Patton Oswalt's New Bedford Nightmare Rant Was Peak Improv Comedy
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Phil Devitt
Comedian Patton Oswalt once trashed New Bedford during a show in Boston. He calls into WBSM's The Tim Weisberg Show July 17 ahead of a show in Providence.
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1420 WBSM
While on stage in Boston in 2007, comedian Patton Oswalt started chatting with an audience member from New Bedford.

Oswalt was curious: What's New Bedford like?

Yikes. Let's just say he wasn't talking with the city's tourism director that night. His New Bedford fan painted a rather dark picture of the Whaling City, recounting recent news headlines about drugs and violence.

Oswalt did his job, turning the moment into comedy gold.

"Are you like the nightmare guide of New Bedford?" he asked a few minutes into the interaction.

Calling out to his team, Oswalt said, "No shows in New Bedford. Ever. Ever, ever, ever."

Listen to the NSFW conversation for yourself:

A lot can change in 17 years. Maybe since what some have dubbed Oswalt's "New Bedford rant," the Virginia-born comic has visited the city and seen it's not so bad. Maybe he's dined at The Black Whale like fellow comedian Mark Normand did before his December 2023 set at Fairhaven's Seaport Inn. Maybe, like friend and fellow comedian Eugene Mirman, he has stopped by Purchase Street Records to check out its world-class selection.

READ MORE: 10 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Move to New Bedford

We don't know, but we can ask. Oswalt will appear on WBSM's The Tim Weisberg Show on Wednesday, July 17, 8 a.m., ahead of his July 20 performance at The Vets in Providence. You can listen on 1420 AM, 99.5 FM or on the WBSM app.

Oswalt, 55, is a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning comedian who built his career on detail-rich, razor-sharp writing and colorful delivery.

He also has a long list of film and TV credits including King of Queens, Ratatouille and Parks & Recreation, on which he showed off his impressive Star Wars knowledge in a beautiful filibuster.

Oswalt's new show is called Effervescent, and doesn't he look it in the poster shared by The Vets?

Oswalt's New Bedford bit survives thanks to a low-quality recording posted to YouTube 15 years ago. The comedian was performing at The Roxy, now The Royale, as part of his Comedians of Comedy tour with Maria Bamford and other headliners.

First riffing on the city of Lawrence with someone in the crowd, Oswalt soon turned his attention to New Bedford, becoming more bewildered every time his fan fed him information.

"In the shape of Massachusetts, it's the armpit? Oh, wow."

Later: "There's a national park in the middle of the heroin and the fishing?"

There were times in Oswalt's "rant" when he sounded intrigued, like deep down in his heart he wanted to see what New Bedford was all about.

"Fishing is kind of nice," he said, contrasting New Bedford with Lawrence. "You have fishing. They have abandoned factories and John Cougar Mellencamp songs."