Of All People
YouTube · 2024 · 56 min
A veteran comic looks back at analog childhood and midlife marriage.
Des Bishop starts his set with a bit in Mandarin, a language he learned in his late thirties to perform comedy in China, before quickly shifting back to English to address the realities of middle age. This set, recorded at the Comedy Cellar in New York, captures a veteran comic reconciling his chaotic Queens youth with a much more settled adulthood. Bishop focuses on the specific disconnect of being part of the last generation that had to memorize landline phone numbers and run wild without parental supervision, contrasting those analog memories with modern anxieties.\n\nThe material weaves together his marriage to comedian Hannah Berner, his past battle with testicular cancer, and the absurdity of dietary trends like the collective outrage over whole milk. Bishop also reflects on the physical markers of aging, from going gray to dealing with the social politics of height. Originally released independently on YouTube in early 2024 and later distributed by 800 Pound Gorilla Media, the special shows a performer comfortable relying on straightforward, rhythmic club set structures rather than heavy conceptual themes.
The set list
-
Acknowledging his privilege as a tall, attractive straight white man.
Bishop jokes that he is the worst kind of straight white guy—a 6'3" man who inherited a house in the Hamptons and became a 'zaddy' upon going gray.
-
Women's dating discrimination against short men.
Argues that despite awareness of sexism, women openly practice 'heightism' by putting height minimums on dating apps like Tinder.
-
Drinking full-fat cow's milk and getting backlash from militant vegans.
Recounts trying to order a standard latte in the Lower East Side and mocks vegan online arguments that humans shouldn't consume milk from other mammals.
-
Speaking Mandarin to audience members.
Engages audience members in Chinese crowdwork, joking that the audience feels uncomfortable because he is prepared for the future and they are not.
How it plays
- Tone
- Provocative, insightful, candid, and satirical.
- On stage
- An 'aggressively moderate' 47-year-old Queens native with a fast-talking New York cadence, playful self-awareness regarding his privilege and 'zaddy' looks, and high-energy storytelling.
- Pace
- High-energy, animated, and fast-paced.
- About
- White and male privilege, Dating standards and heightism, Cow's milk versus vegan dairy alternatives, Mandarin language and cultural differences, Aging and middle age
What the critics said
Praised by comedy journalists for his openness, honesty, perceptive observations, and high-energy stories detailing international travels and cultural nuances.
In the room: An intimate, lively basement comedy club atmosphere at The Comedy Cellar with vocal audience responses.
Backstory
Born in Queens and raised largely in Ireland, Bishop is fluent in English, Irish, and Mandarin. The special reflects his transition back to performing regularly for American audiences following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Details
- Released
- Taped
- 2023, The Comedy Cellar, New York
- Runtime
- 56 min
- Where
- YouTube
- Director
- Mike Lavin
- Topics
- After
- Bridge and Tunnel (2026)
More from Des Bishop
-
Bridge and Tunnel
YouTube
If you liked this
-
Gad Elmaleh Gad Gone Wild
Netflix
-
Kyle Grooms Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central
-
Clayton English All the Same
Comedy Dynamics · Album
