Dylan Moran's “What it Is”


Title: Dylan Moran's “What it Is”
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre: Stand-Up Comedy
Starring: Dylan Moran

"Where's the cake? Cake is the language of love and I don't see any cakes in the building."


If the fact I wasn't a fan of this comedian's material wasn't already evident with the last couple of reviews of his work, then this most recent endeavour of his should make sure there's no confusion. Dylan Moran's style is back to his original form and he once more unleashes his Irish fury at everything that irritates him, which as it turns out is a pretty long list indeed. His material revolves around telling us things we already know, ranting and raving like only he knows how and making use of hyperbole to emphasise his point; he may be offensive at times but he's not biased, he's offensive to everyone – and if he hasn't touched on something about you yet, its simply because he hasn't the time in the set – and even then it's hard to really be offended given that he's clearly just speaking his mind.

Raving about his despision for young people with inflated ego's and their own language and the old who are too tired to play the charade of politeness and will respond honestly to the simple question of “how are you” despite knowing nobody really cares, simply happy to have someone to talk to. The fact that every country has an equally stupid way of handling pleasure and the way all technology infuriates him, the chirpiness of his laptop or how everything seems to come with a camera attached because we're all clearly petrified of never having someone watch our every move. Which in turn leads into a rant about how religion is really just a substitute for being a child demanding a parents attention, and without religion we'd probably start looking for another substitute, like politicians, and that's really a bad idea. There's a lot here and as ever it all feels unrehearsed and off-cuff; it feels genuine and not just a script he wrote earlier.

Moran isn't getting any younger, and this is a fact he's come to terms with, at least to a certain extent. It won't stop him from mocking the nine year old children now doctor's giving advice about his lifestyle but it seems to prevent him from getting quite so drunk on stage (I'd say it also stopped him from caring about his appearance but I'm not sure he ever really did). The problem with this is that it seems to take him a little longer to get going, the first half feels tame compared to the bludgeoning truth of the second; the tendency to go off on abstract tangeants only becoming more pronounced and fantastical in nature. His ability to relate to the audience is his greatest strength, but his evident desire to not really be there and the time taken to get going is a slight let down.

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