Always on point

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This article was published 17/05/2017 (3292 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If misery does indeed love company, Bill Burr has found an ideal time to come to Winnipeg.

The Massachusetts comedian and longtime Boston Bruins fan, who performs two shows at the Burton Cummings Theatre Thursday night (a handful of single tickets were still available at Ticketmaster’s website as of press time), can join in with all the grumpy Winnipeg Jets fans who are currently lamenting how the 2016-17 National Hockey League season wound up for their favourite team.

Sports are a common topic in Burr’s shows and on his Monday Morning Podcast, which has since expanded to a twice-weekly format. It’s a popular off-the-cuff forum for hot-button topics, Burr’s observations and interviews.

Podcasts, which Vanity Fair magazine describes as “radio on the installment plan,” are surging in popularity, and Burr ranks sixth in the comedy genre according to iTunes.

The Monday Morning Podcast also has more 100,000 followers on the website Soundcloud.

During his latest edition, released on Monday, Burr offers an expletive-filled solace to Washington Capitals fans after the team’s recent loss in Game 7 of its playoff series with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“My condolences to all the fans of the Washington Capitals,” Burr begins. “And you know what happens when you hit the (expletive) wall for the third time, when you win the President’s Trophy under two different presidents…

“When you finally (expletive) win it, it makes it all the sweeter… I watched the Bruins from about ’79 to ’80 and I had to wait until 2011… I watched them for about 33 years.”

Later on, Burr discusses NHL coaches:

“Somebody made the joke that every coach in the NHL looks like a Bond villain. It is true, I gotta go with that.”

Like most comedians in the United States, Burr has plenty to say about the Donald Trump presidency.

He had the excellent comedic timing of being a guest on Conan, the TBS talk show hosted by Conan O’Brien, the evening after the shocking election results were announced last November.

If viewers were expecting a calm voice to salve people’s political wounds, they were sorely mistaken.

“I don’t understand why everybody is so upset,” Burr barked at O’Brien. “What’s going to happen to you? If you liked Obama, did he call you at all in the last eight years?… You’re going to be fine.”

Then O’Brien asked Burr if he was surprised by the result.

“Surprise? Dude, you’re talking like Lake Placid, the Olympics, when we beat the Russians, it buried that.

“The star of a reality show is going to run the country,” Burr continued.

“The guy decided if Bret Michaels or Cyndi Lauper would make for a better CEO for a company that doesn’t exist.”

A TV career has also kept Burr busy when he isn’t touring his standup show. He had a recurring role on AMC’s Breaking Bad and often guests on other TV sitcoms.

His fifth and latest Netflix special, Walk Your Way Out, was recorded live at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and came out in January.

alan.small@freepress.mb.ca Twitter:@AlanDSmall