The Half Hour

Cy Amundson comes across like an agreeable Midwestern guy until he starts talking about the small, unnecessary lies he tells just to get through casual interactions. The set works because of the contrast between his calm presence and the petty neuroses running behind his eyes.

Recorded at the Civic Theatre in New Orleans during season five of Comedy Central’s showcase series, the twenty-minute set arrived as Amundson was transitioning from Minneapolis club headliner to late-night regular.

He spends the set talking through personal friction, detailing how obsessive-compulsive disorder once paralyzed him outside a grocery store, mocking the shameless attention-seeking on Facebook feeds, and explaining his counterintuitive habits for shutting down arguments.