Paul F. Tompkins
An impeccably dressed man bewildered by his own daily incompetence.
3 specials · 2003–2015
Start with You Should Have Told Me, the breakout (2010 · 59 min · Comedy Central)
Get an email when there's a new special. You'll need a Google account.
Paul F. Tompkins takes the stage in a tailored suit and a bow tie, speaking with the projection of a nineteenth-century mayor. He turns minor annoyances into betrayals. When he recounts a personal failure, he enunciates every syllable of his own humiliation. He will often pause a story to stare at the floor, letting out a tight, high-pitched sigh as he remembers a foolish choice he made two decades ago.
Specials
-
A dapper storyteller tackles marriage, driving, and late-in-life independence.
Comedy Central · 72 min
-
An intimate hour about turning forty, buying property, and attending funerals.
Comedy Central · 59 min
-
A dapper half-hour of high-concept silliness and jazz criticism.
Comedy Central · 25 min
On stage
He operates at the center of the alternative comedy and podcast ecosystems. For a generation of comics who came up through independent venues rather than traditional clubs, he is a foundational presence. He bypassed the traditional comedy club model entirely. Before the practice was standard, he asked fans to organize online and guarantee three hundred ticket sales before he would agree to book a theater in their city.
His comedy relies on the gap between his presentation and his complete inability to navigate the physical world. His early albums feature absurd observational arguments, breaking down the specific flaws of peanut brittle or crushed souvenir pennies. He eventually dropped those routines in favor of longform autobiography. He treats mundane adult milestones, like getting a driver’s license in his forties or realizing he is terrible at manual labor, as matters of grave historical importance. He rarely shouts at anyone but himself. When he populates an anecdote with characters, he assigns committed voices to a taxi driver or a judgmental doctor, but always points the harshest judgment directly inward.
Turning points
-
1995–1998
Cast and Writing Breakthrough on Mr. Show
After staging live sketch comedy in Los Angeles, Tompkins was hired onto HBO's landmark sketch program 'Mr. Show with Bob and David,' launching his television career and culminating in an Emmy nomination.
-
Inception of the Tompkins 300 Tour
Seeking 300 people to fill seats to tape his special 'You Should Have Told Me,' Tompkins challenged fans on Twitter and Facebook, sparking a grassroots, city-by-city booking model that replaced traditional radio promo.
At a glance
- Born
- , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- On stage
- since 1986
- Style
- observational, storytelling, absurdist, alternative
- Breakout
- You Should Have Told Me
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia
Fans also like
-
Patton OswaltBoth comedians emerged as pillars of the alternative comedy scene, sharing a rich storytelling style anchored in literary vocabulary, refined nerd culture, and narrative craft.
Podcasts
-
The Pod F. Tompkast · host
A stream-of-consciousness comedy showcase featuring monologues, live recordings from Largo, sketch interludes, and music by Eban Schletter.
-
Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins · host
An entirely improvised podcast featuring special guests, narrative long-form improvisation, and live piano accompaniment.
-
The Dead Authors Podcast · host
A live stage podcast recorded at UCB Theatre where Tompkins hosts as H.G. Wells and interviews contemporary comedians portraying historical literary icons.
-
Threedom · co-host
An unscripted conversational comedy podcast hosted alongside regular creative collaborators.
-
The Neighborhood Listen · host
A character-driven improvised podcast inspired by bizarre neighborhood message board posts.
-
Stay F. Homekins · co-host
An independent domestic chat podcast hosted by Tompkins and his wife Janie Haddad Tompkins.
Also on screen
- 1995–1998
- Mr. Show with Bob and David
- There Will Be Blood
- 2012–2016
- Comedy Bang! Bang!
- 2014–2020
- BoJack Horseman
- You're the Worst
A clip to start with
A clip of Paul F. Tompkins