Clearly I’m Trying Something

Self-proclaimed as the “King of Edge,” Clayton Williams plays against the moniker by zeroing in on the low-stakes absurdities of domestic life, the awkwardness of dating, and the reality of settling down. The material clicks when he leans into small personal indignities, treating bachelorhood misadventures and strange Halloween costume choices with deadpan seriousness.

Williams recorded the set on the second floor of Mister Goodbar in Buffalo, returning to the room where he ran open mics and performed his earliest sets fourteen years earlier. Released on YouTube on his 38th birthday, the self-produced set serves as a marker for over a decade working western New York rooms, a stretch that included winning Buffalo’s Funniest in 2018 and running local Don’t Tell Comedy showcases.

Between jokes about wrestling and marriage, Williams relies on an unhurried, grounded rhythm built from years working clubs across the region.