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Bad Comedy for Bad People

Keith Lowell Jensen

Stand Up! Records · 2018 · 70 min

Cynical but warm storytelling on capitalism, parenting, and teen depression.

Watch on Stand Up! Records(opens in a new tab)

Keith Lowell Jensen has a knack for making heavy, systemic issues feel like conversational fodder you would chuckle over at a bar. He tackles teen depression by analyzing Joy Division t-shirt sales, and structures his thoughts on late-stage capitalism, prison systems, and homelessness around what he calls a modest vegan proposal. It is a set built on skepticism and sharp observation, but delivered with the patient, avuncular vibe of a guy who has spent a lot of time thinking about how absurd the world is.

Recorded live at the Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom, California, Bad Comedy for Bad People was released in 2018 by Stand Up! Records. At the time, the Sacramento-based comedian was expanding his output, following up this release with another album and a book of essays. Notable bits in the set include late-stage sex education and a popular segment about running a Twitter account for his young daughter under the handle @MaxTheTiger. The album topped both the iTunes and Amazon comedy charts shortly after its release.

The set list

4 bits

  1. The sex talk with nephew and bananas

    Recounts when Jensen and his wife gave their nephew a comprehensive sex talk utilizing organic, fair-trade bananas.

  2. Daughter Max and Charlie Chaplin

    Shares anecdotes about his young daughter asking questions while watching Charlie Chaplin's 'Modern Times' and her viral antics on Twitter.

  3. Leviticus tattoo and slippery slope

    Examines Leviticus quotes on homosexuality and imagines gay marriage's 'slippery slope' leading to a peaceful dotage tending bonsai trees, model trains, and fellating his male friends.

  4. Encore: The Lock In

    Reflects on his teenage years, losing his faith, and falling for a religious girl who invited him to an unexpectedly un-innocent church lock-in.

How it plays

Tone
Thoughtful, entertaining, biographical, adult, and at times serious.
On stage
Thoughtful, slightly unpolished storyteller-comic who compares his approach to indie/garage punk rock.
Pace
Engaging and solid narrative momentum transitioning smoothly between odd anecdotes and serious cultural commentary.
About
parenting and daughter Max, sex education, late-stage capitalism, religion and loss of faith, civil rights and gay marriage, incarceration and homelessness

What the critics said

Praised as a solid, thoughtful hour of entertaining storytelling comedy that transitions effectively into serious, adult territory.

In the room: Described as more than willing to enjoy itself.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: flicklist.tv, imdb.com, newsreview.com, deezer.com, theseriouscomedysite.com, keithlowelljensen.com, atheistalliance.org, 15minutesjamieberger.com.

Backstory

Material centered around his family life, including his daughter Max gaining Twitter fame under @MaxTheTiger, giving his nephew the sex talk with his wife, and addressing social themes like capitalism, teen depression, and civil rights.

Details

Released
Taped
2016, Harris Center for the Arts, Folsom
Runtime
70 min
Where
Stand Up! Records
Director
Zac McFarlane
Honors
Hit #1 on the iTunes comedy charts
Topics

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