Based on the DVD recording of the same name, comedian Bill Engvall performs a set filled with the usual folksy observations but this time focused on the dreaded state of middle age and the even more dreaded state of what comes next. Much of the material is inspired by Engvall’s feeling that the world has changed for the worse, or at least, the more complicated, with “date nights” a requirement to see your spouse and where ridiculous stunts like Zip-lining are the only way to vacation. “All this stuff is turning me into someone I don’t want to be. That grouchy get-off-my-yard guy” says Engvall but he finds it hard to admit that men don’t go “Clubbing at 50” (“Ok, the VFW hall, the elks lodge… I got that”). His confusion with feeling young inside and quite older on the outside is what drives the album. Fans know that the grumpy old man thing fits Engvall better than he’d ever care to admit.
| Title : | Aged and Confused |
| Author : | Bill Engvall |
| Copyright : | 2009 |
| Length : | 60 minutes |
| Format : | CD |
I have enjoyed Bill Engvall’s comedy performances in the past. I became aquainted with his humor after he performed in the Blue Collar Comedy Tour 2000-2006. His jokes are usually PG to PG-13 rated. I even felt comfortable gifting a DVD of one of Engvall’s performances to my father. This comedy album “Aged and Confused” is similar to his work in the past, but just missed the mark with me.
Comedy is so very subjective, and jokes may not always resonate even with the same audience at a different time. However, reviews are also subjective. I suspect that my rating of this album is more of a reflection of me than necessarily of the performance. Since I first enjoyed Engvall, my father has died. Also, I am not the target audience (neither Aged nor Confused). I will explain the strengths and weaknesses that I found below.
Strengths
- I particularly enjoyed Track 2: School Bus Kid, Track 6: Shark Frenzy, Track 7: Zip Line, and Track 11: Colonoscopy. These reminded me of his earlier work and got a chuckle out of me. They were vividly described, and relateable.
- I liked his obvious love for his wife. Unlike some comedians, he doesn’t tear his family members down.
Weaknesses
- I am not the target audience for this performance. I am still twenty years away from my 50s. I am not married. I have not had a colonoscopy. I did not connect to his source material.
- I do not enjoy reminiscences about how things were “better” in the past because I don’t believe this is productive unless used as a call for action about something.
- Some of his skit included physical comedy that did not translate to the purely audio version of the performance. I was left imagining what might have caused the audience to laugh
- I felt that the audience recorded as the laugh track was muted. Many of Engvall’s jokes were greeted with chuckles, but there were no belly laughs. If there were, they were few and far between.
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