Tom Green Gets Existential at the Tempe Improv

For those used to the Tom Green who puts his bum on things, orders naked statues for his parents’ front lawn and sings about his testicular cancer, his show at the Tempe Improv Friday, March 26 was no disappointment.

But the original jackass (who hosted a robot walk earlier this week) also was more existentially aware in his stand-up act than expected. He touched on everything from society’s unnecessary obsession with pop culture, to our dependence upon social media. In one memorable bit, Green talked about how humans are destined to revert to blobs, considering how our texting thumbs are all we seem to need these days–not legs to walk around and actually do stuff.

But Green’s silliness was still out in full force. He initiated a call-and-response theme throughout the night, saying this was the first time he’d every really done it on the tour. He’d say, “Am I right?” after a bit, the audience would yell, “Right!”, and then he’d yell, “Fuck it!” It was a fun, interactive way to feel more connected with Tom during his nearly hour-and-a-half set.

Green connected even more with the audience when he first came out and was introduced, walking through various rows of people and shaking hands with any fan who would put one out. He did something similar on the way out, and that’s part of why he’s so popular–he makes himself so accessible to his fans.

Green’s stand-up throughout the night was impressive. He rarely missed a beat, had a lot of fun with the audience, gave fans what they wanted (a snippet of “Lonely Swedish (The Bum Bum Song)” and lines from his movies–“Daddy, would you like some sausage?”) and also made good points on how he viewed the world. He proved he’s way more intelligent than some may give him credit for, and he also cares a ton about his fans.