In his comedy act, Anthony Jeselnik often comes off as an arrogant jerk. But a successful one: The comedian's resume includes writing for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and Sarah Silverman, as well as last year's Comedy Central Records' Shakespeare album. And he insists that the jerk act is just a shtick. "It kind of evolved from being the opposite of that in real life -- I wasn't an arrogant jerk," he swears. "I thought it was a funny character; if I was a nice guy, it's hard to then make a joke about abortion." The comedian is known for his dark one-liners that often push far beyond audiences' comfort zones, venturing into such taboo humor subjects as dead babies and being a dick to his girlfriend. But it's all done with a literary precision and strong grasp of language that clue the audience in to the fact that his asshole persona is all for the sake of humor.

As an arrogant jerk, Jeselnik tells the kind of jokes that make you wonder if you really should laugh, even while the tears are running down your face. So be prepared when he performs at 8 p.m. tonight at the Comedy Works, 1226 15th Street; he'll be back on stage at 8 and 10 p.m. Friday; 6:30, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday; and 7 p.m. Sunday. For tickets, $15 to $25, call 303-595-3637 or go to www.comedyworks.com.
Dec. 1-4, 2011