DVD Review: Lewis Black: “Black To The Future”

The world is a putrid, absurd, horrid mess at the moment. Everyone is aware of this, perhaps no one more so than comedian Lewis Black. Known for his rants, Lewis Black is – in my opinion – the best living comedian, and his particular bent, his particular humor is exactly what we need these days. He can express the anger we all feel in a way that eases tension rather than increases it. His new DVD, Black To The Future, captures a live performance that Lewis Black did at The Marquis Theater in New York last year during the time of the election, and in it he addresses both major candidates, as well as a variety of other topics. The DVD also includes a bonus performance from 2014, in which he fields questions from fans.

Lewis Black wastes no time and opens his show by reading a poll that said 13% of potential voters would rather have the world destroyed than have either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump become president. “The only good thing that has come out of this election cycle, quite honestly, is that it has made time seem longer.” Many people have commented on the fact that reality has gotten so far out of whack that satire almost seems unnecessary, that we are actually living the fucking joke. Lewis Black touches on this idea early on in the performance: “To be honest, having spent this year watching what’s going on, I have no idea what my job is anymore. Everyone in this room already has thirty Trump jokes that are probably better than any one that I thought of. What the fuck do you need me for?”

But of course we do need him, maybe now more than ever before. He addresses several important subjects, including guns and mental illness. He says: “I believe that we all learned about mental illness the same way that I did. I think we did that through dating.” Yes, absolutely. And he points out a sign of a widespread mental illness: “I read a while back that six hundred forty million dollars was spent by Americans purchasing Valentine’s Day gifts for pets. That’s the sign something’s fucking wrong.” Toward the end, he returns to the election, with some due dread. He rips into the risible idea that Donald Trump is a masterful businessman. “He bankrupted a casino,” he reminds the crowd. “I mean, that’s impossible, unless you locked the door and just stood in front.” I love when he tells the audience directly, “If you vote for Donald Trump, you’re going to go to hell.” And, yes, he talks about Hillary Clinton and offers his opinion on why everyone dislikes her.

The performance is approximately fifty minutes, and during the closing credits there is a shot of Lewis Black addressing someone who is leaving. I wish that whatever led to that moment was included. By the way, Grateful Dead fans will be interested to know that this special was directed by Justin Kreutzmann, Bill’s son.

Bonus: The Rant Is Due

The DVD includes a second performance in which he answers questions from his fans, moderated by Kathleen Madigan, who sits off to the side, drinking wine. Lewis Black says, “I can’t drink because then the anger becomes real.” Before fielding questions, he talks about trying to get his 95-year-old mother to watch the special online. “My mother can’t sleep at night because she’s trying to rearrange the universe in her own image.” The first question he’s asked is about social media, which sets him off on a delightful rant, one which I especially appreciate. He points out that Facebook and Twitter aren’t media. “A newspaper is media. This is like a collection of fucking scrapbooks and shit.” He also answers questions about marijuana, teaching, different countries and running for political office. This performance was filmed at The City Winery in Napa, California in 2014, and is approximately fifty minutes.

Lewis Black: Black To The Future was released on October, 13, 2017 through MVD Visual.