• Artist: Patton Oswalt
• Album: Werewolves And Lollipops
• Label: Sub Pop
• Release: 2007
• Links: Official Site

I never imagined that I would have so much in common with comedian Patton Oswalt. On Oswalt’s second comedy album (and first for Sub Pop), Werewolves And Lollipops, there is a track entitled “Sterling, Virginia.” When I saw this, my jaw literally dropped. With the exception of one year, I have lived in Sterling my entire life. Little did I know that Oswalt grew up in Sterling and graduated from one of the area high schools. He portrays Sterling as a dreary small town, which is exactly what it was in the 80’s when Oswalt lived here. Since Oswalt has left, Loudoun County (where Sterling is located) has become the fastest growing county in the nation. Ironically, I believe that Oswalt would be proud to learn that Sterling is still painfully average despite the population burst that has taken place over the last ten years.

Oswalt moved to Los Angeles in 1995 and began working the stand-up circuit. He has appeared in many television shows and several films. Oswalt was a recurring character on CBS’s The King Of Queens, which just ended a nine year run. Recently, he contributed his voice to the lead character of Pixar’s Ratatouille. Werewolves And Lollipops is culled from a December 2006 performance at the Cap City Comedy Club in Austin, Texas. The performance finds Oswalt riffing on everything from his disgust for KFC’s Famous Bowls (”America Has Spoken”) to his hatred for the Star Wars prequels (”At Midnight I Will Kill George Lucas With A Shovel”) and Arch Campbell, the terrible film critic on the local NBC news in D.C. (”The Gatekeepers Of Coolness”). Oswalt succeeds wonderfully in expressing his frustration towards America’s endless obsession with celebrity. Being a pop culture geek himself, he is well versed in this department.

At times, Oswalt’s off-the-wall antics sell him short (”Clean Filth”), but usually it is part of his abrasive charm. He can take simple topics and inject incredible insight into them. Oswalt isn’t going to expand your mind, but he is no dope. He went to William & Mary and lived to tell about it (”Physics For Poets”). I’ve never been quite sure if the high suicide rates at W&M are an urban legend, but the (supposedly) rigorous Virginia school certainly helped Oswalt prepare for Los Angeles, an even more difficult environment. It is entirely possible that I am reading too much into this though. I’d like to hear Patton’s thoughts on that. Oswalt is the anti-celebrity. He’s a guy from Sterling, Virginia who just happens to have landed himself in the middle of the manure pile that is Hollywood. On Werewolves And Lollipops, he invites us into his circle. The man can tell a good story and as a Sterling resident, I’m proud to have him as one of our few famous patrons.

(8/7/07)

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