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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
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Good Guy

Nick Thune

Seeso · 2016 · 60 min

A guitar-free hour of dry storytelling about impending fatherhood.

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Nick Thune spent years establishing himself as a deadpan indie stand-up with an acoustic guitar draped over his shoulder, delivering surreal one-liners. For his second hour-long special, filmed at the Star Theater in Portland, Oregon, the guitar is entirely gone. Thune originally ditched the instrument out of necessity after breaking his arm, only to realize he preferred the vulnerability of holding just a microphone. The resulting show is a deliberate pivot toward storytelling, built around his impending parenthood and his questionable credentials as a responsible adult.\n\nReleased on NBC’s short-lived streaming platform Seeso in December 2016, the special finds Thune leaning into a highly detached stage persona. He presents a series of self-absorbed anecdotes designed to test the limits of the title, including a story about his dog getting into his weed edibles, a petulant stand-off with his wife’s obstetrician during a prenatal scan, and a bizarrely mishandled encounter with a potential suicide jumper. While some critics found his low-wattage delivery a bit too nonchalant, the hour captured a performer actively dismantling the style that made him famous.

The set list

3 bits

  1. The time his dog ingested weed edibles

    Recounts the incident as an absurd personal mishap reflecting his domestic struggles.

  2. Clashing with his pregnant wife's obstetrician

    Examines the anxiety and conflict he experienced prior to the birth of his first child.

  3. Pastor Nick routine

    A character-driven bit reflecting on his time immersed in church youth groups and summer camps, featuring his sole guitar-backed routine in the hour.

How it plays

Tone
Absurd, personal, and comedic.
On stage
Anecdotal storyteller sharing personal struggles, absurd real-life misadventures, and a pastor characterization.
Pace
Physical, confident, and tightly timed, built around long-form narrative arcs rather than rapid guitar-backed one-liners.
About
Fatherhood and preparing for a first child, The everyday struggle to be a good guy, Substance use, rehab, and sobriety, Church camps and youth ministry background

What the critics said

Praised as an engaging departure from his guitar-driven one-liners into longer, absurd, personal stories and laugh-out-loud asides.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: comedydynamics.com, tvguide.com, en.wikipedia.org, vulture.com, decider.com, comedydynamics.bandcamp.com, imdb.com.

Backstory

Much of the material was shaped by thoughts Thune had leading up to the birth of his first child, along with his personal history of entering rehab at 17, his subsequent decade-plus in the church and youth counseling, and his choice to step away from using a guitar after breaking his arm on tour.

Details

Released
Runtime
60 min
Where
Seeso
Director
Kevin Parker Flynn
Topics

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