Eric Kirschberger
A downtown surrealist secretly paying the bills as a candy mascot.
1 special · 2001
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If you catch Eric Kirschberger in a basement room, you might see him handle a drunk heckler by cheerfully threatening them in song. He does not operate on a standard setup-punch rhythm. He leans into the theatrical, delivering deadpan hip-hop tracks or playing characters that blur the line into performance art. He stands on stage with the relaxed cadence of a comic who expects to be the strangest person on the lineup.
Specials
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Premium Blend: David Alan Grier (S5E11) with David Alan Grier, Brian Keith Etheridge & 2 more
David Alan Grier hosts a showcase featuring J.B. Smoove.
Comedy Central · 25 min
On stage
He came up in the early 2000s New York alt-comedy boom. While his peers were chasing television deals, he was a regular at downtown anti-slams, spending four years competing in a satirical Mr. Lower East Side pageant before finally taking the crown. He still plays the small rooms, popping up in Astoria venues and international Fringe festivals to do a few minutes of absurdity.
His day job sits in complete contrast to his live act. He spends his stage time doing strange theater, like playing a mathematically obsessed, factory-farmed chicken. Then he clocks in to voice a corporate mascot. He is the long-time voice of the Orange M&M. The terrified, pretzel-stuffed candy sweating through television commercials is actually a downtown surrealist. He built his act in dive bars, but he pays his rent as a piece of chocolate.
At a glance
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