Horizons Online Edition

Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: News

Media Credit: Jeroen Geeraert

On Jan. 29, the DLC was filled with people watching the Los Angeles-based comedian, Max Goldberg, perform at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Prescott campus. Goldberg connected with the audience, even sharing a "hoo-ah!" with several ROTC members in the crowd. His comedy routine included "awkward crowd work," in which Goldberg asked members of the audience questions which were awkward to answer or even be asked.

Max Goldberg has several videos on the internet, which he was kind enough to share with the audience. One video told the story of how he was questioned for being responsible for the Malibu fires. Funny impersonations of the police he talked to, his relative's failing attempts at witty humor, and his reactions to being a suspect led everyone to laughter. Another video covered Goldberg's trip down to the South about a year after Katrina. The last video of the night was a video entitled "[Expletive] Planet Earth" and was quite a spectacle to remember.

After the show, many people stayed behind to try and get a few minutes of Max Goldberg's time. The excitement that he showed during his routine remained after the show, and it was easy to see that he was very happy to interact with his audience. He had an "adrenaline buzz" and probably wasn't going to get much sleep because of it. Goldberg said he loves the desert and thought ERAU was wonderful despite the shock of snow. He was asked why he loves doing comedy, and replied that it was great to "make a bunch of awesome strangers laugh."

Goldberg comes from Los Angeles, California, and grew into a love for primitive camping. He was "louder and with less self control" in high school than now. He realized that he wanted to do comedy more than play the saxophone when he was in music class-he had more fun making fun of the teacher than playing the instrument. Goldberg stayed with comedy, and soon his family saw that he was serious in his pursuit. At the age of 15 he did his first stand-up show. Once he had met with his first official success in the comedy field, there wasn't any going back. He graduated from Emerson College with "as close to a degree in comedy as you can get."

Currently he is on a two or three month long tour, traveling all over the country from Arizona to Vermont and Massachusetts. Goldberg's dream venue is not so much a place as it is an experience. This comedian's ideal comedic experience is being in a small intimate place where he can connect with every person there. He gave praise to the DLC because it was big enough to hold a lot of people but he could still make eye contact with everyone.

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