dan's jams - music reviews

In case you didn't know, Joe Rogan was originally a comedian. Yeah, that same guy that was on Girls Gone Wild videos, Ultimate Fighting Chamionship play-by-play, and of course, the ubiquitous Fear Factor. A fact that he, in various moments on this 2007 stand-up CD, ruse, laments, and accepts resignedly, while taking cracks at himself in the process.

But this CD is about far more than some dumpy old TV shows. Rogan really lets his personality shine through on this disc, exposing an hilarious comedian who isn't afraid to take a potshot at anyone, but is also humane enough to know when he's about to cross the line between "shocking" and "unbearably rude". I don't know about you, but to me, that's the perfect mix. I love a lot of shocking humor, but when it crosses that line (Dice, Lisa Lampanelli, Dane Cook on occassion), it can lose it's magic and become an uncomfortable, embarrassing thing to bear witness to. And that's exactly where Joe never finds himself, no matter how often he toes that line.

He packs in plenty of things to make you think while you're laughing about it all, as well: if we're so much smarter than our predecessors, why can't the average guy on the street explain how a camera works, why thumping a microphone is loud, or make a bullet? if you were left alone, in the woods, with a hatchet, how long before you could send us an email? Why are people so fascinated with earthbound landmarks like the Grand Canyon, when you can look up into the night sky and see the most amazing stuff you've ever seen - gigantic nuclear explosions billions of miles away that go on forever - meanwhile, people looking at the Grand Canyon are really just looking at a ditch.

Excellent stand-up comedy CD.