by **** (out of 5)
Garrett Millerick has been coming to the Fringe for 22 years now, and at first glance, nothing seems different at all, except for his physical looks, having dropped a bunch of weight this year. He had weighed in at 20 stone, with a reputation preceding him as a fat fuck-up. That might be grand for comedy, not so great for living in the real world.
The younger, fatter, drunker, coked-up Millerick might want to chastise the audience for even coming to Edinburgh, when it’s so expensive now that they could’ve spent their money to holiday in the Maldives. Or locals could’ve rented out their flats for even more money and gone on holiday essentially for free. So why are they here? And how can anyone be depressed when we’re told we’ve never had it better?
For one thing, popular culture just keeps regurgitating our childhood faves to profit off of our nostalgia. Meanwhile, our friends and strangers alike are all on some charity grift, raising money so they can do the things they love or better themselves. Why not just do those things without grandstanding about it? Just give the money! Just do the things! Millerick mocks them long enough to still get loud, sweaty and red in the face.
But there is something decidedly different about Millerick now. And it’s not just the weight loss. He reports that after 90 days of rehab, he’s more than four months sober now. And he only just wrote this hour in the past month. Which leads to quieter moments, and happier moments for him. Because he can express gratitude now. Not just for those of us who might want to holiday at the Fringe and see 5 shows by 5 p.m., which he can now see as a cool and happy thing to do, not just for us, but also for himself. For at least an hour a day, we can all see that we’re not quite so mental. And neither is he.
Garrett Millerick: Never Had It So Good runs through Aug. 27 at Monkey Barrel Comedy, The Tron
