On this episode of Our American Stories, stand-up comedian Mitch Hedberg was once called “the next Jerry Seinfeld,” but his comedy was unmistakably his own. A master of the one-liner in the tradition of Henny Youngman, Hedberg built a following with surreal observations and a laid-back delivery that felt effortless. Few knew that behind the calm presence was a deep fear of performing on stage. Our own Greg Hengler shares the story of Mitch Hedberg’s life, comedy, and the legacy of a performer who changed stand-up by keeping it simple.
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