Big J Oakerson The Devil’s Tongue of Comedy at The Comedy Zone (Charlotte)
Big J Oakerson The Devil’s Tongue of Comedy
featuring Justin Silver and Joy Wills
To give you an overall to the setting of the night. You climb down short stairs and walk a little bit until you see to the door left of a sign to Charlotte’s The Comedy Zone. Big gray heavy metal doors open to oversized prints of comedy greats hanging. Some photos of different people who have played there. The door guy is a swell gentleman who will strip you down and search your bags for safety while making you giggle the entire time. You are met at the check-in by other pleasant staff members. I was escorted to my special seat right in the center of the stage on the second level, so I could stare into the souls of my victims… err performers that I am to critique. The staff is perky and serves ice-cold drinks almost my height on a warm night. Salvation in a glass. Fans walked by me saying things like “Oh I can’t wait to get roasted, I’m SO ready son!” Convinced that way of talking is a walking heckle waiting to happen, and boy did it happen.
Even if you are living under a rock, by now you have heard of or at least experienced Big Jay Oakerson in some form. Be it he’s recognizable by his towering demeanor, his fancily placed body piercings, or let’s be honest you remember the gloves, we all remember the gloves. It’s also just him. He’s a no-bullshit kind of dude you could see at any biker bar on any given day and still, he seems approachable. This goes around, he was a bit more punched into the happier side of life as reflected in his mention of his girlfriend, talking about the fun part of parenting, but he was still the same old Jay. The raunchy talking about jelly-fying your face with a bukake stormtrooper mask, of sorts. I won’t kill the punchline. Sometimes jokes you have to explain are dead on the cutting room floor but Big J is a mastermind of lacing a joke within a joke within a joke. The Kreskin of all things punchlines. One way or another he’s keeping you laughing his entire set.
Tonight was no different, he was preceded by Charlotte comedian Joy Wills, who took us through a short set that included things about Gastonia, to the crowd’s momentous UGHs as soon as mentioned. Which drove home the punchline before she had to. It’s a smart comedy with the landmarks so close. Almost too smart the Gas-house writes itself.
She was engaged with the crowd and has a very fine line of dry humor and you are unsure if the punch has hit until you give it a second. I enjoy her set for this reason. You don’t think you are going into high-brow lines and then you get punched with the 1-2… I look forward to seeing more of her crowd work, she stayed more to her scene.
Notes: Dry jokes about Casey Anthony and downplaying how awful Gastonia is.
Up next was the sexy, raunchy, anti-typical gymbro Justin Silver. His demeanor just walking on stage, sorry swagger, you know you are about to be laughing while being mildly confused why you are turned on so much. Best place to be.
Walking out he mentioned how cold the club was, to me it felt awesome. I’ve never wanted to be front row right as much as this moment- as he had random crowd members molest his nipples and also talked about his nether region while gesturing to show his prize package.
We heard about his awkward hook-ups and his accomplishments. The best he started commenting on how Charlotte is a sea of polo shirts and dudes named Chad or at best he found Kyle. Kyle the newly single Viking hottie from Massachusetts and new to the Charlotte area.
Whom I ran into after the show and snapped a photo. (hint: he’s the TALL one)
We know his sexual kinks, his ex-girlfriend’s deal, and the fact he does have some kind of important job and just stays focused and his friends pulled him out of the house to get some fun. All from this set and lord what a set.
He pointed out the token black friend and how he was the only one there. It was a fun moment. Silver’s crowd work is impressive any night you will receive a different show.
The laughter was plentiful and smooth, and the set kept the full attention and not just because half the room wanted to sleep with him or at least hook him up with one of their friends, mother approved of course. Jay Oakerson later in the night called on him to talk about sex and his favorite— the gym.
When he is not donning the stage to help us 40-something cougars widdle our pants, just a little during the set.
If he seems a bit familiar it could be one of the times you’ve seen him on TV he’s appeared in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, High Fidelity (Hulu), Blue Bloods (CBS), The Sinner (Netflix), Dwell.
Morning shows including Live with Kelly and Michael, Rachel Ray, The Today Show, The Talk, CBS This Morning, Hollywood Extra, and more. As he’s not just a comedian but is also an actor, TV host, published author, and podcast co-host of the popular podcast “Himbos” and is a regular on Comedy Central Radio’s “The Bonfire”.
Notes: His style of comedy is crude, real talk about life, and love, he uses his sex appeal to his advantage to relate his accomplishments in and out of the bedroom. Proving he’s not just a pretty face or set of ripped muscles but a damn fine comedian that people should experience at least once – especially, if like me, you are a 40-something woman ready with a lesson or two! Call me? 😉
It was time:
The one were all here to see, Big J, that mouthy motherfucker from Philly (NJ)cuff we have all come to know and love.
We at Shutter16 were introduced to the brilliance of his candor back in the day at a shithole in the wall somewhere in PA before the NY scene fell in love and adopted him as their godfather. I fell in love with his still unabashed blunt shit-talking but making it so real you have to just nom nom nom that’s bitch up and take it while smiling.
If you can’t fight the joke the conclusion is you’ve been outwitted by the devil’s tongue of comedy. Recently I saw him on Bert Kreischer’s roast with Tom Segura, Whiney Cummings, and others, and decided to look up what he had coming up and was pleasantly surprised to see he was coming to one of our towns (mine!) I’m surprised we haven’t gotten a Jay roast yet. Someone needs to get on that.
Most, when you say the gloved one think of MJ not me Big J all the way. He gave all of us spritely emo kids an outlet to know we can do something successfully while being as non-corporate as possible. Just be yourself and you can be as foul-mouthed as you damn well please.
Another comedian is prone to amazing crowd work which is almost comedy 101, but you would be surprised how many lack this natural gift. The show makes you feel like you are around a huge family dinner table with the drunk uncle who won’t shut but you are so excited he showed up to dinner less hammered than usual, so he can stick it to your mom dad, and anyone else in his path.
Throughout the set, he incorporated Justin Silver who scurried around every corner of the venue to Jay’s chagrin. Jay spoke gently about how cool it is to be a dad to a now 20-year-old, how much he adores his longtime girlfriend, and how life wasn’t all that bad during Covid as long as you had TacoBell minus you then miss out on sex. Rock-hilarity at its finest.
I sat in the crowd center stage watching, one-by-one mouths agape and then howling. The show was a good time. If you have never heard of Big J (what!?!) you can look him up and trust me you will at least have five minutes of pleasure today.
He has a lot of funny ass things floating around we think you should hear:
- “This Is Not Happening” with Ari Shaffir
- “Comedy Underground” with Dave Attel
- FX’s Emmy winning “Louie”
- “Inside Amy Schumer”
- “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”
- Conan O’Brien
- Played Neil, the sexually ambiguous owner of a NYC rock club, on IFC’s “Z-Rock”
- Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend,” “Comedy Central Presents” and “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn”
Albums: via Comedy Central Records
- “The Crowdwork Sessions: What’s Your F@#king Deal?! Volumes 1”
- “The Crowdwork Sessions: What’s Your F@#king Deal?! Volumes 2”
- “An American Storyteller”
Notes: There is a reason he has been doing this for a few decades. Raunchy, ruckus, and badass. 10/10 recommend.
See full gallery of the night here!
To see his latest works from the road tune into Youtube to watch Dog Belly. The special was filmed at Skankfest late last year and produced by Ari Shaffir. The basis is of course raunchy conceptualism, shaming a fat man for breaking furniture – kindly, and of course facing head-on the ridiculous amount of people that call Jay, a Jewish man, a Nazi on the regular and with his splendid snap backs shows the lunacy of these statements but the woke reality of the upside down we live in now. It’s worth a spin or two!
Catch Big Jay on the Road:
Fri, MAY 19 North Charleston Coliseum (8:00pm) North Charleston, SC
Sat, MAY 20 Giant Center (8:00pm) Hershey, PA
Thu, JUN 1 Wise Guys Comedy Club (8:00pm) Las Vegas, NV
Fri, JUN 2 Wise Guys Comedy Club (7:30pm) Las Vegas, NV
Fri, JUN 2 Wise Guys Comedy Club (10:00pm) Las Vegas, NV
Sat, JUN 3 Wise Guys Comedy Club (7:30pm) Las Vegas, NV
Sat, JUN 3 Wise Guys Comedy Club (10:00pm) Las Vegas, NV
Wed, JUN 14 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Forest Hills, NY
Thu, JUN 15 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Baltimore, MD
Fri, JUN 16 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Moosic, PA
Sat, JUN 17 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Gilford, NH
Sun, JUN 18 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Gilford, NH
Thu, JUN 22 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Traverse City, MI
Fri, JUN 23 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Fort Wayne, IN
Sat, JUN 24 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) St Louis, MO
Sun, JUN 25 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Lincoln, NE
Thu, JUL 6 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Huntsville, AL
Fri, JUL 7 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) New Orleans, LA
Sat, JUL 8 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Memphis, TN
Sun, JUL 9 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Oklahoma City, OK
Wed, JUL 12 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Las Vegas, NV
Thu, JUL 13 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Salt Lake City, UT
Fri, JUL 14 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Boise, ID
Sat, JUL 15 Fully Loaded Tour (7:00pm) Quincy, WA
Thu, AUG 10 Legion of Skanks Live Hampton Beach, NH
Fri, AUG 11 Legion of Skanks Live Boston, MA
Sat, AUG 12 Legion of Skanks Live Ledyard, CT
Thu, SEP 14 Dania Improv (8:00pm) Dania Beach, FL
Fri, SEP 15 Dania Improv (7:30pm) Dania Beach, FL
Fri, SEP 15 Dania Improv (10:00pm) Dania Beach, FL
Sat, SEP 16 Dania Improv (7:00pm) Dania Beach, FL
Sat, SEP 16 Dania Improv (9:30pm) Dania Beach, FL
Thu, SEP 21 Helium Comedy Club (8:00pm) Indianapolis, IN
Fri, SEP 22 Helium Comedy Club (7:30pm) Indianapolis, IN
Fri, SEP 22 Helium Comedy Club (10:00pm) Indianapolis, IN
Sat, SEP 23 Helium Comedy Club (7:30pm) Indianapolis, IN
Sat, SEP 23 Helium Comedy Club (10:00pm) Indianapolis, IN
Nov. 3 – 4, 2023 Big Jay Live at Cobbs Comedy Club San Francisco, CA
Fri, DEC 29 Pittsburg Improv ( 8:00pm) Homestead, PA
Fri, DEC 29 Pittsburg Improv ( 9:45pm) Homestead, PA
Sat, DEC 30 Pittsburg Improv ( 7:30pm) Homestead, PA
Sat, DEC 30 Pittsburg Improv ( 9:45pm) Homestead, PA
Sun, DEC 31 Pittsburg Improv ( 7:30pm) Homestead, PA
Sun, DEC 31 Pittsburg Improv ( 9:45pm) Homestead, PA
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