Barry Crimmins: Political Satirist

I pull punches too easily. The bile rises, I set pocketknife to carving a new rectum on the little dictator, and minutes later I’m penning toothless jeremiads about “the current resident of, uh, um, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.” Barry Crimmins, however, goes with his gut. To understand where this Boston comic is coming from, go to his Web site, click “screeds” and scroll down to his essay on the relevance of Mark Twain, “Sympathy for the Devil’s Advocate.” Then go back to his main page and click “quips.” If you love vitriolic political humor and you aren’t a member of the subspecies of human that gets all dewy eyed whenever Ronald Reagan’s name is mentioned, you may fall off your chair laughing. Crimmins, like old issues of Mad magazine, goes for the jugular—usually that of a certain court-appointed regime headed by a clone of Mad mascot Alfred E. Neuman. It’s a great place to start your morning.