Buy it and leave it on your coffee table so your friends will ask about it. Buy it and leave it on your coffee table so your friends will ask about it so you can have a conversation about a guy who should be mentioned among the all time comedy greats.