ComedyConan O'Briencomedian stand-up

Conan O'Brien's Record Label Takes Strong First Step With Ian Edwards Album

Conan O'Brien's Record Label Takes Strong First Step
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Comedian Ian Edwards’ first stand-up album, “100% Half-Assed,” dropped Tuesday. After giving it a listen, we found the release to be a strong debut for Conan O’Brien’s new record label.

As far as debut albums go, Edwards' is a little more polished than most, likely a result of his having done stand-up since he was in his early 20s. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly he confessed to naming the album "100% Half-Assed" because he feels there's no excuse for not having an album out by now.

“100% Half-Assed" brings his unique and unwavering perspective to a variety of topics such as the elderly, accidental pregnancies, shark attacks and Bruce Lee movies. His persona is unoffensive and portrays man just trying to wade through the insanity of every day; but he doesn’t shy away from tackling more uncomfortable topics like abortion, domestic abuse and race. His audience follows him down these slightly murky paths because he’s never making jokes at anyone’s expense but his own.

It was announced in May that O’Brien would launch Team Coco Records, a label devoted to shining a spotlight on up-and-coming stand-up comedians and giving performers more creative control. O’Brien, who hosts the TBS show “Conan,” tends to have more stand-up comics on his show than anyone else in late-night. Entertainment Weekly notes that Edwards has appeared on all three of O'Brien's late-night shows (“Late Night,” “The Tonight Show” and “Conan”).

In addition to his stand-up work, Edwards has written for “Two Broke Girls,” “Saturday Night Live” and “The Boondocks,” among others shows.

“100% Half-Assed” is available now via Team Coco Records for $5. It was recorded at the La Jolla Comedy Store in March of 2014.

Check out Edwards performing on "Conan" in 2013:

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Before You Go

The Top-Earning Comedians of 2013: Forbes
1. Jerry Seinfeld(01 of05)
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Annual Earnings: $32 millionSeinfeld’s invincible star power earns him top touring-dollars for the large crowds he pulls, and the veteran’s take-home cut of each show is higher than any other comedian on our list. Still, what helps keeps the king of comedy on top of FORBES’ rankings are the several million syndication dollars he earns each year from Seinfeld reruns. Not bad for a show about nothing. His latest project: “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” Seinfeld’s Internet series of web interviews with comedians, in cars, getting coffee. (credit:Getty Images)
2. Terry Fator(02 of05)
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Annual Earnings: $24 millionReality show victors rarely find career longevity after cameras cut, but ventriloquist Terry Fator has been an exception since he (and his puppets) won America’s Got Talent in 2007. In the past year, Fator has performed more than 200 shows – more than any other comedian on our list – thanks to his five-year contract with Las Vegas’ Mirage Hotel, reportedly worth $100 million. (credit:Getty Images)
3. Russell Peters(03 of05)
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Annual Earnings: $21 millionThanks to YouTube and a massive global following, Peters is still one of the world’s most successful touring comedians. The Canadian-born joker has performed at sold-out concerts from Madison Square Garden to London’s O2 Arena, where his 2008 show broke an attendance record of over 16,000 fans. But Peters’ remaining challenge is conquering the American fan-scape. (credit:WikiMedia:)
4. Jeff Dunham(04 of05)
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Annual Earnings: $19 millionMerchandise revenue can be a sizeable part of a comedian’s earnings, but Jeff Dunham, who topped this list in 2010, takes it to the next level with an estimated several million in merch profits – more than the ventriloquist gets from DVD sales. His fifth comedy special, Minding the Monsters, premiered last fall, while 2013 saw him branch out into feature film voice work with anime flick From Up on Poppy Hill. (credit:AP)
5. Louis C.K.(05 of05)
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Annual Earnings: $16 millionThe mastermind behind the Emmy-winning Louie is a risk-taker who has transformed the business with his lucrative ticket-distributing platform. Last year, he sold digital downloads of his comedy special directly to fans on his website, grossing $4.5 million in sales in just 45 hours. He took the same approach this year by charging $45 for a ticket to his show. Though C.K. admits cutting out the middlemen earns him less, it's proven that his fans will only love him more. (credit:AP)
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