Mitch Hedberg

Guide Note

American stand-up Comedian Mitch Hedberg was known for his subdued, almost deadpan delivery style and distinct pronunciation.

His routines were comprised mainly of observational humor and relied heavily on the use of one-liners, non-sequiturs and puns.

Hedberg struggled with severe stage fright before and during his stand-up career. He often performed his routines with his eyes closed, wearing sunglasses, with his face obscured by his trademark long hair, or sometimes even with his back to the audience.

Hedberg produced two comedy CDs: Strategic Grill Locations in 1999 and Mitch All Together in 2003.

In 1999, Hedberg wrote, directed, produced and starred in the independent film, Los Enchiladas.

Hedberg also had bit parts in the movies Lords of Dogtown and Almost Famous.

Hedberg died from heart failure in his room at the age of 37. He was preparing for an upcoming HBO comedy special at the time.

At the time of his death, it was speculated that his heart failure may have been caused by a heart defect for which he was treated as a child. However, the autopsy report showed that he had toxic levels of drugs, including heroin and cocaine in his system at the time of death.

Fast Facts

1. Full name: Mitchell Lee Hedberg
2. Birth date: February 24, 1968
3. Birth place: Saint Paul, Minnesota
4. Date of death: March 29, 2005
5. Place of death: Livingston, New Jersey
6. Married Lynn Shawcroft in 1999
7. Comedic style compared to that of Steven Wright

Quotes

1. "I want to be a race car passenger. Just a guy who bugs the driver. 'Say, man, can I turn on the radio?' 'You should slow down.' 'Why we gotta keep going in circles?' 'Man, you really like Tide.'"
2. "I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it so that it achieves it's maximum flavor potential."
3. I went camping once, and got into an argument with a girlfriend in the tent. This is a really bad place to get in an argument, because I walked out and attempted to "slam the flap." How are you supposed to express your anger in this type of situation? Zipper it up really quick? *Zipper Noise* F*ck you!
4. You know, I'm sick of following my dreams, man. I'm just going to ask where they're going and hook up with 'em later.
5. I want to hang a map of the world in my house then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations that I've travelled to. But first I'm gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map so it won't fall down.