Josh Robert Thompson Is Ridicuously Funny And You Should Get To Know Him

If you have a moment, and like to laugh, I want to introduce to you, K-101.7 faithful, a very funny guy, Josh Robert Thompson.  When we were kids, the newest up and coming stand comedians were on the HBO, the Johnny Carson, the Evening At The Improv. And as a child raised on the albums of Cosby, Carlin and Pryor, it meant a great deal to me that these new guys were carrying the torch onward. These days, with the explosion of the internet, and new talent absolutely everywhere, who should we be paying attention to? Who is the next big thing? Who's pushing modern comedy forward, like those comedians of the eighties? For me, I think one of the most interesting and talented of the new crop is a guy named Josh. Josh Robert Thompson. Let us meet him, shall we?

I first encountered J.R.T. as anyone discovers anything these days, at my job, not working when I was supposed to, flipping around through the Youtubes, falling down a comedic wormhole. Then I found this:

Okay, I grew up seeing the work of impressionists and never being all that keen on the school of "What If Jack Nicholson was Abraham Lincoln at the Gettysburg Address. Think it would go a little something like this..." Didn't Jim Carey blow all that stuff up in the eighties? With this Thompson kid, however, there was something different going on. His De Niro was amazing. His Arnold spot on. It was just...I got the feeling there was something next level at work here. Wait, this Thompson guy is on Late Nite With Craig Ferguson? The talk show? Hmmm.

Gradually, the Ferguson show, ever restless, phased out the sketches. So, Where was the J.R.T. then? Stepping into the best role of his career to that point, I think. Crouched behind a brick wall, puppeteering a gay dead robot skeleton named Geoff, making host Craig Ferguson weak with laughter.

Their chemistry was incredible, and the fact that it was almost entirely improv was amazing. That's what I really enjoy about Josh Robert Thompson. His prepared material and impressions are great. He's at his best, however, when he's freed from those chains and allowed to fly. The dude's brain moves at a million miles a second. There's a joy in his improved performances, a feeling that he can't believe the stuff coming out of his mouth, either.

Especially when he becomes the Apostle B.G. (Holy Ghost Power!)

or The Morgan Freeman G.P.S:

Even puppetry:

As a star on the rise, Thompson has even starred in his own movie, Nowhere Girl, a romantic comedy about a guy dealing with a serious case of relationship loss:

And did I mention his completely improvised podcast, dense like the best of Firesign Theater, with his partner in crime, John Mariano? Click the pic below to dive into that:

Currently, Josh Robert Thompson is producing his own show, to be unveiled to the public very soon. Meantime, you can keep with him on various platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, all over Youtube and also his almost daily dark night of the soul transmissions on Periscope. Read a pretty great interview with him here. Also check out his homepage at joshrthompson.com.

This guy Josh Robert is fast, funny and going places. Given the opportunity, I think he can do some amazing things in the near future. Push that comedy ball forward, just like the great comedians who came before him. So, Check him out, already.