March 20th, 2012 
Angie Frissore 
Stand-Up Tuesdays is a weekly comedy spotlight written by the wonderfully talented Angie Frissore. Covering both known and unknown comics, Stand-up Tuesdays is your new source for all things funny.
This week, Angie puts a spotlight on Christopher Titus. If you or your comedy troupe would like to be featured on Stand-Up Tuesdays, please email utgjames@gmail.com.
Anytime I find myself reflecting on just how much fun my own family put in ‘dysfunctional’, I’m naturally drawn to the comedy of Christopher Titus – finding much solace in the fact that mine was not the only family who couldn’t get it right. It’s also no wonder that I’ve grown into a much larger fan of Titus upon the recent release of his 4-disc boxed set, Get a Real Job Numb Nuts.
The set is packed with six hours of the veteran comedian’s best material and includes his past specials Norman Rockwell is Bleeding, 5th Annual End of the World Tour, Love is Evol, and his 2011 release, Neverlution. Given the title, the collection is perhaps an aptly named resume of Titus’ best work.
Christopher Titus has never been one to shy away from digging deep into his past for material, whether that be his troubled childhood, relationship history, or unhappiness with his own life. He’s dealt with a schizophrenic mother, an alcoholic and judgmental father, and his own substance abuse – and rather than sit back and feel sorry for himself about it all, he’s able to channel that into some incredibly funny and poignant comedy.
That may be the first time I’ve ever labeled anyone’s comedy as poignant – but there comes a point in each of Titus’ specials where the comedian pauses, almost overcome by emotion and painful memories, before bringing it right back to a brilliant punchline. With the exception of Neverlution, which sees Titus hilariously ranting about what’s gone wrong with our society in the past decade, much of his material clearly comes from a very intimate and wounded place in his heart.
The boxed set includes some special features including interviews with Titus’ father and brother included in Normal Rockwell – and, as a bonus, it also marks the first time you can view 5th Annual End of the World Tour in its entirety. Get a Real Job Numb Nuts is a well-rounded and highly entertaining anthology of Christopher Titus’ work over the past decade. Being able to view all four of the comedian’s specials back-to-back brings the viewer that much closer to Titus, solidifying a deep connection that his incredibly personal material has made with his fan base.
Another cool bonus to the collection is that each set comes autographed – and, as Titus’ website will tell you, “Signed copies are actual autographed copies and not imprinted, rubber stamped or outsourced fakes.”
That’s right. The man hand-signed each one, just for you. What more could you ask for?
Get a Real Job Numb Nuts is priced at $75 on Christopher Titus’ website, but for that you get a terrific six hours of Titus at his best (plus an autograph) – all of which is definitely worth the price. Pick up a copy today and start feeling less awful about your own life.
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You’re dead on. It’s amazing the deep, dark topics he can write on. And all of those shows are fantastic. Though I have to admit I prefer the CD version of “End Of The World’ to the DVD. It seems like an earlier and less focused performance of the show.
Oh, and I asked Titus about that long emotive pause after a gig one night. He told me he calls it his “Springsteen Moment”. :)