Tragically I Need You

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In his latest special Tragically, I Need You, comedian Lewis Black brings his inimitable insights to the post-Pandemic state of the world. Filmed in May 2022, Tragically, I Need You picks up where his last special, the Grammy-nominated Thanks For Risking Your Life, left off. This time he has the view of someone who spent entirely too much time in isolation during the pandemic, where the irksome details of life drew his acute attention. As the world shut down in the spring of 2020, Lewis went on a quarantine-tinged journey of self-discovery which led him to many personal revelations, including that he is old, that solitary confinement is a punishment, and that all recipes are made for a happy family of four. And most importantly, never look directly in a cat's eyes.

Despite the trials of quarantine, Lewis' feisty streak has not faded. In the "new" normal, he is quick to acknowledge that he's feeling a significant level of frustration at the thought of creating comedy in a world where the reality of events exists only in the minds of the viewers. His job now is to nightly counteract the daily narratives presented by the former president, the current Ghost of Christmas Past, and the conspiracy theorists and Walmart shoppers who span the political and social spectrum.

"I'm supposed to make a joke that's going to make you laugh about how stupid has become stupider?" says Lewis. "There was all this talk about how we're gonna get back to the 1950s when things were better, then Russia is like '1950s?' we're gonna go back to the late 1930s'. Jesus Christ, who has the energy for that?"

"It doesn't feel different because I'm someone who writes while in front of an audience, because that's how I find things out. Sometimes it's 'how do I do this or that?' or 'how do I play the rhythms of the act?'" he continues. "It's just great to be back on stage. One of the more major relationships in my life over the last few years has been with my audience."