| Mitch Hedberg | |
|---|---|
Hedberg during his Comedy Central Presents special in 1999 |
|
| Birth name | Mitchell Lee Hedberg |
| Born | February 24, 1968 Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | March 30, 2005 (aged 37) Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.[1] |
| Medium | Stand-up, film |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1989–2005 |
| Genres | Observational comedy, surreal humor, word play |
| Subject(s) | Recreational drug use, everyday life, American culture, self-deprecation, drinking culture |
| Influences | George Carlin, Emo Philips, Jackie Vernon, Steven Wright, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Hicks, Cheech and Chong, Bobcat Goldthwait |
| Influenced | Dale Amler, Jon Lajoie, Ryan Maglunob, Mike Birbiglia |
| Spouse | Lynn Shawcroft (1999–2005) (his death) |
| Notable works and roles | Strategic Grill Locations Mitch All Together Do You Believe in Gosh? |
| Website | www.mitchhedberg.net |
Mitchell Lee "Mitch" Hedberg (February 24, 1968 – March 30, 2005)[2] was an American stand-up comedian known for his surreal humor and unconventional comedic delivery. His comedy typically featured short, sometimes one-line jokes,[3] mixed with absurd elements and non sequiturs.[4]
Hedberg's comedy and on-stage persona gained him a cult following,[5] with audience members sometimes shouting out the punchlines to his jokes before he could finish them.[6]
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Mitch Hedberg was born on February 24, 1968, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the son of Arnold and Mary Hedberg.[7] He graduated from Harding High School in Saint Paul.
Hedberg began his stand-up career in Florida, and after a period of honing his skills moved to Seattle and began to tour. He soon appeared on MTV's Comikaze, followed by a 1996 appearance on Late Show with David Letterman which brought him his big break. He won the 1997 grand prize at the Seattle Comedy Competition. The following year he appeared on Fox's hit series That 70's Show.
In 1999 he completed his own independent feature film Los Enchiladas!, in which he wrote, directed, produced and starred. He recorded three comedy CDs entitled Strategic Grill Locations, Mitch All Together, and Do You Believe in Gosh? which was released posthumously. He also appeared at the Montreal Just For Laughs comedy festival in 1998 and 2001. According to Mitch there had been talk of creating a TV series around him, but plans never came to be.
Hedberg was married to Canadian comedian Lynn Shawcroft from 1999 until his death in 2005.[8][2]
Hedberg was known to be a drug user, referring to it in some of his jokes ("I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too.") He was arrested in Austin, Texas in May 2003 for possession of heroin.[1]
On March 30, 2005, Hedberg was found dead in a hotel room in Livingston, New Jersey.[9] Hedberg was born with a heart defect for which he received extensive treatment as a child.[1][10] It was initially speculated that this condition may have played a part in his death. The New Jersey medical examiner's office reported "multiple drug toxicity" in the form of cocaine and heroin as the official cause of death.[1]
His death was formally announced on April 1, 2005, leading many to believe it was an April Fool's joke, only to find out later that it was not. His funeral was held at St. Ambrose of Woodbury Church in Minnesota,[11] and his remains were cremated. Details of where his remains are scattered are known by his family.
Mitch was interviewed by Jonathan Davis in the December 2001 issue of Penthouse. In the interview, published three years before his death, he was asked "If you could choose, how would you end your life?" His response was "First, I'd want to get famous, and then I'd overdose. If I overdosed at this stage in my career, I would be lucky if it made the back pages."
Hedberg's stand-up comedy was distinguished by the unique manner of speech that he adopted later in his career,[12] his abrupt delivery, and his unusual stage presence. His material depended heavily upon word play, non sequiturs, paraprosdokians and object observations. His act usually consisted equally of compact one- or two-liners resembling those of Steven Wright, in addition to longer routines, often with each line as a punchline. Many of his jokes were inspired from everyday thoughts or situations.
Because he suffered from stage fright, Hedberg often performed wearing sunglasses, with his head down, with his hair in his face or with his eyes closed in order to avoid eye contact with the audience. He would often stand upstage or perform with his back to the audience. He would also constantly move in one spot and, when holding the microphone during some bits, his nervousness would cause him to shake it uncontrollably.[13]
Hedberg occasionally added disclaimers to the end of a joke to let the audience know that he shared their judgment of it, most notably acknowledging when jokes were poorly delivered or received with a resigned "all right." He also toyed with audiences that failed to respond in the way he had intended them to, occasionally quipping, "That joke's better than you acted." During recordings for CDs, he would often say that he would find a way to edit a failed gag to make it seem well received, for example by "adding laughter" to a failed joke containing arithmetic. Following such a failure on Strategic Grill Locations, Hedberg suggested, "All right...that joke is going to be good because I'm going to take all the words out and add new words. That joke will be fixed."[14]
Comedy Central Records announced the release of the first album of new Mitch Hedberg material on June 10, 2008. The album titled Do You Believe in Gosh? was released September 9, 2008 and contains material recorded at The Improv in Ontario, California in January 2005. Hedberg's wife Lynn wrote the introduction, in which she stated that the performance was in preparation for an end of the year CD recording.[15]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Los Enchiladas! | Lee |
| 2000 | Almost Famous | Eagles Road Manager |
| 2005 | Lords of Dogtown | Frank Nasworthy (Urethane Wheels Guy) |
| Year | Title | Role/Info |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | That '70s Show | Episode 11, as Frank (Chef at the Hub) [17] |
| Premium Blend | Episode dated May 23, 1998 as Himself | |
| 1999 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Episode 67 "Past Lives" and Episode 73 "Garden", both as Himself |
| Comedy Central Presents | Himself | |
| 1999 | Home Movies | Episodes 104, 105, 112, and 113 as The Pet Eulogist, Mitch, Cop, and Dr. Fizzel (Anger Management Counselor), respectively |
| 2001 | Ed | Episode 110 as Dave |
| Just for Laughs in Montreal | Himself | |
| Late Friday | Himself | |
| 2002 | Saddle Rash | Various voices |
| 2003 | Late Show with David Letterman | Himself |
| Late Show with David Letterman | Himself | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Himself | |
| Crank Yankers | Himself | |
| 2004 | Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Episodes 4 and 9 as Himself |