Stand-Up Tuesdays is a weekly comedy spotlight written by the wonderfully talented Angie Frissore. Covering both known and unknown comics, Stand-up Tuesdays is your new source for all things funny.

This week, Angie puts a spotlight on Kyle Cease. If you or your comedy troupe would like to be featured on Stand-Up Tuesdays, please email utgjames@gmail.com.

In this day and age, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the political correctness of stand-up comedy. Everywhere you look, some comedian is being forced to apologize for something said in a joke that someone, somewhere felt was inappropriate.  Comedy is supposed to be an escape – an evening in which one can get lost, let loose, and simply have some fun.

Comedian Kyle Cease more than gets this fact in his third Comedy Central release, “I Highly Recommend This”, which was released on September 4 and features both the CD as well as a bonus DVD. Following his hugely successful debut CD, “One Dimple,” “I Highly Recommend This” is more long-form storytelling and bizarre ideas in which Cease explores topics such as ways to make your death fun, why the media is planning to kill you and how to be creative with your negativity. The bonus DVD includes Kyle’s “Comedy Central Presents” half hour special, as well as 12 of his video shorts.

Cease approaches comedy and life in general like a child on a playground, and has been obsessed with the process of working on his act and constantly changing it up.  “I Highly Recommend This” features Cease revisiting a joke that he told on his previous CD – however, it’s not exactly as it was in the past.  Pointing out the absurdity of the music industry, Cease begins the old joke with a hilarious ‘remix’ parody of the type of promo you’d hear on the radio, which lovingly finishes with, “Just do the bit already, motherfucker!”

Once Cease takes the stage, he has his audience drawn in for the duration of the ride. The CD opens with Cease not only introducing his own emcee, but also with Cease setting the context for the night by citing that, “We are making a Comedy Central CD right now, all of us, together. Your reaction is a big part of it. If I do a joke and you’re fucking silent it’s gonna be a shitty CD. We’re a team on that.”

The energy and entertainment Cease brings to the stage is virtually unparalleled, as he expertly works his audience and interacts with them in such a way that showcases the importance of a good crowd. Cease is able to test the waters with material and immediately measure which path he should continue down based on his crowd’s reaction.  Unlike a lot of comedians, there’s never a point where Cease contests the worthiness of a joke – he’s not trying to be better than his audience or snobby in any way.  After a quite silly impression of the narrator from “World’s Wildest Police Chases”, Cease takes a moment to appreciate the crowd’s reaction.

“I love that you like this, this is so cool,” Cease reflects. “You’re opening the door for such weird shit for me to do. It’s getting so bizarre.”

Cease was voted the number one comedian in Comedy Central’s  “Stand-Up Showdown” in 2009 and his credits include film roles in ”10 Things I Hate About You” and “Not Another Teen Movie.” His short films including “The Melgician,” “Where Are My Trousers” and “Cervix” have scored millions of views. Cease starred in the highly-rated COMEDY CENTRAL one-hour special “Kyle Cease: Weirder, Blacker, Dimpler” and his own “COMEDY CENTRAL Presents” special. He was also co-host on “Loveline with Dr. Drew” and has appeared on “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and the “Bob and Tom” radio show, and has toured extensively with over 700 college performances.

“I Highly Recommend This” is a solid third release from the veteran comedian, and should be high on your list of comedy CDs to purchase.  One might even say that I highly recommend it. Pick up your copy of Kyle Cease’s “I Highly Recommend This” via Comedy Central Records today.

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Angie Frissore

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