Joe Mande at the Comedy Club On State
Joe Mande admitted that his return to Madison for the first time since his “one miserable freshman year” at UW was “a little weird.” But his performance Thursday at the Comedy Club On State highlighted the comic’s growth from a “little, sad pothead roaming State Street trying not to cry” to the witty, up-and-coming New York talent he is now, able to uncover the absurdity in even the most mundane events.
Mande’s tough freshman year in Madison had little to do with the city and more to do with his stash of Vicodin and his clown-porn-watching roommate who looked like “the turtle from NeverEnding Story.” His consistently strong 45-minute set ranged from wondering who first decided to drink the white stuff out of a cow’s udder (and what that guy’s friends thought of what he was doing) to how his “bitch-face” makes him an easy target for robbers. Although his bit that centered on the Sega Genesis game Earthworm Jim fell flat and aged him in front of the college crowd, he continually kept the audience engaged and laughing as he discussed why Somalis choose to move to Minnesota and how ridiculous hipsters’ tattoos are in Brooklyn.
Mande, an Upright Citizens Brigade standout and writer for The Nick Kroll Show, will be performing again Friday and Saturday night at the Comedy Club On State. The price of admission also includes a chance to see John Conroy, whose similarly strong set focused on some of the benefits of being “retarded,” the natural attraction between chubby white girls and black guys, and that one time he peed on his high school sweetheart.
