Album Review: Kevin McPherson Eckhoff, Joke Killer

There’s a story Steve Martin recounts in his autobiography about how when Johnny Carson saw his act he said to him: “You'll use everything you ever knew.” That seems to be the ethos of writer, actor, poet, teacher and comedian Kevin McPherson Eckhoff’s comedy album Joke Killer.

The ingenuity of Joke Killer is you’re lured in by all the trappings of a traditional stand-up comedy album, and that reality is slowly turned upside down by every skill Eckhoff has ever learned.  Jokes and concepts are stretched beyond their breaking point. Eckhoff has no interest in putting them back together; it’s about endurance. Some tracks feel like poems, or an improvisational riff that’s slowly running out of steam. Once you’re in the groove, and let it wash over you, the absurdity takes over and you can either stick with it or check out.

Nothing feels right about this album. It can be incredibly off-putting and awkward. Yet, Eckhoff knows exactly what he’s doing. There are flashes of really solid sketch premises - an SNL audition where his impressions are of acquaintances, or just concepts - but it’s obvious Eckhoff isn’t really all that interested in that.  What he’s created with Joke Killer is a bizarre piece of art that you will either love or hate. Which I think is a success right there.

Joke Killer was released June 28, 2022.
Listen to it here.