Brad Wenzel Thrives on Simplicity in joke. joke. joke.

Brad Wenzel has been performing stand-up since he was 17, crafting a Mitch Hedberg-esque style of comedy rife with unrelated anecdotes and one-liners. The Los Angeles-based comedian has changed, though, since his Conan appearances in the 2010s and the release of his debut album Sweet Nothings. Not in terms of his comedy, which is still as refreshingly straightforward and silly as ever, but in that he’s grown his hair out since the pandemic started (surely amplifying the Hedberg comparisons). “Now old people don’t smile back,” Wenzel says genially in his new comedy special, joke. joke. joke.

joke. joke. joke. is just that—a succession of hilarious bits without any segues, Wenzel’s good-natured laughter acting as the glue that holds it all together. Watching Wenzel feels like hanging out with your funniest, weirdest friend; it’s relaxing and utterly enjoyable. The special’s 40 minute length is just right for Wenzel’s type of comedy, not overstaying its welcome or leaving us feeling shortchanged. 

Wenzel employs his signature meta-commentary during the taping at The Comedy Fort, much like he did in Sweet Nothings. He breaks the fourth wall, pointing out his unstructured structure and telling us right off the bat, “I’m just gonna say a bunch of funny stuff. That’s how I like to do it.” Wenzel sure as hell lives up to that promise. It’s a half-awkward, mostly charming mechanism that puts the audience at ease. These moments, sharing with us which jokes he knows are a stretch and which ones he thinks the audience “is doing too well for,” make us feel like we’re in on the mischief. 

As for the jokes themselves, they’re simple, goofy, and satisfyingly funny. Wenzel approaches the world from a delightfully skewed perspective, dreaming up what life must be like for non-Pennywise clowns stuck in storm drains and other absurd scenarios. Wenzel’s delivery is decidedly unassuming and casual, but his observational humor is filled with a sense of wonder at the world. Wenzel’s imagination is one of his greatest assets.

One criticism that could be leveled at joke. joke. joke. is that, due to Wenzel’s style, the special is same-y in tone. Wenzel seems conscious of this possible complaint, though, and he breaks up the set by occasionally producing a piece of paper as a prop—and, of course, commenting on the action. He also has some fun moments of tension, like the reveal of what message he put on his wife’s birthday cake, but for the most part the special is like coasting down the lazy river at a waterpark, just sitting in your inner tube and basking in the warm water.

Whatever life’s throwing at you right now—work stress, relationship messiness, you name it—40 minutes in Wenzel’s company is just the tonic you need to keep going.

joke. joke. joke. is streaming for free on YouTube.

Clare Martin is a cemetery enthusiast and Paste‘s assistant comedy editor. Go harass her on Twitter @theclaremartin.