Michael Ian Black's "Custom Van" Runs Out of Gas
VH1 Mainstay's Book is Inspired at Times But Falls Flat at Others
Jan 17, 2009
He likely is known as "that guy from the VH-1 shows" to thousands of fans of the network's seemingly countless countdowns and declarations of love for past (and current) decades. To a subset of that population, though, Michael Ian Black is known as a rising stand-up comedian with an off-beat style that switches from deadpan to dynamic for humorous effect.
Black's first book, My Custom Van (And 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face), is an essay collection that displays the comic at his best and, simultaneously reveals the limitations of print for a comic whose delivery is an important part of his appeal.
Prime Humorous Interpretation Material
The best material in My Custom Van seems suited for forensics teams to use in humorous interpretation (HI) competitions. The opening essay, " What I Would Be Thinking If I Were Billy Joel Driving to a Holiday Party Where I Knew There Was Going to Be a Piano" -- Black seems to prefer verbose essay titles -- is a prime example. Another such entry is "How I Might Address My Players at Halftime If I Were a Self-Loathing High School Football Coach in a Game Where We Were Losing 49-3."
In a slightly different vein, the dual voices at work in the book's final essay, "In Conclusion: A First Draft of the Acceptance Speech I Plan to Give Upon Receiving Some Kind of Important Literary Prize for Writing This Book," lend themselves to a humorous duo performance. (Granted, some of the material -- e.g., "How to Approach the Sensitive Question: Anal?" -- is a bit too blue for the forensics circuit.)
Anyone who has ever read the work of a student trying too hard to sound smart will be amused by "A College Application Essay to Harvard That Might Have Been Written by a High School Senior Who Has Absolutely No Chance of Getting Accepted."
The Awkward Stage-to Page Transition
However, some of the material falls short of its comedic potential because of the absence of Black's literal voice. Readers who are unfamiliar with Black's stand-up may find themselves confused by and/or disinterested in too many chapters, including, of course, "How I Might Address My Players at Halftime If I Were a Self-Loathing High School Football Coach in a Game Where We Were Winning 49-3."
Likewise, "A Suicide Note" is laugh-out-loud funny, but readers who have not heard Black's stand-up might not fully appreciate the spirit in which it is intended.
Professor Arrington's Grade
My Custom Van is a funny book, but one that is unlikely to generate many new Michael Ian Black fans. People who like his earlier work from "The State," "Stella," or VH-1 will find the book refreshingly funny. The unfamiliar, however, will find the book to be a mixed bag. With that in mind, Professor Arrington assigns My Custom Van a B-.
