Anyone wondering what comedian Brian Posehn has to do with either stoner culture or heavy music need only listen to a given 30 seconds of his material for their answer. The veteran of Mr. Show and The Comedians of Comedy can currently be found on Comedy Central’s The Sarah Silverman Program, but with his second album of live-recorded standup, Fart and Wiener Jokes (Relapse), Posehn shows the wit and self-deprecation that has carried him along a steady stream of successes since the ‘90s (and I’m sure it was that simple, all the time).

He might just as easily have called it Pot and Metal Jokes, but his title is catchier. The album is a collection of more recent wares (his last Comedy Central special had at least some of it), and as a follow-up to the hilarious Live in: Nerd Rage, fans of Posehn’s work should basically know what to expect by now. His timing and dry delivery do more for him even than what he’s saying; stories about cuddling with his wife, leading, naturally, to a wiener-centric punchline, and hitting people in the face because they use the phrase “Party like a rockstar” would probably fall flat in the hands of a less capable comedian, but Posehn deftly navigates a realm of comedic misanthropy that has as much charm to it as the title of the record would lead you to believe.

And, of course, there’s some metal to be had. Aside from the disc being released via Relapse and the songs tacked onto the end — a funny number called “More Metal than You” and a hardened cover of “The Gambler” — Posehn is a well-known headbanger, and he works that into his act in more than just self-deprecating nerd-isms. I won’t spoil it, but his bit about Slayer will be a high point for anyone who’s ever enjoyed either his or the band’s work, and his opening lines about ordering Wham on iTunes start off the set on just the right note. The digital promo I got of the album had some broken tracks (hazards of the digital age), and there were periodic beeps throughout like I was back in second grade and had to press the button to move to the next projector slide, but if I’m willing to put up with Windows Media Player crashing every fifth track (there are 26 total) and flashbacks of Le Grand Muzzy to make it through Fart and Wiener Jokes, that should say something.

I don’t think you necessarily have to be a fan of Posehn’s work to dig into Fart and Wiener Jokes (the title being both ironic and somewhat true as regards what the disc actually contains), but followers who’ve not yet heard it will definitely appreciate the set. If you’ve ever gotten into the standup work of Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman or Eugene Mirman and somehow missed Posehn or not realized who he was — the big dude with the beard — the release of Fart and Wiener Jokes is as good a time as any to get caught up. Plus, he’s metal, and you gotta support that.

Brian Posehn on MySpace

Relapse Records

Tags: Brian Posehn, California, Encino, Relapse

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 10:42 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.