I find Adam Hess extremely funny but I wonder if he needs help. Maybe of the therapy kind or maybe of the directorial kind. Or maybe both. He is the kind of nerdy, neurotic comedian who cracks so many jokes it is sometimes hard to keep up with him. Particularly during the day at a festival in the sun where you might not have had a lot of sleep and are feeling a little delicate.
On the plus side his thoughts, jokes and one-liners are very funny and very original. You just need to concentrate to keep up, which might have been a challenge for some of the more fragile elements of the packed comedy tent. His humour can be on the warped side too. He started out with a few unlikely and not particularly relatable thoughts such as not being able to imagine the Queen with wet hair. Yes Adam, we've all thought that.
But while he delivered his stories and gags at breakneck speed - not bad going considering he said his own hangover was just kicking in – there were plenty of laughs along the way as he talked about dates that had gone tits-up and job interviews that had gone pear-shaped because he ate the wrong kind of fruit during a meeting.
Much of the material came from Hess's last full-length show, but even on second or third hearing it is still funny to hear his account of his break-up – "I wanted to have kids and she wanted to kiss Jack" – and his subsequent search for love. Bowling, he notes, is not an ideal date night as it is impossible for a conversation to flow: "It's too much bowling," he squealed.
There is lots of talent here, I just hope it can be harnessed. He needs to calm down a bit. Maybe Hess should stay off the sugary drinks. If he doesn't drink sugary drinks though I honestly don't know what to suggest. A straitjacket and a bread bin full of Ritalin maybe?
