Career: He began his career in 1989 playing open mic nights in south Florida. Two years later, in 1991, he moved to Seattle and began doing the same there, where his popularity increased. However, Hedberg did encounter some degree of difficulty. It took him more than a few years to come up with a good deal of material, and he also needed to conquer his stage fright, which was so intense that it left a mark on him throughout his career, sometimes even leading to his performing with his eyes closed, which he often incorporated into his jokes.
He first began achieving national exposure with a special on Comedy Central. Hedberg appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman ten times and became one of the show's most successful American comedians. Hedberg was deemed the "Kurt Cobain of Stand Up Comedy" because of his long hair, laid back attitude, drug addiction, and Seattle background. Hedberg was set apart from his stand-up comedy peers by many traits, including his unique pronunciations, an "abrupt" style of punchline delivery, and a curious stage presence that was professional-but-casual and confident-but-shy.
Mitch's joke topics rarely, if ever, treaded into smutty or contentious territory, instead focusing largely on deft wordplay, clever non sequiturs, innocent whimsy, and imaginative "object" observations. Although his stand-up delivery occasionally contained so-called "four-letter words," such language was never central to Hedberg's gags, instead being just exclamation/filler phrases during his stage discourse (his jokes rarely suffered when he performed them on television with the curses omitted - some might argue that they were better for the more universal appeal).
His onstage persona, though slightly nervous, was always quite endearing; he would happily joke with the audience if they hadn't reacted particularly well to a joke. He was happy to criticise his own weaker jokes, such as his statement on Strategic Grill Locations: "That joke was just a carbon copy of the last joke." His jokes ranged from compact one- or two-liners ("I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it.") to slightly longer material (usually with multiple punchlines) in which he would take everyday ideas or situations and pick out certain aspects at which to poke humor (the Dufrenes joke is a good example of this). Mitch was also a three-time performer at the Montreal Just for Laughs festival.
Death: Hedberg was known to be a drug user. In May 2003, he was arrested in Austin, Texas, for possession of heroin. In 2004, Hedberg's drug use seemed to spiral out of control. At a September 23 performance in Phoenix, Arizona, Hedberg appeared on stage intoxicated, nearly collapsed, and asked the audience for drugs, which he then ingested in front of the crowd. At several other performances, he openly asked the audience for "any drugs" they might have, including Xanax and other prescription drugs.
Late in the evening on March 29, 2005, Hedberg was found dead by his wife in a Livingston, New Jersey, hotel room. He was 37 years old. His death was first announced by Howard Stern on his morning talk show (on which Hedberg had appeared many times, including less than two weeks before his death) and later confirmed by the Saint Paul Pioneer Press. Many people who learned of his death thought it to be an April Fool's joke, because it was announced April 1st on his official website. Hedberg had reportedly been preparing for his first HBO special, which was his main goal to achieve as a comedian. The high school he went to in St. Paul put his picture up in the student of the month column following his death, to show how greatly loved he was by the faculty that had taught him, and the many students that had seen him perform. Hedberg was born with a heart defect for which he received extensive treatment as a child. Though this condition initially had been cited as a possible cause of death, in May 2005 the New Jersey medical examiner's office reported "multiple drug toxicity," including cocaine and heroin, as the official cause of death.
Results of the autopsy and toxicology reports were first reported by journalist Peter Hyman in the January 2006 edition of Spin magazine.
Hedberg could be heard as the voice of Jimmy John's radio advertisements during the months leading up to and after his death. (Since his name was never used in the ads, the company likely felt there was no need to pull the ads after he died.) He also was the voice of the Atlanta Thrashers "Hockey Love" ad campaign in 2002-2003. Every performance of the Insomniac tour, headed by Hedberg friend and former tourmate Dave Attell, featured a toast to Hedberg at the end of the show.
The Dufrenes
Mitch Hedberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can′t Complain
She Is The Heart
Written by kevin bacon
"It was fun writing a song for piano, but writing it on a guitar. since i can't play piano, it was a thrill to hear irwin bang it out for the first time." kb
She says she′s from the city
'Cause she came down on angel wings
Out of the blue
She brings him things that he can′t buy
Like light and wind, and rain
She brings a child
And he is born again
He is lost, she is the way
He is darkness, she′s the break of day
When he's lying there, dying there
And his world′s been blown apart
She is life, she is the heart
She's a botticelli
A breathing masterpiece
She can lift him up on high
Or bring him to his knees
When he′s falling through the clouds
Just falling to the ground
Her arms are like a parachute
And together they go down
They go down
He is lost, she is the way
He is darkness, she's the break of day
When he′s lying there, dying there
And his world's been blown apart
She is life, she is the heart
In The Bacon Brothers' song "She Is The Heart," Kevin Bacon tells the story of a man who feels lost in life until he meets a woman who completely changes everything for him. The man is skeptical of the woman's origins, but believes she is truly an angel sent from above because of the way she makes him feel. She brings him things that can't be bought, like light and wind and rain, but most importantly, she brings him new life. The woman is described as a Botticelli, a masterpiece who can lift him up or bring him to his knees. When he's falling, her arms catch him like a parachute and they go down together.
The song captures the essence of love and the transformative power that it can have on an individual. The man goes from being lost and in darkness to finding his way and breaking through into the light of day, all because of the love he has found in this woman. Additionally, the lyrics use beautiful imagery to describe how the woman makes the man feel, equating her to the beauty of a Botticelli painting and the safety of a parachute.
Line by Line Meaning
She says she's from the city
She claims to be from the city, though he believes otherwise.
But he knows that's not true
He has reason to believe her claim is not true.
'Cause she came down on angel wings
Her arrival was seemingly otherworldly.
Out of the blue
Her arrival was unexpected.
She brings him things that he can't buy
She brings him intangible things that cannot be bought with money.
Like light and wind, and rain
Examples of the intangible things she brings him.
She brings a child
She gives birth to a child.
And he is born again
Metaphorically, he is given a new life through the arrival of the child.
He is lost, she is the way
He is lost and she provides guidance.
He is darkness, she's the break of day
He embodies negative characteristics while she gives hope and positivity.
When he's lying there, dying there
In a moment of despair.
And his world's been blown apart
His life has been shattered and is in disarray.
She is life, she is the heart
She represents life and is the emotional center of his world.
She's a botticelli
She is compared to the classical painting by Sandro Botticelli.
A breathing masterpiece
She is a living work of art.
She can lift him up on high
She has the ability to elevate his spirits.
Or bring him to his knees
She has the power to make him feel defeated.
When he's falling through the clouds
A metaphorical image of him in a free fall.
Just falling to the ground
A representation of him losing control and succumbing to his problems.
Her arms are like a parachute
Her embrace offers protection and safety, just as a parachute would.
And together they go down
They face life's challenges together.
Writer(s): Mitch Hedberg
Contributed by Camden P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Danny Yarborough
Thank you for uploading this this was him at his height of his talent!!!
crowcade
Mitch in his element. It would have been a pleasure to meet him. Seems like a genuine dude. The epitome of cool.
Mrs Bass-Reeves
This joke reminded me of Mitch after 10 years because I saw someone named Dufrasne(however u spell it) and I remembered Mitch.😞
The Sun Dog
Ya that's the spelling on the other video. I wonder who they really were.
Tara Laughlin
I laughed myself silly over this.
Subscriber 10
Only the good die young
Nicole Yensen
I hope to hell that's not true... shit, maybe "hope to hell" is why "only the good die young", hope not...
Sagacious
classic
King George
man the dufranes are missing