Just a Simple Neurosurgeon

I've always liked Joe. I respect him for his deep knowledge about mixed martial arts, and his UFC commentating is top-notch. I have also enjoyed his podcast for many years, and I feel like he was doing a good deed exposing certain demographics to scientists and intellectuals who likely might not otherwise come across these people. But his standup has never been good, probably not even mediocre, I have to admit. I don't think he gets what makes the best standup so great, like Louis CK or Chapelle, for example. Joe tells stories and seems to think the laughs will come from how outrageous the stories are and how loud and histrionic he can tell them. This compels him to relay tales that are simply crass, which ends up just being really boring. And because he feels he has to crank up the crazy, it makes him come across as being fake and disingenuous, which is not like him. So the whole thing is just cringe but still boring. Truly talented comics are much more artful and nuanced and clever in how they dance around the boundaries of surprise, shock, and cultural and societal norms, not beating you over the head repeatedly. This special might have been even less funny than his last six years ago. I started to feel embarrassed for him, since I like him. I can't even muster two stars for this. That would mean I laughed 40% of the time. Not even close.