He's the Bomb

After a long absence from stand-up, Joe Rogan returns with killer material

Jester’s Blog doubted Joe Rogan’s comedy bona fides following his questionable accusations that Carlos Mencia steals from other comics, but whether that charge is true or not, Rogan has proved all over again that he is indeed a master of stand-up, with his new CD, “Shiny Happy Jihad” (to purchase, click here).

Rogan’s latest is his first in seven years, likely because he was committed to his role as host of reality TV series “Fear Factor,” something he nearly apologizes for to start off this 70-plus minute set. At very least, Rogan has shown he can deliver a long solid set, especially when compared to Mencia’s “Take A Joke America” album, that clocks in at just about 50 minutes.

With his new disc, Rogan also delivers some truly inspired bits, even worthy of being called Carlin-esque, such as “Dumb People Out-Breeding Smart People Explains The Pyramids.” This bit challenges the audience with the idea that very few people actually know how all our technology works, with the question, “If you were left in the woods with just an ax, how long would it take you to send an e-mail?”

A couple more high notes -- Rogan’s rag on people who love animals more than humanity, saying that beached whales is just natural selection -- weeding out the “retarded ones.” “‘Hey you’re headed for the rocks,’ the other whales tell them. ‘Shut up, fag,’ they answer back as they go on obliviously.”

“Osama Is Right Out of a Comic Book” and “In Search of Noah’s Ark” also stand out in Rogan’s set. The first bit being self-explanatory (evil villain who is actually a millionaire and has a hidden lair) and the second pointing at the same absurdity of the Bible story that Bill Cosby pointed out decades ago, only in a novel way -- i.e. “an eight-year-old retarded boy would have questions.”

Best of all is another religious poke, from Rogan’s Catholic background -- that the ritual of confession is a cosmic joke of some sort -- take the priest who’s not supposed to have sex or even masturbate, and put him in a dark chamber and make him listen to everyone else’s sex stories.

What all these examples show is that Rogan’s got a unique and inventive comic mind (or maybe as he humbly says between bits, it’s the pot-smoking), and he’s shown that he’s back as a formidable stand-up.