San Jose comic/boiler technician Kellen Erskine has been a finalist in the San Francisco International Comedy Competition and appeared on the seventh season of America's Got Talent, where he faced down judges Howard Stern, Howie Mandel, and Sharon Osbourne with a joke poking fun at the foibles of a psychic who wasn't able to predict that he would rob her. His buttoned-up, clean-cut look belies moments such as these, where a sweet cynicism surfaces.
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He has a touch of the comedian's great aide -- darkness -- as when relaying an idea he has for a reality television series called Where Are They Now? that would follow people in the Witness Protection Program. Libations at comedy shows aren't usually much to write about, but this intimate event offers patrons a chance to sip a glass of wine and dip into some fondue while laughing in a most undignified way. Erskine headlines the next edition of the fortnightly showcase "Melt the Mic."
Kellen Erskine performs Monday, Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. at Melt Cafe, 700 Columbus (at Filbert), S.F. Admission is free.
