| Mitch Hedberg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Mitchell Lee Hedberg |
| Born | (1968-02-24)February 24, 1968 Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | March 30, 2005(2005-03-30) (aged 37) Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.[1] |
| Medium | Stand-up |
| Years active | 1989–2005 |
| Genres | |
| Subject(s) | |
| Spouse | |
| Notable works and roles | Strategic Grill Locations Mitch All Together Do You Believe in Gosh? |
| Website | mitchhedberg.net |
Mitchell Lee Hedberg (February 24, 1968 – March 30, 2005)[2] was an Americanstand-up comedian known for hissurreal humor anddeadpan delivery.[3] His comedy typically featured short, sometimesone-line jokes[4] mixed with absurd elements andnon sequiturs.[5]
Hedberg's comedy and onstage persona gained him acult following,[6] with audience members sometimes shouting out the punchlines to his jokes before he could finish them.[7]
Hedberg was born on February 24, 1968, inSaint Paul, Minnesota, the son of Arne and Mary (née Schimscha, 1943–2012) Hedberg.[8][9] He was of Finnish-Swedish (from his paternal grandparents), Czech, and German descent. Hedberg attendedHarding High School in Saint Paul.[10] Hedberg said he was a good student, and often ahead of the rest of the class, but got bored and lost interest around 10th grade, when he started cutting classes. He struggled to graduate from high school, and did not attend college.[11]
Hedberg began his stand-up career inFlorida, and after a period of honing his skills, he moved toSeattle and began to tour. He soon appeared onMTV'sComikaze, followed by a 1996 appearance on theLate Show with David Letterman that brought him his big break.[12] He won the 1997 grand prize at the Seattle Comedy Competition. The next year he appeared in an episode ofFox's seriesThat '70s Show.
In 1999, he completed his own independent feature film,Los Enchiladas!, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in.[12][13] He recorded three comedy albums:Strategic Grill Locations,Mitch All Together, andDo You Believe in Gosh?, the last released posthumously. He performed at theJust for Laughs comedy festival inMontreal three times: in 1998, 2001, and 2004.
Concurrent with his rising fame in the entertainment industry, Hedberg appeared onLetterman nine more times, signed a half-million-dollar deal with Fox for a television sitcom, and was dubbed "the nextSeinfeld" byTime magazine.[14]George Carlin,Dave Chappelle,Mike Birbiglia,Norm MacDonald andLewis Black were among his comedian fans.[7][15] ComediansAnthony Jeselnik,Bo Burnham andRon Funches have listed Hedberg as an influence.[16][17][18]
Hedberg's stand-up comedy was distinguished by theunique manner of speech he adopted later in his career, his abrupt delivery, and his unusual stage presence. His act usually consisted of compact one- or two-liners and longer routines, often with each line as a punchline.
Hedberg occasionally added disclaimers to the end of a joke if it was not sufficiently well received, frequently variations on "that joke's dumb, I'm aware of that." During recordings for CDs, he would often say that he would find a way to edit a failed gag to make it seem well-received, for example by "adding laughter" to a failed joke containing arithmetic. Following such a failure onStrategic Grill Locations, Hedberg suggested, "All right... that joke is going to be good because I'm going to take all the words out and add new words. That joke will be fixed."[19]
Comedy Central Records released an album,Do You Believe in Gosh? on September 9, 2008, that contained material Hedberg recorded atThe Improv inOntario, California, in January 2005. His wife, Lynn, wrote in the introduction that the performance had been in preparation for a year-end CD recording.[20]
Hedberg was married to Canadian comedian Lynn Shawcroft from 1999 until his death in 2005.[2][21]
Hedberg was a frequentrecreational drug user, mentioning it in some of his jokes (e.g., "I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too"). He was interviewed by Jonathan Davis in the December 2001 issue ofPenthouse. In the interview, published three years before his death, he was asked, "If you could choose, how would you end your life?" He replied, "First, I'd want to get famous, and then I'd overdose. If I overdosed at this stage in my career, I would be lucky if it made the back pages."[22][23] On June 23, 2003, he was arrested in Austin, Texas, forheroin possession.[24] On October 12, 2004, Hedberg sat in on the news withRobin Quivers onThe Howard Stern Show. He appeared on the show again on March 17, 2005, two weeks before his death, this time with Quivers andArtie Lange present, and briefly discussed his drug use, saying: "Well, you know, I got the drugs under control now." Stern asked, "Do you? You know how to take them responsibly?" Hedberg replied, "Yeah, you know, just for the creative side of it."
On March 30, 2005, Hedberg was found dead in his room at The Westminster Hotel inLivingston, New Jersey.[1] His death was announced byHoward Stern on March 31, but was largely overlooked. As a result, some people thought it was announced on April 1, and fans believed it was anApril Fools' Day joke.[25]
His death was initially believed to be the result of a congenital heart defect,[26] but in December 2005, theNew JerseyMedical Examiner's office reported that he died accidentally as the result of "multiple drug toxicity", includingcocaine andheroin.[1]
Hedberg's funeral was held at St. Ambrose Catholic Church inWoodbury, Minnesota.[27] His grave is in Roselawn Cemetery, Roseville, Minnesota.
| Year | Title | Label | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Strategic Grill Locations | Comedy Central Records | CD (self-released), CD (2003/2010), 2xLP (2017) |
| 2003 | Mitch All Together | Comedy Central Records | CD/DVD, LP (2017) |
| 2008 | Do You Believe in Gosh? | Comedy Central Records[28] | CD, LP (2016) |
| 2016 | The Complete Vinyl Collection | Comedy Central Records | 4×LP |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Los Enchiladas! | Lee | Writer/Director |
| 2000 | Almost Famous | Eagles Road Manager | |
| 2005 | Lords of Dogtown | Urethane Wheels Guy | Posthumous release |
| Year | Title | Role/Info |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Comedy Product | Himself[29] |
| 1998 | That '70s Show | Season 1, episode 11, as Frank (Chef at the Hub) |
| Premium Blend | Season 2, episode 1, as Himself | |
| Late Show with David Letterman | Himself (11 episodes) | |
| 1999 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Himself (2 episodes) |
| Comedy Central Presents | Himself | |
| The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn | Himself | |
| Home Movies | Several roles (4 episodes) | |
| 2001 | Ed | Season 1, episode 10, as Dave |
| Just for Laughs in Montreal | Himself | |
| Late Friday | Himself | |
| 2002 | Saddle Rash | Various voices |
| 2003 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Himself (2 episodes) |
| Crank Yankers | Himself | |
| 2004 | Shorties Watchin' Shorties | Season 1, episode 9, as Himself |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
