Wiley Roberts
A veteran joke mechanic building sturdy material for two-drink rooms.
1 special · 1995
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Wiley Roberts paces a room with the low pulse of a guy who has survived thirty years of modern standup. He does not rush. When he lands a punchline, he lets the laugh crest entirely before he shifts his weight. He works the stage like a guy walking onto a shop floor. He knows exactly where his tools are and how much pressure a distracted crowd requires.
Specials
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Full Frontal Comedy: Episode 5 (L. Black / J. Black / Schimmel / Michaels / Hawkins / Roberts) with Lewis Black, Jack Black & 3 more
A 1995 premium cable showcase featuring an early appearance by Tenacious D.
Showtime · 27 min
On stage
He is a pure comedy lifer. While the industry chases internet metrics or theatrical solo shows, Roberts represents the ground-level reality of the craft. He is the comic setting up his own audio gear in the back of a San Francisco club to record an album, taking his cut of the door, and driving to the next venue.
He structures his sets without sprawling narrative arcs or quiet confessions. He tells sturdy, functional jokes meant to survive the friction of a twenty-dollar cover and a two-drink minimum. He holds onto his premises until they are bulletproof. In a rare move of letting go, he recorded his album Time Capsule specifically to retire an hour of material he had been performing since 1990.
Roberts started in the Bay Area in the 1980s. He caught the peak of the 1990s boom with television spots on Comic View and Full Frontal Comedy, waited out the eventual bust, and never stopped going up.
At a glance
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