Review: Chris Robinson, Gut Bussa Vol. 1

“I’m horrifying you right now — it’s great,” Chris Robinson offers near the end of Gut Bussa Vol 1, after one joke earns a particularly polarized audience response. The balance between shock and delight can be precarious in stand up, but for the most part, Robinson’s live recording — the Toronto comic’s debut release — finds him able to balance the two with skill.

Robinson’s set spans sex, racial slurs, fatherhood, hockey bros, and, often, more sex. The territory isn’t always new, but his comic talents lie in mapping fresh ideas onto well-explored areas.

Across Gut Bussa Vol 1, Robinson finds unexpected twists and unpredictable punchlines — a fishnet fetish playing out in a grocery store, or a riff on how a porn ad’s challenge impacted his sex life — which shows a stand-up capable of working blue while elevating his insights beyond the subject matter. An album highlight finds Robinson and some friends trying to maintain tough façades in the presence of adorable puppies. Not everything here rises above — Robinson occasionally resorts to cheap shock — but more often than not, he offers a unique and hilarious spin on his chosen topics.

Gut Bussa Vol 1 was released May 31, 2020 on Macaw Studios.
Listen to it here

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