Beth Allen

W. Kamau Bell

Perhaps the easiest thing to do is put aside trying to find the humor in things yourself and let a professional do it for you. There are a glut of comedic events going down on New Year’s Eve, and we’ve handily collected a sampling below. We also talked to one of the Bay Area’s funniest comedians, W. Kamau Bell, about what to expect in comedy in 2012.

“Clearly, next year is going to be in large part about the election,” Bell said. “I’ve kind of lost interest already. All the debates peaked too soon. It feels like it should happen on Tuesday. Hopefully, the election will coincide with the end of the world. That’s a good way to go out. Will we get a black president for a second time? No, we won’t. How do you top a black president? The end of the world.”

And then there's the state of the Republican roster:

“It’s especially sad how the GOP had three years to scour the world for candidates and this was what they came up with. Barack should be like, ‘You can run all these people against me at once. Stack them up like a Voltron Republican, I’m not scared of any of these people.’”

There is one topic Bell will be sorry to leave behind in 2011.

“I’m gonna miss Herman Cain,” he said, “I already miss making jokes about him. I’d like to see him. I need to go by his house and say hello. As a comic you get sad when the general public is done with something and you’re like, ‘Hey, I’ve still got jokes about that!’.”

Bell performs on New Years Eve at The Phoenix Theater at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. with Laughter Against the Machine, an issue-oriented comedy show that recently wrapped up a nation-wide tour that is now being made into a documentary. He performs with Nato Green and Janine Brito. Tickets are $20-$25 and you can buy them here. 

Not Your Normal New Year’s Eve, Herbst Theater, 8 p.m., $25-$59 

The line-up for this night of stand-up and live music is an embarrassment of Bay Area riches: Brent Weinbach headlines (Ok, he's a Los Angeles native who once lived in San Francisco but has since relocated to L.A. as comedians are wont to do, but we’re counting him among our people anyway), along with Jill Bourque, Natasha Muse, Alex Koll, Kevin Camia, Liz Grant, and Steve Lee. Indie chamber pop ensemble Foxtails Brigade performs (Fun Fact!: Singer Laura Weinbach and Brent Weinbach are siblings! Family!), and there will be a balloon drop at 10 p.m., which is midnight in Normal, Il.

Lea DeLaria 2011 Rhino New Year’s Eve Spectacular, The Victoria Theatre, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $30-$35 

Lea LeDaria is a kind of vaudevillian performer for the current decade. She doesn’t just deliver raunchy punchlines with aplomb, she also sings. On Broadway. DeLaria is an accomplished jazz singer with several albums to her name. She’ll be singing and doing stand-up in her latest show, "The Last Butch Standing", in which she explores “what it is like to be a bad ass dyke in the post "Ellen" 21st century.”

Big Fat Year End Kiss Off Comedy Show XIX, Rhythmix Cultural Works, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., $30-$40 

Bay Area audiences like their comedy with a dollop of politics and satirist Will Durst is happy to oblige. His show promises stand-up along with “improvisation and loosely written sketches based on skewering the major news events of 2011”. He’s joined by Mari Magaloni, Johnny Steele, Michael Bossier, and Debi Durst. The 10 p.m. show includes a balloon drop and champagne toast.

A San Francisco New Year’s Comedy Show, Actors Theatre, 10 p.m., $40

Will Franken, whose brand of humor has garnered more than one comparison to Monty Python, headlines this show that includes Kurt Weitzmann, Eric Cash, Natasha Muse (Yes, the same Natasha Muse who appears at Not Your Normal New Year’s Eve! You are complaining about trying to catch a cab and she is performing at two different comedy shows in ONE NIGHT.) and Frisco Fred, who brings circus skills to the mix.