Shane Mauss: Jokes to Make My Parents Proud

by Reid Faylor

Sometimes, being juvenile can be a good thing. While often associated with being crass, on the other hand, when done right, there can be a childlike charm that proves good-natured and simultaneously devious.

Shane Mauss is all of those things. On Jokes to Make My Parents Proud (Comedy Central Records), Mauss exhibits a very kid-like humor; he’s full of pranks, sarcasm, and  has no reservations about referencing butts, farts and sex. But Mauss is instantly likable, and as gross and silly as his humor can be, the jokes on his album are keenly crafted, relatable, and, at times, wonderfully clever.

There’s no pretense or higher philosophy to said jokes. But the absence of mind-probing material only helps this album succeed in being fun. His range of topics is overplayed to be sure — drinking, weed, not one but two stories about “butt sex” — but to each, he adds a sense of learned goofiness (if there is such a thing) or a great twist. Or even some clever phrasing, like, “I’m not macho. No guns, no weapons, any of that stuff. Somersaults… that’s how I roll.”

The standout track of the album is “Unexpected Pregnancy,” (above) an oddly brilliant joke about going back in time as a woman to have sex with himself as a prank. It’s one-stop shopping in Shane’s mind: there’s adolescent grossness, twisted logic, and witty writing.

Download the entire album by clicking the image below.