Review:

Atheist Comedian

Eddie Izzards

Force Majeure
by Becky Garrison

elebrated as a national
treasure in the United
Kingdom,
Eddie
Izzard claims the
moniker of actor, comic, marathon-runner,
and aspiring politician. A very short list
of his acting credits include Hannibal
and United States of Tara on television;
Valkyrie, Oceans Twelve, and Oceans
Thirteen on the big screen; and the David
Mamet plays Race and The Cryptogram
on stage. In 2012, Izzard spoke at the the
Reason Rally, in Washington, D.C., a
gathering on the National Mall of 20,000
Atheists, humanists, and freethinkers cosponsored by American Atheists.
This summer in Portland, I had the
opportunity to see Izzard during the U.S.
leg of his Force Majeure world tour. In his
previous stand-up show, Stripped, Izzard
went gonzo against god, speculating on
what the creator would say about biblical
historySorry about the slavery. Couldnt
get the staff. They seemed to like it.and
asking questions like, If there was a God,
dont you think he would have flicked Hitlers
head off?

Charles the First said he was appointed by God! We cut

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3RD QUARTER 2015

Izzard interprets Hallelujia! along the lines of Yabba-dabba-do!

This time around, he adopts a more playful riff. Force
Majeure opens with him pointing out the difference
between a human sacrifice (performed to appease a god
and therefore a good thing) and murder. And then theres
execution: Charles the First claimed the kingships of
England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. And he said he was
appointed by God! We cut his head off, nothing happened,
so apparently not. Then he moved into his interpretation
of a crazed Martin Luther ranting in German as he nails
his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of Wittenbergs Castle
Church. Like many of Izzards routines, the humor comes
not from individual jokes but his surreal, revisionist take on
world history.
Other historical characters parodied include Constantine,
whom Izzard critiques for his move away from multiple gods
toward one God. While Izzard calls Constantines actions
bullshit, he does cite the benefits of god-consolidation.
Do you spend many hours every day praying to Jeff, the
god of sandwiches, Roger, the god of baked potatoes,
Kenneth, the god of helicopters, and Chavaugh, the
god of dangerous spelling? Izzard offers an easy, failsafe solution: For one easy prayer every day, you can
pray for helicopters, sandwiches, baked potatoes, and
dangerous spelling. Dont get let down piecemeal by
multiple gods not answering your prayers one by one.
Why not get let down in one big go by the Christian
God not answering your prayers?
Other ridiculed rituals include the Christian use of
Hallelujah! Izzard interprets the word as being along
the lines of Yabba-dabba-do! which for him means
many positive things. Here Izzard doesnt damn those
who believe. Rather, he observes that replacing God
with humanity conveys the same meaning of doing
goodsans the religious baggage.
Those familiar with Izzards work will revel in his recreation

The fight ends when god is revealed

to be Steve from catering.
of the Death Star Canteen, though this time he adds in a
religious twist. God, the self-choosing chosen one, meets Lord
Vader. In this segment, Izzard reinforces humanitys need for
god to have a commanding voice similar to Darth Vader, as
opposed to the high-pitch squeals of a Catholic choir boy.
Instead of battling the dark forces of evil, these two overlords
fight over who gets the last spaghetti a la carbonara. The fight
ends when God is revealed to be Steve from catering, the guy
who saved the day in the original Death Star Canteen skit by

Eddie Izzard at Reason Rally, Washington, D.C., 2012

Photo above by John Welte, photo at left by Amanda Searle

throwing cafeteria trays. The two men agree to share their

spaghetti a la carbonara, and life returns to the surreal state of
equilibrium that has come to define Izzards humor.
With his U.S. tour concluded in September, he headed to
France for a series of shows in September and October, which
he will perform in French. Hes also announced plans to learn
Spanish, Russian, and Arabic so that he can perform the show
in even more parts of the world.
Izzard fans may be lamenting his promised disappearance
from the world of entertainment as he prepares to run for
either Mayor of London, or possibly a seat in Parliament, in
2020. But with a number of projects in the works, including
the dramatic film Boychoir, the animated film Tibetan Rock
Dog, the science-fiction comedy Absolutely Anything written
and directed by Monty Python alum Terry Jones, and a talentholding deal with NBC, Izzard hasnt sung his final swan song.
Go to EddieIzzard.com for news, photos, merchandise,
emailed updates, and to download nine of his stand-up
shows on iTunes.

Becky Garrison is a satirist and storyteller. To learn more about her

projects, go to BeckyGarrison.com or @Becky_Garrison on Twitter.

his head off, nothing happened, so apparently not.

3RD QUARTER 2015

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