Back in Spite of Popular Demand

Recorded at The Portland Performing Arts Center in 1985, this performance became the basis for Tim's second Maine PBS prime-time TV special, as well as his second LP for the Bert and I company. In the two years since the release of Downeast Standup, Tim had been busy with over 150 shows a year, and the maturation of his stage presence and storytelling style is evident here. At this point in his career, Tim was building a national reputation and a loyal fan base for his ability to forge an unlikely and unique blend of traditional Maine dialectal storytelling and completely off-the-wall stand up comedy.

If you don't know what that sounds like on stage, the "Mr. Coffee I.V. Tale" is a perfect example. The "Strict Carnivore" routine has Tim departing from Maine humor entirely, with hilarious results; it had been a staple of Tim's stage show since his days as a teenage front man for rock bands in the 60s. Speaking of rock bands, this recording also contains Tim's original song "Takin' Comfort", with lyrics based on a poem by 19th- and early 20th-century Maine humorist and storyteller Holman Day.