Judah Friedlander rips audience (in a good way)

The only things Judah Friedlander isn’t good at are organization, math and reading. But, he’s an extra dark black belt in karate and can “weight lift weight lifters while they’re lifting weights.”

“My role model is me in the future,” he said Saturday at the Comedy Attic. “I just got a trophy for modesty.”

Friedlander visited the Attic Friday and Saturday as part of a stand-up tour that included performances in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.

Known for his wide collection of trucker hats and his role as Frank on “30 Rock,” Friedlander walked on stage wearing a jean jacket that proclaimed his status as “World Champion” and a trucker hat with the same message written in Braille.

“The streets of Bloomington are tough,” he said. “You look at someone the wrong way and they’ll unfollow you on Twitter.”

Friedlander moved around the stage with a laid-back ease, resting his arm against the wall and pulling the mike towards him.

Then excited, he leaned forward to point at his next victim.

Unlike other comedians that travel through the Attic, Friedlander based his show on audience interaction.

“What do you do?” was his weapon of choice, and each person’s answer always resulted in an “Oh, me too” from Friedlander.

Every exchange was an opportunity to brag about his talents.

“I beat Lance Armstrong on a unicycle,” Friedlander said. “He had one ball; I had one wheel. I won.”
Bloomington resident Shawn Keown sat on the far left side of the stage, nearly hidden from view. He said he hoped Friedlander wouldn’t talk to him since his whole act was calling on people and ripping them apart, but Keown was out of luck.

“Where do you work?” Friedlander asked, pointing at Keown.

“Stonebelt,” Keown replied.

“What is Stonebelt?”

And Keown, without missing a beat: “It’s like karate.”

Bloomington resident and computer programmer Charles Grant, on the same side of the room, wasn’t so ready.

“What kind of computer do you have?” Friedlander asked.

“Oh, you know,” Grant said, shrugging.

“Yeah, I know,” Friedlander said. “Oh, you’re trying to get me to guess what kind of computer you have. You’re too cool to tell me. ‘Oh, you know.’”

“I actually have a lot of computers,” Grant said after the show. “Well, I use a Mac. I didn’t know how to answer the question.”

While he may have been picked on during the show, Keown said he enjoyed Friedlander’s performance.

“It wasn’t pre-recorded,” Keown said. “It was very original.”