February 5th, 2013 
Adrian Garza 
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 Ray Harrington’s standup career. If you or your comedy troupe would like to be featured on Stand-Up Tuesdays, please email utgjames@gmail.com.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing the subject of today’s Stand Up Tuesdays perform at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre and was absolutely delighted to realize that I already had my hands on a copy of his soon-to-be released CD. Hailing from the frosty state of Maine, comedian Ray Harrington’s debut effort, “The Worst is Over”, is being released on March 5, 2013 via Stand Up! Records – and when it is, it’s sure to be even bigger than Harrington himself.
Recorded at The Comedy Connection in Portland, Maine, “The Worst is Over” offers just under an hour of pure comedic delight, as Harrington touches upon everything from girls losing friends on a night out (and it’s always Beth), Maine’s obsession with the Prison Wood Store, and ending up with a pedophile haircut.
“I’m a little self-conscious up here; I feel like you’re looking at me,” Harrington quips about half-way through his set. “The last time I went in to get a haircut, I said to the cutting lady, ‘Here’s $20, leave the side burns alone. I would like a college cut and faded on the sides. What I think she heard was, ‘Here’s $20, make me look like a pedophile for six weeks.”
Standing at an impressive 6’7”, Harrington is almost exactly what you’d expect in a Mainer – he loves plaids and flannels, doesn’t balk at winter (which, as he states, can last from October to the following October), and believes that fantasy football is no more manly than Dungeons and Dragons.
“What do you do in fantasy football?” Harrington asks. “‘Oh, it’s pretty cool; we get these guys together and we figure out their numbers and their statistics, and then we put those numbers and statistics against other guys with nu’ DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS! I know what that is, I think it’s the same thing. The only difference between Dungeons and Dragons and fantasy football is that in Dungeons and Dragons, you can’t have a convicted rapist on your team.”
Harrington’s style of comedy is largely observational, as he takes examples from his own experiences and shares them with a somewhat ‘resigned to one’s fate’ attitude. A truly likeable comedian, he’s quick to deliver punch-lines about his own shortcomings. By the time he’s complaining about constantly being asked how tall he is, you almost want to sign up to run interference for him.
“I’m 6’”7, let’s just get that out of the fucking way now. I’m 6’7”. So if you see me outside after the show smoking a cigarette and you want to ask me how tall I am,” Harrington advises, “fuck off.”
“The Worst is Over” is a very strong debut effort from comedian Ray Harrington, though I’d like to see him take a few more chances with his material. But then again, perhaps a first release isn’t the appropriate setting for such chance-taking. Harrington delivers his set with impeccable timing and poise, creating a fluid hour of enjoyable comedy that seems almost unedited.
Stand Up! Records is home to such comedians as Marc Maron, Maria Bamford, Lewis Black, and Hannibal Buress. Harrington has performed from Las Vegas to London with his improvisational riffing and irreverent material create a unique and hilarious experience that embraces the uncomfortable and the absurd with a smile and a laugh. He was named Portland’s Funniest Professional, was named winner of Catch a New Rising Star in Rhode Island and has been heard on nationally syndicated radio and has been seen on ABC, FOX, and CurrentTV.
“The Worst is Over” will be released on March 5, 2013 via Stand Up! Records.
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