Tom Simmons: Keep Up

by Noah Gardenswartz

Tom Simmons – let’s place him in the underappreciated-comic category – recently released his fifth live album, Keep Up, which is full of astute, unique observations on life, society and many of the institutions encompassed within both.

Simmons’ knack for writing bitingly honest but genuinely endearing material is fully displayed on the album; he waxes intellectual on topics ranging from racism, parenting and politics, to dogfighting, censorship and free chicken samples at the mall.

The veteran comedian knows how to keep the audience on his side when treating an inflammatory issue: He puts a playful twist on it, keeps it challenging and then wraps it up with a seemingly harmless – and maybe poignant? – punch line. As a result, the album is replete with memorable one-liners to be passed along to comedy-nerd friends.

On our current president: “I like Obama because he’s not just black, he’s like a mixed-breed hybrid: He’s not only good for the country, he’s good for the environment. That hybrid shit is the future man, everybody that’s the best is a hybrid… Tiger Woods, Halle Berry, Derek Jeter and Lenny Kravitz. If you’re just one or the other, you’re getting left behind from here on out. So…let’s go black women, you need to start fucking more white guys. And white women, you just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”

And this mix of intellectual and goofy establishes Simmons as informed and opinionated but not preachy and arrogant.

To buy Tom Simmons’ Keep Up, just click the image below.