Sarah Sherman Announces First Comedy Special With Wild Alex Pardee Artwork

Instagram/@sarahsquirm

For this particular special comedy taping, Sherman wanted to make sure that the people would rise up to her energy. Two performances only, titled ‘Sarah Squirm: Live + in the Flesh,’ will take place at The Bell House in Brooklyn on 23 August. A stark, glorious poster-worthy of the occasion-was issued alongside the announcement of the shows, created by artist Alexander Pardee.

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The poster is a glaring extravaganza: a rainbow-striped contorted character to exaggerate Sherman’s brand grotesquely, flirting with horror and humor, an offer, and at the same time, a slight threat. Pardee is no stranger to those undertones having worked in the underground with bands like The Used-the ‘Window Pain’ kind of design that unmistakably spells doom for any project it touches.

Sherman was as upbeat about rallying her followers as the designs from the posters urged by her. She asked her following to come “SCREAMING and dressed in your SARAH SQUIRM BEST” to see what will be an unpredictable event, just like Sherman herself. This caused immediate responses from users and artists commenting in excitement.

One portrayed the poster as a “bloodbath of awesomeness.” Another commented that it “goes HARD,” emphasizing the bare-faced nature of Pardee’s design. The artist jumped into the conversation with a declaration that Sherman’s show would “affect more people than VIDEODROME,” making it a clear nod to the cult film from David Cronenberg, famously associated with body horror themes. The conversation was pure chaotic joy, with Sherman throwing in all capital letters and Pardee recounting near-death memories involving a staged shark attack.

Not all found their humor. One recommended handing out diapers. Sherman admitted that she would rather hand out barf bags-this lines up very nicely with jokes that run all the way into the grotesque. Another fan, very into Sherman’s vibe, expressed real interest as to whether she would ever front a gore-grind band, mixing her brand of comedy with the theatrical extravagance of extreme metal.

The announcement put some folks on nostalgia. One turned into a brief homage to the artists’ older work, including illustrations for Zerofriends and “The Secrets of Hollywood.” The poster’s beauty even struck a few immediately into wondering if prints would eventually be sold.

Sherman live shows have a status of crazy in the best way possible, and this special seems to be putting that energy in a bottle. A fan from one show in Seattle was so taken by Sherman that he said she ought to release a comedy album one day-a “Sarah Squirm splatter vinyl record” along with Redd Foxx and Gilda Radner.

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In just two shows, tickets will be grabbed all too fast. Whether you are a long-time follower of Sherman’s brand of weird brilliance or visited through Pardee’s work, what has to be said is this: This ain’t going to be just any comedy taping. Screaming. Chaotic. Maybe even one that takes a couple of barf bags.