Album Review: Myq Kaplan - No Kidding

Filed under: Reviews

Confession time! I have never listened to any of Myq Kaplan's previous albums. I have heard of him, but had never sat down and listened to an album or watched any of his specials. In today's media-saturated society, it's almost a second job keeping up with every single "amazing" television show or movie, yet people are still flabbergasted and upset when you admit that you haven't watched their favourite movie of all time. So let me just dispel any disbelief or judgment by saying: no I haven't listened to him before, yes I have been missing out, and yes you were right.

For what you're paying, Kaplan's comedy may be the best investment of your money in a comedy album, because there are just so many jokes and stories crammed into his latest release, No Kidding. Kaplan talks so fast that most tracks are 3 to 5 jokes shoved together in a frenzy of neurotic and fast-paced humour. As a comedian myself, you are told that the best thing for you to do is to slow down, take a breath, and give the audience some time to react and digest what you're saying before saying something else. Kaplan completely disregards this and hits the ground running, and for all intents and purposes, this works quite well for him.

The worried pace of Kaplan's comedy and how much of an audience reaction he gets as a result makes him look masterful, as his words never feel rushed and he doesn't stumble over himself much. He does sometimes end up going so fast that before you can think about something he just said, he's already onto the next thing, but this does create the atmosphere where there's not a lot of time to overthink what he is saying. Like a well-oiled assembly line, Kaplan is concept, set-up, punchline, and then right into the next joke at a fast-but-managed pace. His pace reminds me of Robin Williams, whose wit was fast and relentless, never letting you breath in between jokes. I've seen many comedians with material like Myq Kaplan, but you can't just copy what he does, as his performances are very much an extension of himself: high speed, nervous, and ruthless.

As I mentioned earlier, No Kidding is jam-packed with a ton of different topics that Kaplan fires through in his efficient, self-deprecating manner; everything from old board games, to his soiree of impressions, to cougars, to drug paranoia, to kids (or not having kids).

Kaplan is not scared to talk about more touchy subjects as well, like how there might actually be moral pedophiles, or how he would recommend drugs more so than having children. He has some very good wordplay as well. One of my favourite bits is about how he wants to open a store called "Oops a Daisy".

"Excuse me, I ordered a dozen roses for my wife, and there was a single daisy in the order?"

"That's right, at Oops a Daisy, that's our special. It's like an onion ring with your fries!"

No Kidding, from aspecialthing records, is available now on iTunes, Google Play Music, and Amazon. You can also listen to Myq's podcast, Hang Out with Me, on the Keith and the Girl Network.

Tags: Myq Kaplan, No Kidding, comedy album, stand-up, comedy, one-liners, wordplay

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