Sarah Silverman
A Speck of Dust
I love Sarah Silverman for many reasons. I love her on talk shows, her outlook on human nature, and her comedy. But, what I love most about her is how her humor is meant to reach out to other audiences and tries to build a bridge between two groups of people who normally wouldn’t even share the same space. That’s rare nowadays. Most comedians getting attention these days are more concerned being on the right side of history instead of saying something new. To me, that’s cheap and easy. It takes a lot more guts to try to understand the other side and maybe help us understand where they’re coming from. There’s nothing wrong with doing that as long as you keep challenging everyone involved. Sorry to get so political, but considering Silverman’s profile it’s hard to keep politics out of this.
Silverman’s growth is obvious more than ever in her latest standup special A Speck of Dust. She’s definitely a comedy veteran and what’s most striking about this set is how it feels so engaging and fresh. That’s not to say that A Speck of Dust isn’t instantly recognizable as being Sarah Silverman. Her sensibilities, crudeness, and unique form of comedy is all over this album and that’s a great thing. But, what she does is tell great stories along the way. Silverman is an absolute master storyteller and finds the humor and sweetness in scenarios that would otherwise confound and crush the rest of us. And as far as relatable is concerned, there are hardly any bits here that couldn’t be told by someone of any racial background or sexual orientation. Religion is another matter…
Did you know this album is out on vinyl? I didn’t. On Netflix (records?) no less. The package is simple yet effective with a double LP housed in a single sleeve. Nothing fancy, but still pretty damn cool to have on vinyl.
Silverman’s goal in life is to get better and learn the lessons she along the way. A Speck of Dust brings us along on that journey and hopefully also makes us better people in the end.
