Spurious

Pulling out a flip chart mid-set usually signals a comic who has run out of ideas and brought visual aids to stall, but Alex Velluto uses his to treat statistical nonsense with complete seriousness. Armed with line graphs and questionable calculus, he charts out spurious correlations, delivering the whole routine with the bone-dry commitment of someone presenting a corporate quarterly audit.

Filmed in Provo, Utah, at the Dry Bar Comedy club, the 2017 special served as Velluto’s debut hour, recorded while the Salt Lake City comic was still working the regional club circuit.

When he steps away from the easel, the material stays anchored to low-key indignities: automatic restroom sensors flushing prematurely, gaining weight on a diet of salad, overenthusiastic Facebook marriage announcements, and the exact social standing that comes with carrying a Little Caesars pizza box.