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Listen Up: Jesse vs. Cancer

A few weeks ago, I read about the podcast Jesse vs. Cancer.  The podcaster is a standup comic with stage 4 colon cancer.  Sort of off my beaten podcast path since I tend to lean hard on the NPR and NPR-like ouevre.  But the reviewer said that they laughed so hard that they had to keep pausing the episode, so I decided to download an episode or two and give it a try.

And that is how I almost crashed my car.

I was driving down the highway, listening to an episode when he started to cover the type of people who believe in ghosts in episode two.  I was laughing so hard that I started crying at the same time, and my chest hurt from trying to hold it together.

Actually, there have been so many moments like that.  I embarrassed myself as I shook all over at a traffic light, the elderly woman in the car beside mine staring at me while I jerked around.  I decided that I can’t listen to it while on the road.

Unfortunately, I probably shouldn’t listen to it in the house, either.  One night, Josh and I were falling asleep when a joke Jesse made floated into my brain and I laughed aloud, startling Josh awake.  “You were thinking about the broken dick joke, weren’t you,” he accused.

I was.

It is about the cancer, obviously, but it’s not really about the cancer.  It is about a very funny person observing life, and if you like dick jokes and are not easily offended, it is pretty much the funniest thing I have heard in a long time.  The highest honour I can give is to not delete a podcast immediately after listening, and I turned off the delete option on iTunes because I knew I’d want to listen again.

So… not the usual podcast I recommend, but so good.  The comedian says that he is currently putting together a tour, and I will definitely see him if he comes my way.  So you know he has to be really funny if I’m willing to actually have an evening out.

P.S. Give it two episodes before you decide how you feel.  The first episode is a lot of background information.  He really hits his stride by the third episode.

10 comments

1 Kimberly { 09.29.15 at 8:25 am }

I’ll have to check it out. I love a little comic relief, a small little break from my own life.

2 Lori Lavender Luz { 09.29.15 at 10:08 am }

I could use some of this type of humor.

3 Lori Lavender Luz { 09.29.15 at 10:37 am }

Dang. This is really good! (listening now)

4 nonsequiturchica { 09.29.15 at 11:21 am }

Will have to check this out today when I walk my dog. 🙂

5 Peg { 09.29.15 at 11:45 am }

thank for this! Laughing out loud!

6 Amanda { 09.29.15 at 2:47 pm }

this sounds awesome. Sounds like a must read

7 Katherine A { 09.29.15 at 6:58 pm }

Will definitely have to give this a listen!

8 andy { 09.30.15 at 7:48 am }

I definitely need some cancer humour right now! I’m off to check it out.

9 Mali { 10.01.15 at 5:36 am }

I’ve listened to his first episode, and recognised something he said. I’m paraphrasing, but he said that he wanted the outcome – whatever it might be – to be okay. That’s how I wish we could feel (or have felt) when going through infertility. Because whatever the outcome, it will be okay. I know that now.

10 Karen (River Run Dry) { 10.01.15 at 4:52 pm }

He’s brilliant. Love this. Thanks for the recommendation!

(c) 2006 Melissa S. Ford
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