Our take
As much as the Alabama-bred stand-up comic doesn’t fit into the stereotype of someone with an online presence, Dusty Slay’s comedy special can’t help but feel like you’re scrolling through the Twitter feed of someone’s funny but incoherent (and most likely high) thoughts. There isn’t much connective tissue to be found in Workin’ Man, which doesn’t necessarily weaken his jokes—many of which are actually these amusing, absurd observations on everyday life—but definitely makes all the little silences feel much longer, and leaves you looking for some sort of primary theme to really bring the show home. Still, the fact that a self-proclaimed stoner is actually this normal and unassuming (as opposed to a few other comics who can get dark and aggressive with their drug-related content) is pretty refreshing, all things considered.
Streaming arrival
The story
Comedian Dusty Slay serves up his distinctive homespun humor on shirt-tucking, hipster coffee shops and country music mysteries.
The Southern comedian shares his thoughts on drugs, country music, and the odd jobs he used to work at.
Because this special can be so all-over-the-place, any moment when Dusty makes a successful callback feels all the more special. There still aren't that many of them throughout the hour, but the very last joke he makes is pretty clever, and definitely leaves both he and the live audience on a high (no pun intended) note. It's well-timed, fairly unexpected, and communicates a slight change in tone that Dusty is smart enough not to emphasize too much.
Warning: may be hard to concentrate on this stand-up special when Dusty's entire head of hair is this magnificent to behold.
The details
Who picked it
Emil Hofileña is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. He also writes as a theater critic, with work published in Rogue and Out of Print, among others. He’s probably crying over a movie or an episode as we speak.
Skip it. Been watching it for 20 minutes and haven’t laughed once. Maybe if you’re an older conservative who needs “clean” humor and wants a more toned down version of Larry the Cable Guy, he might do it for you.