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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Fred Armisen

Deadpan demonstrations of hyper-specific regional and musical archetypes.

2 specials · 2001–2018

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A Fred Armisen set feels like an eccentric guest lecture. He walks on stage, often surrounded by instruments or holding a map and pointer, and begins explaining human behavior. He does not build tension and release it with a punchline. Instead, he states a highly specific premise—how someone from a particular Canadian province apologizes, or the body language of a post-punk drummer at a soundcheck—and then simply demonstrates it. The joke lives entirely in the exactness of the mimicry.

Specials

On stage

He occupies a distinct lane in alternative comedy, playing large theaters and often sharing bills with traditional standups. On a multi-comic lineup, he functions as a surreal palate cleanser, breaking up hours of observational storytelling with five minutes of guitar strumming that parodies global indie rock. Audiences arrive already primed by his sketch television work, expecting a show that refuses to cater to a general crowd.

That refusal to broaden the material is the foundation of his act. For his 2018 special Standup for Drummers, he required ticket buyers to prove they played the instrument to gain entry. He then spent much of the hour performing actual drum solos to illustrate minor shifts in decade-specific techniques. He will happily leave half a room in silence to land an observation about the facial expressions of a specific session musician. He commits to minor bits with a mild, conversational delivery.

Before comedy, he spent years as a touring drummer in the punk band Trenchmouth. That background completely dictates his live act, giving him the practical ability to turn a genuine ten-minute drum clinic into a punchline.

Turning points

  1. Transition from Rock Drummer to Comedy

    After playing drums for punk bands like Trenchmouth and performing with Blue Man Group, Armisen made the short film Fred Armisen's Guide To Music And South By Southwest before trying stand-up comedy.

  2. 2002–2013

    Cast Member on Saturday Night Live

    Armisen joined SNL as a featured player in 2002 and became a repertory cast member in 2004, later winning a Peabody Award with the political satire cast.

  3. Launch and Success of Portlandia

    Armisen co-created and co-starred in the IFC sketch series Portlandia with Carrie Brownstein, earning multiple Emmy nominations and a Peabody Award.

At a glance

Born
, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
On stage
since 1984
Style
musical comedy
Breakout
Standup for Drummers
Influences
The Clash, Devo
Topics
Elsewhere
Website, Wikipedia

Fans also like

  • Seth Meyers

    Fans of Fred Armisen's television work will appreciate Seth Meyers, his Saturday Night Live colleague, Documentary Now! collaborator, and Late Night host.

    Photo: Gage Skidmore / CC-BY-SA-3.0

Also on screen

2002–2013
Saturday Night Live Cast Member / Various characters
2011–2018
Portlandia Various characters
2011–2014
The Looney Tunes Show Speedy Gonzales
Broad City David the Baby
Documentary Now! Various characters

A clip to start with

Fred Armisen Does Every North American Accent | Standup For Drummers | Netflix Is A Joke

5 min · 4.2M views