Here’s the thing about : He transcends time and culture, taste and religion. He is, in the words of the almighty Moses, the only comedian we’ve ever needed — and the only one we’ll ever want. Or something like that.
Really, the sharp-tongued stand-up’s story is at least as interesting as that. In and out of therapy, mental institutions and drug treatment programs in his teenage years, Kasher recovered to find his comedic voice in the Bay Area stand-up scene in the early 2000s. He’s since grabbed the attention-balls of the comedy world’s sack in the tightest of possible ways, appearing on Comedy Central, “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” “Chelsea Lately” and other respected outlets.
Colorado audiences fell hard for Kasher in 2009, first at his at the in June, then again when he headlined Comedy Works South a few weeks later.
We caught up with Kasher, who’s preparing a and another round of TV appearances in the next few months, before his headlining sets this week, which continue through Sunday, Nov. 20.
What was your first time doing stand-up like, and what made you want to come back?
My first time doing stand-up was at the foot of mount Sinai in 4,000 B.C. Moses had gone up the mountain two days earlier at that point and the masses were getting a bit restless. Someone had to do something to alleviate the awkwardness and so, I grabbed a ram’s horn megaphone and stepped onto a rock. I killed. I mean the Hebrews were ROLLING. People were throwing manna in the air and screaming with laughter. I made a joke about a golden calf and it really seemed to catch on. It became my catch phrase. “GOLLLLLDEN CALF!” I was loved. But of course, when Moses made his way down the hill and saw how popular I was, he got very jealous and threw some tablets at me, obliterating my career and my life.
Really. That’s truly a shame.
It wasn’t until thousands of years later when I was, ironically, reincarnated into a new Jewish body that my soul’s muscle memory revamped my career as a comic in San Francisco. That was in 2001. I’ve been trying to get myself to golden calf level ever since. This week in Denver could cement my resurgence.
What’s a joke you used to love to tell but now can’t stand?
I used to tell a joke about “What if Herman Cain was a pathological misogynist womanizer?” but now that he revealed his 999 plan it just feels wrong to tease the man.
What’s your favorite joke of the moment (yours or someone else’s)?
Well, for political reasons I will say that my favorite joke right now is Louis Katz’s joke “Good vegan food is like good Christian rock — even when it’s good, it still sucks.” Because, along with it being a very good joke, it was also recently posted on Twitter by another person who claimed it was his joke. In deference to Louis and the global Jewish conspiracy, I must defend my brethren. So it’s either that joke or literally every joke I’ve ever written because, honestly, I’m VERY VERY funny.
When’s the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
When my mom died.
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever felt bad laughing about?
See above.
What’s your favorite thing to do outside of comedy?
I assistant coach at Penn State. And if that’s too racy: I like to go to a club and become as one with the rhythm. I will put on very very tight purple fractal patterned pants and no shirt but I wear Buddhist beads to let the ladies know my third eye is wide open. I make pretty intense eye contact with people on the dance floor while sweating an obscene amount. I caress myself while the music pumps behind me. That’s what I like to do.
What’s your biggest non-comedy influence?
The protocols of the elders of Zion.
What are some of the best and worst shows you’ve had recently?
Pretty much every show I’ve ever done has been a ten out of ten but, the most meaningful shows I have destroyed at recently have been at the Center for the Study of Deep Humility (which I founded and own)
Who are some comedians that are really impressing you lately?
Too many to name so I will stick with younger comics you may not have heard of: Brendon Walsh, Chelsea Peretti, Brent Weinbach, Ali Wong, Louis Katz, Pete Holmes, Kumail Nanjiani, Sean Patton, Joe Mande, Nick Thune, W. Kamau Bell, Nato Green, Alex Koll, Ryan Stout, Julian McCullough, Hannibal Burress, TJ Miller, Kyle Kinane, Neal Brennan, Dj Douggpound, Rory Scovel. This could seriously go forever and I’m SURE I’m forgetting someone awesome. Sorry.
What are some of your favorite shows to do around the country?
The best shows in the country… phew. Well the Denver Comedy Works is, no joke, among the top three clubs in the country. In L.A. the Meltdown Comedy Show is my favorite new show that takes place in the back of a comic book store. Amazing.
What about podcasts?
I love the ones I’ve been on: WTF with the brilliant Marc Maron, Never Not Funny with most hilarious motherfucker Jimmy Pardo, the entire Maximum Fun posse, and The Earwolf and The Nerdist podcasts are all incredible. But the best podcast in the world is one called “THE CHAMPS” with Neal Brennan, the co-creator of Chappelles Show and DJ Douggpound from the Tim and Eric program and an amazing, brilliant, beautiful performer named Moshe Kasher. OK, full disclosure, it’s my podcast but it’s awesome. We have a rotating black guest host. You read that correctly. So far we’ve had Blake Griffin from the L.A. Clippers, Robert Townsend, David Allen Grier, Craig Robinson and many more. It’s so fun. So if you are white and want to hear about black people, tune in. If you are black and want to hear white people awkwardly chatting with black people, tune in. If you are a non-white, non-black person, you are not welcome to listen to the podcast. Just kidding. All are welcome. Find us on iTunes.
What else is new with you?
I have a lot of cool things in the works. I’ll be back on “Chelsea Lately” on the 30th of November, I am taping my hour special at this year’s SF Sketchfest, I’ll be in the incredible show “Shameless” on Showtime this upcoming season. Life is good. But most most most importantly, March 28th my ridiculous, painful, revealing, hilarious childhood memoir comes out. It’s a comic tale of a tragic childhood about all the insanity I lived through as a kid. Its called “Kasher in the Rye”(The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16). It is, by far, the most important thing I have ever done. Other than this interview.
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John Wenzel is an executive editor of and an A&E reporter for The Denver Post. He is the author of (Speck Press/Fulcrum) and maintains a of random song titles and band names.
