Anthony Jeselnik
Anthony Jeselnik is bringing his signature dark humor to the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore tomorrow as part of his stand-up comedy tour. His jokes are abrasive and have been known to offend, so leave your grandparents at home.
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Jeselnik. As I waited for the interview, I was somewhat apprehensive: What will he be like in real life? Will he say mean things about me? Will another interview of mine have to be canceled because I break down into an emotional mess?
Luckily, Jeselnik is simply a somewhat normal, funny guy with a vision and a staunch moral code that says absolutely nothing is out of bounds. The “somewhat sociopathic” Jeselnik that appears on television is simply a “magnification of [his] artistic ego,” he said.
His TV show, The Jeselnik Offensive, is known for its edgy and offensive humor. Fans can expect exactly this from his stand-up as well, neatly delivered in relatable packages. “I try to keep my jokes evergreen and universal so you can tell them to your friends for the rest of your life,” Jeselnik said. “Anything that should not be joked about, I’ve got at least two jokes about it.”
Controversy in comedy, which surfaces from time to time, most recently became a hot topic with Daniel Tosh’s 2012 rape-joke controversy and radical feminism gaining a vicious second wind. I asked Jeselnik what he thought of the criticism and if he was ever under fire for telling risque jokes.
“Comedy should be above criticism like that,” said Jeselnik. His material often offends people, but Jeselnik eloquently delivered this message to his detractors: “I don’t care. I’ll keep doing it.”
Jeselnik says his goal is not to offend people but to make them laugh at material they otherwise wouldn’t laugh at.
He received the most backfire on the day of the Boston bombings for tweeting, “There are some lines that just shouldn’t be crossed today. Especially the finish line.” This stunt almost got him fired.
But to Jeselnik, this criticism is misplaced. He didn’t mean any disrespect; he was simply “trying to make people laugh on a terrible day.” Yes, the nation was shocked, but isn’t that what the terrorists wanted? By attempting to lighten the mood and create smiles, it could be argued that Jeselnik was actually fighting terrorism in his own way. It was certainly more effective than the millions of Facebook users who ushered their prayers out to Boston and then sat back in their chairs thinking, “I am such a good person,” he said.
Jeselnik can be seen as a less muscular dark knight. He is controversial, but he does stick to his values. He never apologizes for jokes and says that no topic is out-of-bounds. Jeselnik sees comedy as an art form, and like all great artists, he loves to push boundaries..
Perhaps Jeselnik is trying to reform our society, slowly but surely. In a day and age when more and more subjects are being lumped into the “restricted” category, Jeselnik is reminding us all to take everything a little less seriously. Regarding such subjects with extreme deference and fear only empowers them, creating oppressive beasts that smother all they come in contact with. By revering them as such, we allow them to control our lives.
Jeselnik had a segment on his show dealing with cancer, which is, needless to say, a sensitive subject. Yet cancer patients praised this segment of his show because it made them laugh. They were probably tired of being met with wide eyes and pursed lips after informing others of their diagnoses. This is just one example of how, with a little wit and less tiptoeing, sensitive subjects can be tastefully joked about to bring laughter and smiles to places they usually can’t be found.
Or perhaps he just really likes being mean. One of the two.
