Ali Siddiq’s comedy captures pretty average situations on his album, Damaged Goods, out September 16th. He covers the psychological basics such as describing his mother while he jabs about the “I can’t live without you” type of love. He transitions to his negligent father, then his disappointing children, and a surface idea of being a black man living in a white gated community. The ideas of race never delve too deep into controversy, but he does add a fun spin into watermelon’s viagra-like properties. There is one bit about his son that teeters the line and reveals something may be off with the comic. The joke is based on how his son is awful at basketball, and he is convincingly dark and funny on how he feels about winning the game. Arguably, this is perhaps where Siddiq becomes the misfit or damaged goods. The comic’s routine consists of small glimpses into this world.
Siddiq crafts laughter using wordplay and storytelling. The bit about his daughter being a “Black Seal,” which he explains is not racist- she’s just really fast at swimming- is a great example of him at his strongest. He sets up the joke through a story arc. He describes his daughter’s arrogance, and that gets a great momentum of laughter. The image of a daddy’s princess is not too far fetched. When he arrives to height of the punch, Siddiq uses wordplay to touch racism and to encapsulate a silly twist. It’s that twist that takes the album forward.
This strength comes to play more than once, profoundly in the more mundane topics like looking for cheap deals and later again in what age is an adult. In the cheap deal premise, he delivers a crystal clear stance. He is going to boast about his $8 shoes. He is going to haggle about a supposed $9 shirt. When he can’t find a pair of shoes in his size, he considers purchasing a pair that is a half size bigger or smaller. The joke ends on a pointed observation, “Women been sacrificing the baby toe for a long time.” It is is an understated, funny generalization. This unambiguousness appears when he quips on talking to people under the age of 25. Adult thinking begins from the result of anticipating 30. It’s funny, and whether or not it is a direct causation, the observation feels true and amusing.
Not all of his generalizations feel as successful as the baby toe, but he seems to riffing from his experience. His honest telling-how-it-is works for the album’s audience. As he states within the premise of one joke, “I’m different; I judge everything.” If being damaged goods means humorously vocalizing judgements, then judge away, Siddiq, judge away.
You can pick up your copy of Ali Siddiq’s Damaged Goods right here. And be sure to watch his episode of The Half Hour on Comedy Central Saturday September 17th at 12midnight.
