The Scots invented golf to help men whose self-esteem wasn’t low enough already….

Lewis Black was outstanding last night! He had the audience of roughly 800 people in Dublin's run-down Olympia Theatre falling out of our seats with laughter for an hour and a half. The show was worth every penny of the 29 Euro ticket price.

What presence Black has on stage! He launched into his characteristic and utterly satisfying rants about Cheney and Bush, American culture ("The closest thing to culture we have in the US is when someone, say, leaves the natural yogurt in the fridge too long."), Jesus Christ, Mormons, Michael Jackson, masturbation, his "Jewish lack of mechanical aptitude," and crazy news items. Like the story about the guy whose wife almost bit off his dick after he spilled scalding oil down her naked back while she was giving him head as he was cooking pancakes for her. News items which, as Black pointed out, cheer you up simply because they happened to somebody else.

Black smoothly integrated local material into his shtick, joking about the taxi strike inadvertently timed to coincide with his arrival at the airport, the outrageous prices of everything in Dublin (“My three producers each had a drink and some snacks at a bar and the bill was 100 fucking Euro!”), and, of course, the weather. When the audience informed him that Michael Jackson was in Ireland and possibly planning to settle in Cork, Black joked about the weather and Jackson!

Like all great stand-up comedians, he thinks at light speed on his feet. What a joy he is to watch!

(The clip I've posted is not Dublin. Couldn't find any clips from Ireland.)