Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for A Careless Whisper of a Man
Cover image credit:

Source

A Careless Whisper of a Man

Dave Losso

Stand Up! Records · 2021 · 55 min

A gloriously low-stakes tour of bad jobs and Tinder misfires.

Dave Losso leans heavily on the specific brand of self-deprecation that comes from being introduced on stage as a “huge hot dog man” and having his physical appearance described by a stranger as a “careless whisper of a man”. He builds his material around the absurdities of blue-collar life, bad jobs, and worse romantic choices. He runs through stories about working a thoroughly uninspired stint at a UPS Store, explaining the chaotic shorthand of his hometown’s “carnival fights”, and detailing the bureaucratic paperwork of an ill-fated “Hand Job Gone Wrong”. Released by Stand Up! Records in July 2021, the special’s accompanying album found quick success, peaking at number two on the iTunes comedy chart and number four on Amazon’s comedy best sellers list. Directed by Ian Rans, the performance captures Losso delivering his laid-back, observational material before a receptive hometown crowd in Chicago. Rather than striving for high-concept social commentary, Losso keeps things grounded in his punk-rock roots, treating the stage like an indie road warrior who has transitioned from fronting hardcore bands to analyzing the mechanics of accidental dick pics on Tinder.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Being misidentified as a strip club DJ, introduced as a 'huge hot dog man,' and assumed computer-competent by a major corporation

    Observational humor exploring rolling with absurd assumptions and labels given to him

  2. South Chicago carnival fights and local subcultures

    Describing the white trash shorthand of carnival brawls and hypocrisies of neighborhood residents

  3. Skinemax scrambled TV and a guardian sex angel

    Recalling teenage experiences watching scrambled cable TV and an unexpected miracle in a bathroom stall

  4. Medical billing codes and hand-shandy incidents

    Dissecting the official medical billing code 'HJGW' for an intimate accident

  5. The secrets of penile photography and avoiding foot and mouth disease

    Offering absurd, practical advice and wrestling-style wisdom on modern dilemmas

How it plays

Tone
Entertaining, fun, and laid-back
On stage
A laid-back comedian deeply rooted in South Chicago, described as a 'joke machine' with hints of Moshe Kasher and Doug Mellard, acting as a font of weekend-wrasslin' wisdom who rolls with the punches
Pace
Laid-back
About
South Chicago culture, Mistaken identities and bizarre job descriptions, Sexuality and bodily absurdities, Bizarre encounters and personal misadventures

What the critics said

Richard Lanoie of The Serious Comedy Site called it an entertaining and fun stand-up comedy album, highlighting Losso's biographical, anecdotal, and observational comedy delivered in a laid-back way

In the room: Supportive hometown crowd

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: vimeo.com, tubitv.com, iwm.freeawesometv.com, music.apple.com, standuprecords.com, en.wikipedia.org, gritcitypodcast.com, imdb.com.

Backstory

Performed for a hometown crowd, drawing heavily on Losso's upbringing and experiences rooted in Chicago

Details

Released
Runtime
55 min
Where
Stand Up! Records
Director
Ian Rans
Honors
No. 2 on the iTunes comedy chartNo. 4 on the Amazon comedy chart
Topics

If you liked this