NEW YORK - Lewis Black's newest comedy special brings all the same anger; volume and hilarity fans expect but taped on March 13th. It also has an uncanny sense that Black could read the tea leaves.

Black opens the show with "thanks for risking your life to be here," to great applause. It was a punchline that needed no setup.

What You Need To Know

  • Lewis Black performed March 13th as the country was shutting down and even though it was not the original plan, he made a comedy special out of that final performance

  • Looking back at that performance now, Black says some of it is uncanny as he touches on topics including two-day free shipping, fact versus opinion, science deniers, politicians who can't get important work done and more

  • Black is back in the city he loves, NYC, and spent 10 weeks alone in his midtown apartment and knows hoe much we all need a laugh right now

  • Black, the king of the rant, says rants should be about things, not people - unless it's a politician or your boss, that's always acceptable

On Friday March 13th, Comedian Lewis Black was touring as coronavirus was about to shut down the country. It wasn't his intention at the time, but he's turned his performance that night into a comedy special.

"It’s hard to be funny when everything is, well, going so well," he tells the audience to more laughter.

The special, aptly called "Thanks for Risking Your Life" feels a bit like Black had a crystal ball as he takes on science deniers, climate change, fact versus opinion, political incompetence during a crisis, and something unexpected.

"When I was a child, I would get down on my hands and knees and I would pray, please dear God when I get older, please let there be two day free shipping," Black jokes with the audience.

How did he know that during the upcoming crisis, free delivery would be key?

"I didn't. That is truly an accident that I played right into, it is stunning. It’s weird," says Black.

From his midtown Apartment, Black, explained how free shipping became a target for one of his famous rants because audiences have become so divided.

"They're on their side. They each have their sides —you're not going to a football game you idiot! So it took a while to find it, but two-day free shipping, where do we agree? Two day free shipping!" he told us in a Zoom call.

We had to ask the "King of Rants," is there a right and wrong way to rant, especially now when times are so difficult.

"You don't go after people or groups, anything like that, you basically try to rant about things," said Black. But there are exceptions: politicians or your boss.

"I think that kind of rant is perfectly acceptable, and I would even tell your folks over there at NY1 that I've said that you can go in the office anytime and yell whatever you want to yell,” Black told me, though I haven't tried it yet.

As for quarantine, he spent 10 weeks alone in his midtown apartment.

"And that is not healthy, there's nothing healthy about that. It's why they put people in solitary," said Black, ranting.

And it's why he hopes the special gives people a much needed laugh, especially his fellow New Yorkers.

"One of the things people say is 'why didn't you move to LA,' it's because this city is not about that. It's about it's about finance and theater and it's about comedy and it's about really good writers. It's about so many things.

No punchline there, just his love for New York. You can watch Lewis Black in ‘Thanks For Risking Your Life’ on most streaming platforms.

Photo courtesy: Clay McBride