April 19–26, 2001

mix picks

Jester of All Media

It’s been about a month and a half since Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling walked off Howard Stern’s show due to a contract dispute. While generally not credited on the air, Martling served as Stern’s head writer (the best way to tell a Martling joke was to listen for his trademark cackle after Stern’s delivery). The Joke Man was a perfect comic foil for Stern, who peppered his show with plugs for Martling’s CDs and website along with putdowns of the Long Island native. Since his stand-up shows have mainly been attended by die-hard Howard fans in the past, it remains to be seen how many fans will show up without Stern’s support. As for his material, it depends on how funny you find filthy jokes that begin with lines like "An Italian guy, a Jewish guy and a Polish guy walk into a whorehouse" delivered in Martling’s rapid-fire style. His heckler putdowns have always been entertaining, and given his unamicable departure from the Stern show, he should have his hands full on Saturday.

—Bram Teitelman

Sat., April 21, 9 p.m., $22.50, The Grand Cayman Ballroom in the Trump Marina Hotel, Atlantic City, 1-800-777-8477.