Mitch Hedberg

Mitchell Lee Hedberg (February 24, 1968 – March 30, 2005)<ref name="nndb" /> was an American stand-up comedian known for his surreal humor and deadpan delivery.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His comedy typically featured short, sometimes one-line jokes<ref name="comedy">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> mixed with absurd elements and non sequiturs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Hedberg's comedy and onstage persona gained him a cult following,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with audience members sometimes shouting out the punchlines to his jokes before he could finish them.<ref name="Fierman">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Early life

Hedberg was born on February 24, 1968, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the son of Arne and Mary (née Schimscha, 1943–2012) Hedberg.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was of Swedish (from his paternal grandparents), Finnish, Czech, and German descent. Hedberg attended Harding High School in Saint Paul.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Diamonds">Template:Cite interview</ref>

Career

Hedberg began his stand-up career in Florida, and after a period of honing his skills, he moved to Seattle and began to tour. He soon appeared on MTV's Comikaze, followed by a 1996 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman that brought him his big break.<ref name="Sebesta">Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> He won the 1997 grand prize at the Seattle Comedy Competition. The next year he appeared in an episode of Fox's series That '70s Show.

In 1999, he completed his own independent feature film, Los Enchiladas!, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in.<ref name="Sebesta"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He recorded three comedy albums: Strategic Grill Locations, Mitch All Together, and Do You Believe in Gosh?, the last released posthumously. He performed at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal three times: in 1998, 2001, and 2004.

Concurrent with his rising fame in the entertainment industry, Hedberg appeared on Letterman nine more times, signed a half-million-dollar deal with Fox for a television sitcom, and was dubbed "the next Seinfeld" by Time magazine.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> George Carlin, Dave Chappelle, Mike Birbiglia, Norm MacDonald and Lewis Black were among his comedian fans.<ref name="Fierman" /><ref>Template:CitationTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Comedians Anthony Jeselnik, Bo Burnham and Ron Funches have listed Hedberg as an influence.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On September 9, 2008, Comedy Central Records released the album Do You Believe in Gosh?, which contained material Hedberg recorded at The Improv in Ontario, California, in January 2005. Hedberg's wife Lynn wrote in the introduction that the performance had been in preparation for a year-end CD recording.<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

Style

Hedberg's stand-up comedy was distinguished by the unique 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 on Strategic 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."<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

Personal life

Hedberg was married to Canadian comedian Lynn Shawcroft from 1999 until his death in 2005.<ref name="nndb">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Hedberg was a frequent recreational 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 of Penthouse. 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."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On June 23, 2003, he was arrested in Austin, Texas, for heroin possession.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On October 12, 2004, Hedberg sat in on the news with Robin Quivers on The Howard Stern Show. He appeared on the show again on March 17, 2005, nearly two weeks before his death, this time with Quivers and Artie 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."

Death

File:Grave of Mitch Hedberg.png

Hedberg's grave in Roseville, Minnesota

On March 30, 2005, Hedberg was found dead in his room at The Westminster Hotel in Livingston, New Jersey.<ref name="Today.com" /> His death was announced by Howard Stern on March 31 but was largely overlooked. As a result of the timing of his death, some people thought it was announced on April 1, and fans believed it was an April Fools' Day joke.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

His death was initially believed to be the result of a congenital heart defect,<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> but in December 2005, the New Jersey Medical Examiner's office reported that he died accidentally as the result of "multiple drug toxicity", including cocaine and heroin.<ref name="Today.com" />

Hedberg's funeral was held at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Woodbury, Minnesota.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His grave is in Roselawn Cemetery, Roseville, Minnesota.

Discography

Mitch Hedberg discography

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<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	CD, LP (2016)
2016	The Complete Vinyl Collection	Comedy Central Records	4×LP

Filmography

Mitch Hedberg film work

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

Television appearances

Mitch Hedberg television work

Year	Title	Role/Info
1995	Comedy Product	citation	CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref>
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

Forthcoming documentary

On August 6, 2024, it was announced via Deadline that a documentary about Mitch's life will be released sometime in 2026.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

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