So let's begin with the fact that this is not a brand new DVD. In fact "Aisha Tyler Is Lit: Live At the Fillmore" was released on DVD in late February of 2009. Had I not caught a re-run of Chelsea Lately (with Ms. Tyler promoting her new stand-up) I would've never known of its existence. Little did I know that Aisha Tyler was a stand-up comedienne...here I was thinking that she was just the hot black chick that used to host Talk Soup on E! and had a recurring role on season one of Ghost Whisperer. But now that I know of her stand-up, she ranks up there (in my book) with other funnywomen such as Margaret Cho, Kathy Griffin, Mo'Nique, etc.
This stand-up comedy begins with Aisha's internet sensation music video "Nowassitall." This comedic gem is a song that has Aisha poking fun at herself for being a black woman with no ass. Though I was quite confused about Aisha rapping at first, I couldn't hold in the laughter once the chorus kicked in:
"No I don't got it, but I want it. Nowassitall'. If I was stuffed then I would flaunt it. Nowassitall. I turn around it's kind of funny. Nowassitall. Damn!"
The music video sets up her stand-up comedy routine in a way that certain one-liners in the song not only become understandable, but hilarious as she touches on them individually during her act in a way that only she can. Her entire routine consists of her uncensored take on sex, relationships, internet porn, bikini waxes, strip clubs, and your gay friends' real opinions about you.
Aisha's delivery is similar to Kathy Griffin's except she doesn't have that "just snorted a line of cocaine" energy. Aisha speaks to her audience as if it's a conversation between you and her. She has also honed and perfected the art of repetition (something Margaret Cho & Mo'Nique have yet to perfect and wind up coming across as annoying when they try it). What this means is reusing jokes that may not seem like a home run at first, but coming up casually later on in the act, in a slightly different context, it connects and leaves the viewer dying of laughter afterward. For example, Aisha starts off her routine with the fact that no matter how lazy or how much of an asshole your man is, if he can do the "swirly thing" in bed, then he is a god. Now I don't know what the hell the "swirly thing" is, but toward the end of her routine, when she discusses bikini waxes, she tells her esthetician "Umm, you know what? While you're down there you may as well do the "swirly thing." Are you blushing yet?
The two defining themes of her act would have to be her reasons for not bearing children and the priceless value of gay friends. With regard to Aisha's aversion to bearing children, It's not because she's selfish, but it would cut into her Xbox time. And her gay friends are closest friends because in her mind, they're the most honest. Two skits from the DVD further demonstrate.
1) In "My Xbox Time", Aisha claims that her time with her Xbox is way more important than having a baby. "I'm sorry, but killing aliens is a full-time job! You guys are all safe and sound here tonight cuz of the shit I did on Halo last night. I can't be breast-feeding while I'm defending Earth from the alien hordes!"
2) In "My Gay Friends", Ms. Tyler says that when you turn 18 in San Francisco you get two things "a car and three gay friends." She goes on to explain that she values her gay friends' opinions over her girlfriends' opinions because gays have to lie about their sexuality until they come out of the closet. And once they come out they can't help but be completely honest for the rest of their lives. "I had a gay friend that we all knew was gay, but we were just waiting for him to come out with it. So one day he sat me and my friends down and said 'I have something to tell you guys. I'm gay... and you're an idiot, you're a drunk, and you're a bitch!'"
So for someone with an underwhelming lady lump, Aisha makes up for it with an oversized, engaging sense of humor. I suggest you stop reading now, hop onto Netflix and throw this DVD in your queue immediately. Aisha Tyler will keep you in stitches...whether you're lit or not.
