Thank goodness for this comedy album because I needed something to calm my nerves after listening to hours of my neighbor’s dog’s pained, pleading yips of attention sending me into an endless loop of guilt for humanity. (Will I climb over the fence to play with said sad dog soon? Update at 11). OK, now back to PATTY CAKES by Canadian comic PAT BURTSCHER. His newest album, which will be released on Comedy Records this Friday, July 5th gets right into the trenches from the get-go. I mean, what are the odds of recording an album when one audience member has a laugh so strong Burtscher describes it as a “horse hoof to the ear.” Don’t worry, his stand-up is SO good, it distracts you from the noise, and soon it’s like it was never there.
This album was recorded around the time Pat made the big move from Toronto to New York City. I can only imagine the grand ideas he’ll come up with in the Big Apple. Pat’s been bringing his infectious comedy worldwide having performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Singapore Comedy Fringe and as part of New Faces at JFL 42. He was a finalist in the Seattle and San Francisco International Comedy Competitions and he was part of Home Grown Comics at Montreal’s Just For Laughs Festival in 2018, which just happened to air nationally on the Comedy Network.
OK, enough about the entertainer and more about the album at hand. Each track of Patty Cakes contains those wild thoughts that would normally pop into your head randomly, but then get flagged as “not to be uttered in public.” Well, thank the comedy gods Burtscher not only vocalizes those inner musings, but expounds upon them in great detail and with great skill and silliness. There’s not many other places you’re gonna hear about the need for more instructions on how to use your face, a voting system that requires an entrance exam, special money for broke folk, and audible, heckling trees. All brilliant, hilarious ideas that may never come true, but do make you question how you’ve lived without them for so long.
The other great thing about this album is it easies into heavier subjects in ways you didn’t expect. I don’t think anyone would expect the infamous US military base & detention camp located in Cuba to come up on a comedy album, but it does! And would you believe the Beach Boys help get the audience on board with Guantanamo? You will! I also didn’t think a comic could link #MeToo, shameful men, and saggy breasts and come out ahead but, it’s possible, kids! Burtscher also unleashes some really personal info near the end of the album that, for any another comedian, could easily take the album to a place of no return, but in this case, is so carefully sandwiched between lighter, transitional jokes he gets away with a shocking reveal. Yes, you’ll have to listen to the album to find out!
And I can’t leave you without saying that through my entire listen of Patty Cakes, I could not help but feel that Burtscher was having genuine fun with the audience the whole way through. It was abundantly clear that the experience was a truly cathartic one and it didn’t matter what interruption might come his way, he was getting through it with at least one smile in his pocket. Do yourself a favor and pick up Patty Cakes this holiday weekend because it’ll be sticking with you for a long time to come. Also, cool it on Edibles, you’ll learn why soon enough! OK, back to questioning everything.
Mentions: Album available 7.5 on Comedy Records. The album will be available anywhere comedy is streamed or sold digitally. Come see Pat perform TONIGHT for an ALBUM RELEASE show at NY Comedy Club! 16+. NY Comedy Club (Midtown) is located at 241 East 24th St., New York, NY 10010. Follow Pat online on Twitter, Instagram and PatBurtscher.com.