Dan Licata
A high-volume absurdist trapped in the persona of a teenage burnout.
1 special · 2024
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Dan Licata takes the stage like a high schooler who needs to win an argument. He paces the room projecting the unearned confidence of a guy whose cultural references stopped updating in 2004. He will shout a surreal claim—like surviving four hundred concussions or contracting a fake disease from a turkey—with the absolute conviction of someone holding court in a cafeteria. When a bit requires a massive leap in logic, he pauses, waiting for the crowd to agree with him, and looks genuinely hurt when they do not.
Specials
On stage
He occupies a noisy corner of the New York alternative scene. He has built a dedicated audience around this loud, aggressive surrealism. He took the persona to its logical extreme by filming his 2024 special, For The Boys, inside his hometown high school, performing exclusively for a crowd of actual fifteen-year-old boys.
The act relies on the gap between how hard he sells a premise and how stupid the premise actually is. He builds elaborate stories out of gross-out details and bizarre pivots, driving them forward with total sincerity. He never winks at the crowd to let them know he is kidding. The commitment to the meathead character remains absolute, whether he is aggressively explaining historical events to kids who were not alive for them or outlining a plan to do an escape room entirely alone.
His long-running live and televised collaborations with Joe Pera make perfect sense in this context. Licata provides the necessary abrasive contrast to Pera’s gentle tone, acting as the human equivalent of a sudden, blaring siren.
Turning points
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Just For Laughs New Faces Selection
Licata was named one of the New Faces of Comedy at the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal, where his performance was praised as manic hilarity.
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Release of For the Boys on YouTube
Licata filmed his debut standup special For the Boys at his high school alma mater in front of actual 15-year-old boys, releasing it independently on YouTube.
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Shattering Both Legs in Church Roof Jump
During high school in Buffalo, Licata leaped from the two-story roof of Christ the King church with an umbrella, breaking both of his legs in a notorious stunt that became a defining piece of his biographical lore.
At a glance
- On stage
- since 2012
- Style
- absurdist, storytelling, vulgar
- Breakout
- For the Boys
- Influences
- The Tom Green Show, Mr. Show, Jackass, Zach Galifianakis, Stella
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia
Fans also like
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Joe PeraLicata is a longtime creative partner with Joe Pera, co-hosting the Dan + Joe + DVD Show and serving as a key writer, producer, and comedic foil on Joe Pera Talks with You.
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Conner O'Malley
Both comedians embody chaotic, unhinged, high-intensity manchild personas who frequently perform together and share audiences across independent comedy projects.
Also on screen
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- Joe Pera Talks with You
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- Saturday Night Live
A clip to start with
Dan Licata: For The Boys | Full Comedy Special