Anthony Jeselnik “Caligula” Album Review (comedy)
review by James Munoz
Anthony Jeselnik
“Caligula”
Comedy Central Records
The art of offending the audience while getting laughs is not something just any smart aleck fuck with a microphone can pull off. In Anthony Jeselnik’s case, he’s adopted an arrogant prick onstage persona in order to get away with the appalling shit that comes out of his mouth. I’m no comedy expert (yes I am, and I prefer to be called “Laugh Master”), but I’m going to guess a domestic violence joke about beating your ex with a baseball bat probably wouldn’t get as many laughs as Jeseilnik does, with his cool, calm, outrageously cocky delivery, and his propensity to let the silence between punchlines do just as much of the work before he bitchslaps you with absolute comedic brutality.
This type of standup isn’t for everyone, but in the “post-Tosh apologizing for rape jokes” era we live in, Caligula is a ballsy performance piece that thrives on the discomfort of the audience. Jeselnik is a king of the burn, as seen on the Comedy Central Roasts of Donald Trump, Charlie Sheen, etc., so torching the virgin ears off a crowd of unsuspecting dipshits was anticipated, but his jokes are so precisely timed and masterfully crafted, you can’t help but respect the bastard. He actually warns you of the carnage to come, but giving a crowd knowledge of the impending firestorm only works to his advantage. Think of it as a nice tease before you get violated in a way you never thought was humanly possible. Like the verse-chorus-verse pop song structure, Jeselnik has achieved awesomeness within the classic 3-part joke formula that constantly keeps you guessing what’s going to come out of his mouth next. As his set progresses, the subject matter (suicide, incest, 9/11) dares the listener to laugh at the punchlines, each one more fucked up than the previous. If you have the guts to take a walk on the dark side and understand this is all an act calculated by a comic mastermind, you will love the Hell out of the sinister son of a bitch Jeselnik morphs into before hitting the stage.
Highlights: 4 jokes about suicide on the track “Suicide Chunk,” the very last joke which will go down in comedy history as the only Casey Anthony joke you ever have to hear, and in a moment of true serendipity, an ambulance siren wails in the distance, to which Jeselnik comments, “This is how hard I’m fucking killing.”
For fans of: Laughing at jokes that would send you to Hell if it existed, and comedy albums that will make you laugh so hard you wreck your shitty car.
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Richard Pryors On Fire
Track List
1. Rape
2. Good Guy
3. Death
4. Bad Dates
5. Ex-Girlfriend
6. Girlfriend
7. All Over the World
8. Delay
9. Father
10. Mother
11. Suicide Chunk
12. Offensive
13. Showstoppers
14. Shut the Fuck Up
Anthony’s Twitter
About the Author
Denise Borders 39, Los Angeles. Denise founded PWV in 2008 and remains the primary manager and photographer/videographer. She is not secretly obsessed with Joey Cape.
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