— Daniel Tosh
Daniel Tosh. His name has garnered quite a bit of recognition over the last few years, no doubt due to his envelop-pushing comedy bits and “Tosh.O” gig on Comedy Central. And he’s only getting bigger — his latest comedy special, “Happy Thoughts,” premiered last Saturday on Comedy Central.
For those of you unaware of the comedy stylings of Tosh, be warned: He’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Tosh is an observational comedian who tends to mock outward trends, religions, celebrities, ways of life, what have you, and he could care less if you find him to be overly offensive. He is as honest as you can get when it comes to blunt, direct, in-your-face comedy, and there’s no looking back and no mind for the audience’s ‘awws’ that his jokes have gone too far.
During “Happy Thoughts,” Tosh’s third comedy special, the comedian touches on the topics of domestic violence (“People say there’s no excuse for domestic violence. To me, it sounds like a challenge.”), Mormons (“I don’t know why they’re wearing their pajamas under their clothes. I assume their God wants them to be comfy.”) and how women will always be number two in the world:
“At least we’re not women... right fellas? What is that like? Is it horrible? Is it awful? To know you’re number two. I love when women try to rationalize it, too. Nah, it’s great being a woman. Free drinks is not worth having equality.”
A comedian’s job is to make the audience laugh...not be politically correct, and Tosh addresses the fact that people take his jokes too literally. I can’t entirely spell it out how he addresses the issue, but let’s say he’s uses an example involving the idea of David Beckham and Brad Pitt having a baby.
On the other side of things, in Tosh’s weekly series, “Tosh.O,” which premiered in 2009, we get a green-screen half-hour show where Tosh provides commentary on Internet clips. First aimed at the 18-34 male set of eyes, the show has grown into a fan base of all ages and genders. As of June 2010, it hit a record-breaking high in viewership, beating out both “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.”
What “Tosh.O” sets out to find are the dumbest and/or most hilarious people and web clips out there. Think MTV’s “Jackass,” but where the stunts aren’t necessarily done on purpose and the clips aren’t all about people getting hurt. Throw in a weekly “Web Redemption” where well-known YouTube “characters” get a chance to redeem themselves from the stupidity which made them famous in the first place — think, or see for that matter, the Daniel After Dentist kid, the football player who tackled his own teammate, the double rainbow guy, or Antoine Dodson, from the “Bed Intruder” song — and you have a show for the making. It’s an easy show to sit down and watch any time and just have a good laugh at other people’s expenses. It’s the new-age “America’s Funniest Home Videos” without the God-awful jokes from Bob Saget. And for that, Daniel Tosh, we thank you.
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Daniel Tosh’s third comedy special “Happy Thoughts” aired last Saturday on Comedy Central. In case you missed it, you can find the DVD/CD special of “Happy Thoughts” in stores now.
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“Tosh.O,” in its third season, airs reguarly on Comedy Central, Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
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