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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for Son of a Gary
Cover image credit: Promotional image via Prime Video

Son of a Gary

Dan Soder

HBO · 2019 · 64 min

A dark, fast-paced hour about family dysfunction and modern anxiety.

Dan Soder spent years as a gravel-voiced club comic and character actor before this hour, which uses his late, alcoholic father as an emotional anchor rather than a pity party. He treats his dad’s self-destruction as a source of dark comedy, skipping the usual theater-show solemnity in favor of fast-paced club jokes.\n\nTaped at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, the 2019 HBO special came at a high-water mark for Soder’s career. At the time, he was co-hosting The Bonfire on SiriusXM and expanding beyond sidekick roles like Mafee on Billions.\n\nHe weaves together stories about trying to stay calm around airport drug dogs while high on psychedelic mushrooms, the absurdities of the “customer service generation,” and the universal experience of staging fake, victorious arguments in the shower.\n\nThe special benefits from a high-profile crew behind the scenes, with Chris Storer directing and Jerrod Carmichael and Bo Burnham executive producing. This keeps the presentation tight, emphasizing Soder’s physical performance and spot-on vocal shifts.

The set list

7 bits

  1. Having an alcoholic, absent father who died young as the origin story of a comic

    Argues that childhood trauma is the exact recipe for becoming a stand-up comedian rather than the funniest guy at an Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

  2. Comedians treating themselves as serious artists

    Demurs at high-minded artistic claims by comics on Twitter, comparing stand-up comedians to 'mall clowns' and carnies performing in rooms designed for laser tag.

  3. Customer service generation and Yelp reviews

    Critiques modern entitlement and argues that Yelp turned contemporary society into a generation of snitches.

  4. Donald Trump and professional wrestling

    Examines politics through the lens of pro wrestling, claiming Trump 'Ric Flaired his way into the White House.'

  5. His 92-year-old grandmother and gluten fears

    Contrasts modern dietary complaints with his grandmother, who survived the Dust Bowl and fears little in food.

  6. Drug dogs at the airport

    Observes tension and anxiety surrounding airport security and drug-sniffing dogs.

  7. Fake fights in the shower

    Riffs on rehearsing imaginary confrontations and arguments alone in the shower.

How it plays

Tone
Dark-edged, honest, cynical, cathartic, and unpretentious.
On stage
Down-to-earth, relaxed, cynical yet self-confident, viewing himself self-deprecatingly as a 'mall clown' rather than an artist.
Pace
Natural, relaxed momentum with persistent gag delivery and conversational storytelling.
About
Dead alcoholic father and family background, Sobriety and edible cannabis, Customer service culture and Yelp reviews, Relationships, dating, and sexual compatibility, Generational differences and modern entitlement, The comedic profession and self-importance

What the critics said

Praised as a strong, hilarious debut on HBO that balances dark, honest subject matter with an unpretentious, down-to-earth comedic delivery.

In the room: Taped before a sold-out, engaged live audience at The Bowery Ballroom.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: hbomax.com, imdb.com, members.sagfoundation.org, medium.com, chortle.co.uk, decider.com, nytimes.com, thecomicscomic.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Reflecting on his upbringing by an absent and deceased alcoholic father, his own sobriety nuances, and the contemporary climate of comedy culture where comics take themselves too seriously as 'artists.'

Details

Released
Taped
The Bowery Ballroom, New York City
Runtime
64 min
Where
HBO
Director
Chris Storer
Topics
Before
Dan Soder (2017)
After
Live from the 10th Hole (2023)

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