Aziz Ansari "Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening" (Comedy Central Records) GRADE: B
Sounds like: an overly-caffeinated pop culture snark-fest.
Aziz Ansari has seen his stock rise dramatically in the comedy world over the last few years. After starting as an intern at the Onion, his sketch comedy troupe Human Giant became one of the few watchable scripted programs in MTV’s arsenal. His turn in NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” is stitch-inducing, as he steals each scene he shows up in. And his tiny role as a scathing parody of Dane Cook known as Raaaaaaaandy (the eight A’s are integral to the character) in Judd Apatow’s film “Funny People” ended up as a cult favorite. A mockumentary about his character even became part of the movie’s promotional campaign. The handful of scenes he appears in end up as the parts to watch, almost without fail.
That’s why, on the surface, his standup album is so disappointing. Ansari works with mostly unoriginal material, with references that are either already dated or will be soon. He throws around bits about Craigslist, Facebook, MTV and “The Dark Knight” with punch lines that have been done better in other mediums. Much like more maligned comics (Cook comes to mind, as well as Carlos Mencia), Ansari relies on delivery rather than punch lines, allowing his frenetic pace and penchant for yelling evoke much of the humor. But it would all be much less enjoyable if he weren’t so likeable.
When Ansari is at his best, the jokes are long stories that have a mixture of false cockiness and actual self-deprecation that makes the whole thing more endearing than it seems initially. Long skits about his success at tricking cashiers at CVS and harassing his cousin on Facebook are only funny because of the absurdity of his confidence about such a small thing.
Contrasted with this, his long bits on his friendship with Kanye West (which are worth listening to if only to reinforce every known stereotype about Kanye West) and getting yelled at for having a runny nose on an airplane are hysterical because of his own self-awareness of the absurdity of his own life. Notably, the last track is done completely in character as Raaaaaaaandy, bringing back all of the ironic dick-punch jokes and featuring his overly enthusiastic DJ, who highlights each punch line with the most annoying artificial sounds possible. It’s perhaps a bad choice, as it allows us to see the similarities between his ironic persona and his actual jokes.
You can reach this writer at mrichardson@theeagleonline.com.
