Brad Wenzel Sweet Nothings is a tour de force comedy album.

First, an entire set of very short bits and one-liners is difficult as hell to pull off. The material has to be consistently good, the comedian must not jar the audience even if he is jumping genres (observational, autobiographical, absurdist) every minute or so, and though the comic touches on a multitude of topic he has to maintain the same overall persona to keep the audience focused. For those who care, this comedy album is almost clean with only a couple of expletives.

Wenzel pulls all this off effortlessly. From the pun where he wonders if whales are offended we use their podcasts to fall asleep to the dilemma injured centaurs face as to whether they should go to the vet or the doctor or a prank involving planting a sequoia in a backyard, everything flows naturally and effortlessly.

Brad Wenzel turns the table on the now obligatory crowd work segment of a show in a most original fashion and is not afraid of tackling important issues like the overabundance of throw pillows or the superiority of amateur over professional wrestling. These are but a few topics on Sweet Nothings

The one weak moment on Brad Wenzel Sweet Nothings is Calling Bob. The premise is brilliant: Wenzel does a Bob Newhart one-vay phone conversation where he calls Bob Newhart. Unfortunately, the bit falls flat because Wenzel has not really thought it through or mined it for what it is worth, and he decided to close with with a jarring expletive to get a cheap laugh.

Brad Wenzel Sweet Nothings bears repeated listenings as you never get tired of the material. Wenzel is also a comic I would make a serious effort to go see live, especially if I was in the mood for a laid-back but intellectually stimulating comedy show.

Sweet Nothings
Brad Wenzel
Stand-up Comedy vinyl and download
Third Man Records 2018

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2 thoughts on “Sweet Nothings – Brad Wenzel”

  1. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

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