Stand-up and insult comic Jeffrey Ross is coming to Washington University tomorrow night as a part of Comedy Central’s Indecision 2008 Tour.
Comedy Central’s Ross is the Roastmaster General for the New York Friar’s Club. He is best known for his creative and cutting insults, and The New York Magazine has dubbed him “The Meanest Man in Comedy.”
The performance will also feature The Late Late Show’s George Bush impersonator James Adomian, who will be in the upcoming movie, “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.”
Ethan Stern, a sophomore and a member of the Campus Programming Council (CPC), the organization coordinating the event, said that the timing of the event will be part of the appeal to students.
“It’ll be fun for stress relief and also just as the second to last day of school,” Stern said. “Most people have finals and papers due. This is like the last hurrah before people go and stay in the library for a week and a half.”
Stern added that Ross’s creativity with insults will be part of the appeal for stressed students.
“He’s considered the meanest comedian in Hollywood,” Stern said. “He’s maybe a new Don Rickles type. He’s been around for a very long time and is a solid comedian. I know he’s going to be really funny because I’ve seen him live.”
The event could also bring some publicity to Wash. U. as a stop on Comedy Central’s tour, Stern says.
“We’re on the Web site, and we’ll be on the TV commercials for the tour,” Stern said. “I think it’s also good because it shows that we’re actively looking for big names and big tours. It shows we have a lot of money and we’re going to spend it on cool stuff.”
The show will not just consist of stand-up comedy. It will be a multimedia event featuring music, videos and free merchandise. Students will even have a chance to enter a drawing for a Kia.
For freshman Sarah Cohen, the event will provide some much-needed relaxation.
“I’m very stressed out this week. I’m trying to cram everything in and get everything done. I have to record with my a cappella group, and I have final papers and projects [that] are culminating this week. I think it’ll be a nice change of pace, to just hang out for an hour or two,” she said.
Cohen says her decision to go is also rooted in her confidence in CPC.
“CPC has had really great people come in the past. I know some friends involved, and they told me it would be fun and funny, a great way to take a break during this stressful week. CPC brings fun events, performers and people you’d want to see,” Cohen said.
CPC was also responsible for entertaining students with Craig Robinson, Peter Sarsgaard, Daniel Tosh, Michael Showalter and Second City Improv Troupe, and helped fund Margaret Cho’s visit to campus.
The show will take place Thursday at 9 p.m. in Graham Chapel, and is free of charge for all University students.