20

SUNDAY

Before the watermelon hatred, before the sad lawsuits against his own brother for “stealing” an act that had been assigned to him, the original Gallagher was a fairly quick-witted comic more interested in snappy wordplay than fruit demolition. In the middle of the ’80s stand-up boom, he achieved enough nightclub success to be rewarded with an album contract. His self-titled record captured live shows at the Ice House in Pasadena and the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, Calif. The suburban crowds are exceptionally rabid for such observations as “Why do they call them buildings when they’re already done building ’em? They oughta call ’em ‘builts.’ Or ‘crumblings.’” And, “Don’t you wish there were a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence? There’s one marked ‘Brightness,’ but it doesn’t work.” If not for the whole Sledge-O-Matic thing, Gallagher might have taken the high-toned Carlin path. Still, wear your washables when the hammer comes down at 7:30 p.m. (see City List for other dates) at the State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church. $41. (703) 237-0300. (Dave Nuttycombe)