Rating: ****1/2
Dejan Tyler is a comedian that is a bit of an underground legend in the Bay Area and Sacramento comedy scenes. He's known for his fearless stage presence and inexplicable ability to make everyday things have an absurd surrealist quality. Well, he's finally put that weird mix of thug and nerd on wax as he releases his debut album "Get Rich or Diabetes" tomorrow (October 26th) via Uproar Records.
I've seen Dejan (or D. as he's commonly referred to) live several times over the years in various clubs in the Bay and he always was the best comic on the show regardless of where he was placed in the lineup.
Needless to say, I'm over-the-moon that I get to listen to the album early, and jot my thoughts on it for Y'all.
Don't let me down D!
Click here to see more about Dejan Tyler and to purchase “Get Rich or Diabetes”
Listen to "Cats" on Soundcloud here:
We get started with Dejan explaining the nuances of how to actually pronounce his name. Funny stuff and the kind of simple bit that Tyler gets incredible mileage out of. In context, the opening 7 minutes are so are relatively slow compared to the middle portion that really gets cooking. He gets especially passionate when joking about food. There are literally 4 different major bits that have food heavily involved. As we wind our way through the nearly hour-long set, one thing is for sure, Dejan is a likable guy. No matter what the subject matter, you're drawn in, because it's delivered in such a way that makes you feel like this is one of your best friends telling a story. As we get to the closing bits, the album just gets stronger. The track "Cats" is a masterpiece in comedic storytelling and leads directly into the closing bit "Feral Baby" which literally had tears coming out of my eyes. Really really funny stuff.
In spite of some rare slow moments, Dejan Tyler delivers one of the better stand up comedy albums of 2018. If alternative comedy with an urban edge sounds like it might be up your alley, I suspect ”Get Rich or Diabetes” will be the standard bearer of that particular genre.