Updated 5/13, 11:02 a.m.
Editor’s note appended
Look out, the floor is lava!
Well, maybe not actually, but expect to play that game when stand-up comedian Daniel Tosh arrives at Northwestern on May 21. A&O is bringing Tosh, who has his own series premiering soon on Comedy Central, to Pick-Staiger Concert Hall as their Spring speaker. Tickets will go on sale Saturday, May 16 at 10 a.m. on the Norris Box Office Web site. Tickets cost $10 for undergraduates and $15 for graduate students, and students can buy two tickets per WildCARD.
While Tosh may not be as well-known as comedians brought in the past, he is almost certain to win over new fans once he takes the stage. Tosh’s Comedy Central Presents has been unanimously well-received every time I’ve screened it for a friend.
Incoming A&O Chair Adam Pumm, who booked the act, is confident that Tosh will live up to A&O’s past comics. “Our last three comedy acts (Flight of the Conchords, BJ Novak, Demetri Martin) have all sold out very quickly,” Pumm notes. “When we had the chance to do a spring speaker, we wanted to do something to fill that demand, and Daniel Tosh was a name that kept coming up. He is an up-and-coming comedian with a style that is unique from the comedians that we’ve had recently. Tosh isn’t afraid to push the envelope, but we think he still has a wide appeal.”
Many will wonder if Tosh’s style will appeal to their sense of humor. Tosh manages to blend many different comedy styles together in his performances. His spirited and wacky antics have earned him comparisons to Dane Cook. Tosh describes his style of humor: “I tell a joke that everyone likes and keep taking it farther and farther till no one has a clue what I’m talking about.”
Tosh also has a strong grip on pop culture, a comedian’s greatest weapon, but not in the “Hey guys, remember Super Nintendo? So old school!” sense. Tosh tends to muse about off-hours television shows such as Cribs and Trading Spaces, relying on his own content rather than the reference itself.
Tosh’s best routines aren’t readily available online, unfortunately. If you can get your hands on it, do watch Tosh’s Comedy Central Presents (available on iTunes). Until then, here are some clips to hold you off:
This will go over well in Illinois:
And here is a link to Tosh’s sreaming audio player.
Get excited.
Editor’s note: Max Brawer is a member of A&O’s general board. Editors were unaware of his affiliation when this story was published. This is a violation of our conflict-of-interest policy, and we apologize for the lapse. Thanks to reader hmmm for pointing this out.