Daniel Tosh-Completely Serious: Grade A

A

Daniel Tosh: Completely Serious (2007)

Daniel Tosh.

This young standup is popular with college crowds, probably because his humor is slightly more cerebral than the run of the mill. He has obviously studied Dennis Miller and is fond of arcane allusions and long setups. Also like Miller, his material tends to be sarcastic yet well-observed and well-spoken. His Christian emphasis is offered with a light touch (as is the cross on the DVD cover), and is not offensive. What’s new about his act is the way he jokes about his own jokes (metajoking), drawing the audience’s attention to the joke structure and his writing skill. Example: “Notice how that joke had apples, pteradactyls and vaginas in it. How often does that happen?” All comics do metajoking to some extent, but Tosh raises it to a new level. It’s funny in a self-deprecating way and it flatters the intelligence of the audience.