By David Himmel

Brian Babylon, who calls himself the Prince of Bronzeville when shadowboxing in his bathroom mirror each morning, has released his first comedy album, Babylon Ball Z. It will probably make you laugh.

Babylon was a Chicago staple. A man of the scene. A regular panelist on NPR’s Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me and host of Vocalo’s The Morning AMP as well as hosting Chicago’s first Moth at Martyrs’. It was at this Moth where my wife and I first got to know each other while talking throughout every single storyteller. But three years ago, Babylon said goodbye to all of it to head to Los Angeles in the pursuit of comedy and clydesdales. Yes, the horses. Having the ability to purchase every clydesdale in the world is Babylon’s mark of success. He allows us to hold him to this goal by discussing it with his San Francisco audience in attendance at the recording of the album right at the start.

Babylon is comfortable behind a microphone and in front of an audience. It’s clear he’s seasoned. He delivers his jokes in the casual way the funny guy at the dinner party works bits when the other guests submit and yield the living room to him. The difference is that It’s not annoying. He avoids using his comedy on Babylon Ball Z to make any political manifestos or plant any flags along the line drawn in the sand of the zeitgeist. When he does discuss socio-political topics, he does so in a fun and unique way. Like with his cartoon idea where Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. are roommates.

There are true LOL moments on this album. The insight that best hit home with me was on the track “Part-Time Believer.” I have a friend who has long been adamant that Stevie Wonder can actually see. Babylon addresses the issue of faux blindness when he asks how that blind guy holding a bag of dog shit got that dog shit into the bag?

Give Babylon Ball Z a listen. Buy it. Because Babylon needs the money if he’s going to buy all the world’s clydesdales.

Babylon Ball Z — Brian Babylon
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