These came out in 2000 – or at least that’s when I got ’em. Here’s what I said about them back then (with some minor editing):
“Wrecked him? Damn near killed him! Ha! Bada boom! Welcome to The Chuckle Hut, folks. Tonight’s double-bill is a study in comic contrast — traditional vs. contemporary, rehearsed vs. improvised, dirty vs. clean.
The former descriptions in those pairings all apply to New Jersey’s Jackie Martling, a Howard Stern sidekick and humour writer for Penthouse (and as we know, everyone buys Penthouse for the gags). They call him The Joke Man; Joke Machine is more like it. Martling knows every old, dirty, racist, politically incorrect joke ever written, and spews out several hundred of them like a Gatling gun, barely pausing for breath between rim shots. Here’s one of the few I can repeat in print: Why did the woman take LSD with her birth control pills? So she could take a trip without the kids. Bada-bing! If that’s your shtik, he’ll leave you groaning and busting a gut at the same time.
Those who prefer something a little calmer should try Canadian talk show host Mike Bullard, Martling’s exact opposite. Bullard doesn’t know from jokes; his act pretty much consists of heckling the crowd like a kinder, gentler Don Rickles (“You make furniture for Ikea? Nobody makes furniture for Ikea!”) Sure, he’s fast on his feet. But it doesn’t excuse his fabulously unfunny sketches and lame attempt at rap. Don’t be dumb; stick to standup, Mike! Which reminds me: My wife is so dumb I took her to one of those all-you-can-eat soup and salad places, and she had two bowls of creamy Italian! But seriously, folks … ”
