Lewis Black: Basic Black

When I sat down to watch “BASIC BLACK”, my first reaction was, “Oh, him?”

I kind of knew him as a comic and as a Daily Show contributor. So what…

An hour later, I am a diehard fan of Lewis Black.

Directed by Adam Dubin, produced by Jack Gulick and Benjamin Brewer and following its success with “Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story”, which has garnered a first-time Emmy nomination for EPIX, the multiplatform service launched by Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate, “BASIC BLACK” is the second in a line-up of non-fiction programming on big-name comics.

In this up-close and intimate documentary that takes us on his recent sold-out tour and behind the scenes of his first EPIX comedy special, “STARK RAVING BLACK”. Interwoven with concert and on-the-road footage, this takes us back to his roots in Detroit, we meet his sweet-natured father and hear about his larger-than-life mother (no wonder, Lewis Black is Lewis Black), we meet friends and colleagues from his days at UNC-Chapel Hill and Yale School of Drama, where he garnered an MFA in Playwriting (he’s written 20+ plays) and from his days as producer, director and resident playwright at the West Bank Café in New York.

He’s outrageous as a comedian; his language is filled with expletives- the f-word is used loudly and often. He’s a loyal friend – as seen with his longtime friendship and professional relationship with comedian, Joe Bowman, who opens for him on the road. He’s a loveable, growling teddy bear; he is curmudgeonly, yet you know there’s vulnerability aplenty; he’s a loud-mouth intellectual; he’s a Midwestern everyman. He’s the heir to the great comics George Carlin and Rodney Dangerfield. More importantly, he’s the voice of our conscious in contemporary America. Here is where he shines – whether you are male, female, no matter what race, color, creed, no matter what age (at age 60, his fans span from 18-80), he dares to say, he shouts, he explodes with what few of us dare to utter, but with what so many of us are thinking, what our own brains are exploding with – that of the insanity of the contemporary life and all the s**t we find ourselves up against – and he, Lewis Black keeps us sane by making us laugh.

Whether seen as a companion piece to “STARK RAVING BLACK” or as a stand-alone, this is a must-see. My next big dream after viewing “BASIC BLACK” is to see Lewis Black in person – but until then…

“BASIC BLACK” premieres Sunday, August 1^st on EPIX and can be seen on OnDemand. Rated TV-MA. 69 minutes.

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Cynthia Kane is a writer, who in January 2007, moved cross-continent from New York City to San Francisco to work in Programming for [ ITVS ] primarily overseeing the International Intiative for funding. Prior she’s had many incarnations from actor to writer to producer. She co-created DOCday on Sundance Channel during her 10-year tenure there.