Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents

Chris Gethard treats anxiety like a puzzle to be solved in real time. His strength is walking an audience through the exact mental spiraling he does in high-stress situations. When a woman on a first date asks him if he is “clean” before undoing his belt, he spends the next several minutes of stage time breaking down the possible meanings of the question. Is she asking about his criminal record, his hygiene, or his sexual health? He admits to the crowd that he was too neurotic to just say yes without clarifying which one she meant.

The set was taped at The Royale in Boston in March 2014 and aired that June as part of Comedy Central’s The Half Hour. During this era, Gethard was steadily building a dedicated cult audience through his Manhattan public access program, The Chris Gethard Show. He closes out the twenty-one minutes by detailing the rest of that aforementioned first date, which moves to the roof of an apartment building. Gethard spends the entire hookup terrified that a police officer or actor Alan Rickman will catch him in the act.