Comedian Christian Finnegan’s hilarious debut CD, “Two For Flinching,” was recently released in stores and is sure to leave listeners with a few laughs. ‘Flinching’ is a compilation of 15 comedic tracks, in which Finnegan cracks jokes about a variety of subjects ranging from vacation mishaps, to robot vacuums and to his hatred of the Red Sox.
Finnegan, best known as a commentator on VH1’s “Best Week Ever” and for playing the role of Chad on a well-known “Dave Chappelle Show” skit, spends most of his time performing his stand-up routine. He has been working as a comedian for over 10 years, scoring his first gig at a place called “Surf Reality” back in 1996. Finnegan says he likes to avoid “ripped from the headlines” type of jokes and lengthy political material, though he admits to admiring others such as Bill Maher who pull it off well.
In “Flinching,” the 33-year-old Boston native talks about Fourth of July fireworks and how they don’t evolve, asking the audience why things like tampons change every year, while fireworks are the same old routine year in and year out.
Finnegan also discusses his experiences on the New York subway system, which has led him to coin the phrase “transpo-tainment,” referring to the odd entertainment one gains by watching other patrons while using public transit.
His routine also brings up his humorous hatred for the Boston Red Sox, which is based entirely on the fact that bullies from his childhood always were always wearing Red Sox baseball caps.
“Flinching” will keep you rolling in the aisles when Finnegan says quotations like “Relationships are a lot like yard sales…they look really fun from a couple of hundred feet away, but eventually you realize it’s just a bunch of crap you don’t need.”
Finnegan manages to keep the audience entertained throughout the duration of the CD, with rarely a dull moment. He discusses funny experiences he’s had with a dysfunctional robot vacuum, laughs about the fact he once thought Alaska was an island and jokes about how playing “Monopoly” as a kid was good indicator of his financial planning skills.
Most of the material on ‘Flinching’ is PG-13 or rated R in quality, but at the end of the CD, Finnegan tells a raunchy, roll-on-the-floor-laughing joke about celebrating birthdays.
“Two For Flinching” is a definitely worth a listen (or two, or three). Finnegan uses an assortment of material that is fresh, original and entertaining.
Finnegan has performed at Seattle’s Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival, and also was one of seven comedians chosen as “Talk of the Fest,” a selection of breakout performers at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, Canada.
Not only does Finnegan work on two television shows and perform his stand-up routine at various venues around the country, but he is also trying to start up a satellite radio show for music fans as well. Finnegan’s
“Two For Flinching” was taped at the DC Improv this past July and is available in stores now.
