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The two truths are opposite one another; they cannot both exist and both be facts.
Jeselniks two conflicting truths are these: That he both is and is not a giant asshole.
A neighbor with Alzheimers.
Sounds inhumane, he says, but problem solved.
I mean, that thing isreallyheavy.
Its also proof of his impressive imagination.
It is no small feat to be that warped.
Often the surfaces of Jeselniks jokes are oriented outward.
From a distant glance, it could look like hes making fun of weakness.
He has an extended riff on dropping babies.
(Holy shit, do people overreact, he says, drily.)
The image is not of babies falling to the floor; its of Jeselnik nonchalantly dropping babies.
Ill never forget the first time I had sex.
You know those stories about kids losing their virginity to the hot babysitter?
Yeah, I was the babysitter.
Now that is a fun joke for me, he says, as a conspiratorial aside to the audience.
You think Im about to make fun of Latinos, [but] instead I take a hard left.
Smack the shit out of the deaf.In case you missed it, he says,the joke isabout me.
The joke is that I am a terrible person.
The joke is my own awfulness.
This is the negative capability at work.
Jeselnik doesnt spend any energy pretending that his set is a casual collection of funny bits hes thrown together.
His tempo and his structure are proudly, visibly deliberate.
But his pacing does two things at once.
Hes such a dick that he resents his own crowd!
Smack the shit out of the deaf.
There is a pause.
For almost no reason, he adds, twisting the perspective once again.
Self-deprecating guy who makes fun of his own worst impulses?
Or maybe not …?
InFire in the Maternity Ward, Jeselnik repeatedly performs that very act.
He wallops the viewer over the head by being as shocking and depraved as he possibly can.
