(Bert Performing without his shirt, which is his preferred way to do standup)
This Florida Native came onto the standup scene in 2001, and has been killing it ever since. Bert “The Machine” Kreischer is like that one uncle you have who tells you vastly inappropriate, hilarious stories that you can’t get enough of. From college drunkenness’, to when he got involved in the Russian mafia, This week we will explore the raunchy storytelling of Bert Kreischer.
(DISCLAIMER: Video contains crude Humor and language, Viewer Discretion Is Advised)
Now if you read the intro, you’re probably interested in how this perpetual man-child got involved in the Russian mafia. If you wish, I encourage you to watch the what is considered “The greatest Story ever Told” an learn why Bert is known as “The Machine”.
Hilarious, Right? It only makes sense that a Florida-Man would be able to commit crimes with the Russian mob and still be around to tell the story. While it is an unbelievable story, what makes it so memorable is how Bert tells the story. Bert does an excellent job setting up his jokes by giving the audience structure and context, instead of diving head first into the story. By doing so, Bert not only gives the audience a background of what the joke will be about, but he also “warms up” the audience for the larger jokes by telling smaller jokes that he knows will at least make the audience giggle, priming them to laugh at the big jokes.
While Bert is an expert at setting up and creating jokes, his onstage persona also helps him make the audience laugh. Facial and bodily expressions are a great way to make anyone laugh, and when done correctly, can easily turn a joke from just ok to freaking hilarious! Bert’s ability to exaggerate peoples behaviors and quirky movements adds a layer of depth and showmanship to his performances, making him not just another standup comic.
(A compilation of Bert’s time while on T.V. Disclaimer: Video contains crude humor, but not as much as the previous video)
While telling jokes, Bert’s childish giggle squeaks out from time to time. Hearing a grown man posses such a high pitched, prepubescent giggle is a testament to Bert’s authenticity. While funny to laugh at, Bert’s giggles shows the audience that he loves what he is doing. Whether he is doing standup or being interviewed on T.V., Bert will often have a hard time containing himself while setting up jokes, or even laughing ant jokes that don’t land, which is nice to see that he at least gets some joy out of a joke that the audience may not have appreciated. It also shows that Bert’s jokes are not created for the sole purpose of making the audience laugh, but is instead his true sense of humor. Hearing genuine jokes told by a person who could care less whether you laugh or not is something that I myself respect, admire, and apricate in a comic. It means that they will stay true to themselves, whether they are successful or not.
(DISCLAIMER: If you didn’t like the first to videos, then you probably wont like this one either.)
Continuing on Bert’s authenticity, Bert has started a web series titled Something’s Burning, where he invites other comics onto a set to cook food. Although the recipes are delicious (I actually made the Cioppino using the recipe from this episode, it was delicious!), no one watches the show for the cooking alone. The magic in the episodes come from how he and the other comics interact with one another. Each episode contains a healthy amount of ribbing, ball busting, bullshitting, storytelling, and joke telling and bonding with friends. Why I love this show is that it reminds of my friends back home, and how me and my friends would treat each other the same way that Bert and his guests treat each other.
(Bert and his Family)
Bert Kreischer made it to my list of “Comics everybody should know” is because of his likeability and relatability. When Bert tells jokes, it doesn’t feel artificial. When I listen to Bert talk about his time on the travel channel or of the silly things his daughters do, I don’t hear a comic trying to make me laugh, rather I hear him as a member of his family who is just talking about daily life. Bert’s ability to be witty on the spot coupled with his genuine personality makes him an easily likable guy. His off stage persona is both hilarious and gravitating, being similar to my sense of humor allows myself and others to find Bert relatable. Overall, Bert Kreischer is an outrageously funny comedian that I recommend to anyone who is looking to get into standup comedy.
Sources
https://www.bertbertbert.com/
January 30, 2020 at 3:00 pm
Bert seems like a great guy. I can tell by the way you wrote about him that you have a high level of appreciation not only for his humor, but for who he is as a person. I’ll have to check out some of his stuff sometime.
January 30, 2020 at 3:06 pm
I actually just watched this guy do stand up. I watched him on this is not happening and he was hilarious. He joked about how he was forced to fight a bear and was eventually tackled by it. I think this blog topic will prove to be extremely interesting as well as rewarding to watch all of the funny comedians.
January 30, 2020 at 3:08 pm
I knew as soon as I saw the first picture who the man was! and I only watched one video about the Russian mafia years ago! You are right he is memorable for sure. I like the way you took a deep dive into this man’s life, from on and off stage. It gave me a better idea of who this man is.
January 30, 2020 at 3:10 pm
Your passion for standup as well as your interest in helping others to learn about it is readily apparent in this post. As I haven’t had the chance to read your blog from last semester, I can’t compare it to your past work, but if the other stuff you’ve written is up to this caliber I’m genuinely impressed. That’s a lot of effort to pour into the weekly blogs, and it’s refreshing to see someone else that excited about what they’re writing about. Keep up the good work.
January 30, 2020 at 3:19 pm
I have to admit that I’ve never really been that into standup comedy, mostly because it always seems so fake. Although I did not choose to watch these videos in class (especially after your warning), your comment about Bert’s authenticity makes me curious to know if I’d prefer this type of comedy to what I’ve heard previously. I like that you included screenshot pictures of Bert during shows- the facial expressions are pretty funny by themselves!
January 30, 2020 at 9:53 pm
This was very funny, I have never heard of Bert. Probably because I don’t watch that much stand-up, but I might have to start. I loved the layout of your blog it was very aesthetically pleasing with the stunning photos. Excited to read and watch next week’s post.