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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Cover image credit: Thumbnail: YouTube · Ashley Gavin

Live in Chicago

Ashley Gavin

YouTube · 2023 · 59 min

An aggressive, joke-first debut hour from the popular podcaster.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Ashley Gavin built a massive online following through viral crowd-work clips, but her self-funded debut hour, Live in Chicago, trades spontaneous crowd banter for tightly structured stand-up. Gavin takes the stage with a combative swagger, leaning into her reputation as an angry lesbian comic—a label she tries to escape by jokingly rebranding herself as a 9/11 comedian.\n\nFilmed at the Den Theatre in Chicago and self-released in early 2023, the special highlights Gavin’s transition from a software engineer and cruise-ship entertainer to a theater-filling headliner. Her written material targets subjects like emotional eating, dating, and a detailed takedown of pro-life logic. Rather than relying on the social-media-friendly interactions that filled her touring schedule, she delivers an aggressive, highly structured set designed to show her chops as a traditional joke-writer.

The set list

4 bits

  1. Crowd work interaction regarding Ashanti Black's profession

    Riffs on white lesbian audience reactions to race, resumes, and suspects the audience member might be a cop.

  2. Southern pastor proposing an electrified fence cage for lesbians

    Jokes that being trapped in a cage with other lesbians sounds like an ideal scenario rather than a punishment.

  3. 9/11 jokes and her father's passing

    Uses 9/11 as the 'straightest' material possible to counter audience discomfort and label-trapping, joking she was relieved her father died of cancer two years earlier so he wouldn't die at his World Trade Center office.

  4. Working as Carnival Cruise Line's first openly gay performer

    Highlights the restriction that she could only be openly gay during R-rated shows and forbidden from mentioning it on PG family shows, imagining the absurd extreme of corrupting children on stage.

How it plays

Tone
Clever, provocative, raunchy, and brash
On stage
Brash, gregarious, authentic, and confident with an antagonistic crowd-work style
Pace
Unrelenting energy and fast-paced delivery
About
LGBT issues and homophobia, 9/11, Working on Carnival Cruise Line, Feminism and women's rights, Dating and relationships, Emotional eating

What the critics said

Praised for exhibiting seasoned veteran comedy chops, delivering a keenly crafted hour that demonstrates she is a formidable comedian without relying solely on identity labels.

In the room: Thoughtful, enthusiastic crowd engaging actively in crowd-work interactions and shared queer joy.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: whatsafterthemovie.com, weownthelaughs.com, kkkkkkkkk.com, thecomedybureau.com, imdb.com, podtail.nl, fromthecomicscomic.com, timeout.com.

Backstory

Entirely self-funded debut special filmed following years working comedy clubs, cruise ships (as Carnival Cruise Line's first openly gay performer), and building an online audience via social media and podcasting during the pandemic.

Details

Released
Taped
The Den Theatre, Chicago
Runtime
59 min
Where
YouTube
Director
Gordie Earle III
Topics

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