That bushy beard. Those rosy cheeks. That sparkle in his eye. No, I’m not talking about Santa Claus; the above describes none other than the fabulous Zach Galifianakis. Zach Galifianakis is the boy who never grew up. His Peter Pan complex oozes into his stand-up routine; all it takes is a boyish grin and a childish joke to get the audience going. In a short period of time, Zach’s comedy has completely revolutionized stand-up. Most comedians stand in front of a microphone, tell a few corny jokes, and scram. Zach takes his sweet time working the stage. He even incorporates a variety of his other talents into his material.
Zach centers his main act on a grand piano at almost every stand-up show. Looking at Mr. Galifianakis, you would never know that he’s a beautiful piano player; he just has that unkempt look like he would have never kept up with lessons. But, surprisingly, Zach puts on a grandiose display where he plays the piano while giving his perspective on life; just watching the overweight, scruffy, man-child play the piano while sharing his own personal philosophy seems to send his audience into a state of hilarity. Even if it comes across as somewhat “classy” that he’s playing the piano, he dashes that notion by downing a glass (or two, or three) of beer as he plays. Zach has taken a leap of faith by playing the piano in his stand-up. Modern day comedians tend to stick to the main path by doing stand-up comedy “standing up”. But Zach clearly wants to be seen as an oddball–yet another reason to give him a chuckle.
Along with using the piano as a comedic tool, Zach also bases much of his comedy off of his looks. In his early career, Zach was clean-shaven and somewhat–and I say that generously–fit. It wasn’t until he grew out an unkempt beard and put on a couple pounds that his career took off. Zach embraces his sloppy appearance. In one of his bits he jokingly says that it’s hard for a guy who looks like him to get a table for one at Chuck-E-Cheese. He then says that before the show, he went to his stylist and asked for “the Amber Alert”. He knows that he looks like a crazy man; in fact, he embraces it. He knows that watching a skinny average white guy tell jokes isn’t funny. To stand out, he takes on the personality of a sloppy, yet loveable, jokester. His plan obviously worked. The unkempt appearance and child-like persona are what make him so funny.
Zach Galifianakis defies the normal tactics that most modern day comedian’s use in their routines. Many of today’s comedians use the superiority theory of comedy to make the audience laugh. Zach uses the complete opposite technique. He uses his looks as the basis of most of his comedy. His shaggy hair/beard combo, overweight frame, and short height all contribute to his quirky physical appearance. He embraces the fact that he does not think he’s better than anyone else. He’s different and that’s the way he likes it. If he makes a dig at anyone, he immediately brings the joke back around to how insane he is. His tendency to hold everyone above him makes him that much more likeable. It’s as though, even though he’s famous, he’s still a humble, regular guy. While comedians like Daniel Tosh poke fun at everyone and raise themselves above everyone else, Zach uses his inferior persona to win over the audience.
Among other comedic skills Zach utilizes in his routines are his variety of facial expressions and body language. Add together a hilarious appearance and a crazy looking stare and you have one aesthetically comedic man. During his performances, Zach will just stop talking and stare off into space. As he dabbles on the piano, he’ll philosophically glance around the room as if he’s in deep thought. This, paired with his persona, is a perfect recipe for a good laugh. All he has to do is raise an eyebrow and he’ll receive a barrage of laughter from his audience. The looks he gives are half of his comedy; it doesn’t even matter what he says. Zach also uses his body language for a comedic emphasis. He’ll stop playing the piano and just bury his face in his arms, or he’ll just lie down in the middle of the stage during one of his bits. Zach tries as hard as he can to shock his audience. The last thing he wants to be is a predictable comedian.
Zach’s combined use of physical comedy, boyish charm, and inability to offend the majority has sky-rocketed him into fame. His comedy is completely unlike anyone else’s. He’s unafraid to push himself to new levels of obscurity. Whatever it takes to get a laugh¬–whether it is banging on piano keys, or giving the audience a good, old fashioned stare down– Galifianakis is willing to do it.
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