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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

I Liked His Old Stuff Better

Kyle Kinane

Comedy Central · 2015 · 65 min

Gruff reflections on burning laundry, polite cops, and getting older.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Kyle Kinane has a distinct talent for turning absolute degeneracy into life-affirming optimism. While other comics might use burning their clothes in a public laundry machine as an excuse for self-pity, he views the accident as a literal miracle of alchemy. He sits on a stool with a beer and spins stories of minor tragedies, like falling down in the shower or throwing loose change in the garbage, into celebrations of just surviving.

The hour was filmed at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia. At the time of this 2015 release, Kinane was firmly established as the gravelly voice of Comedy Central and a cult favorite following his 2012 hour, Whiskey Icarus. The self-deprecating title was a preemptive strike against internet complainers who always claim a comedian’s earlier work was superior.

Rather than lean into his youthful punk-rock days, the comic tackles the mundane realities of getting older. He explains how browsing pet adoption websites has replaced pornography as a more attainable fantasy, details the weird dad habit of reading road signs aloud while driving alone, and recounts a high school party ruined by a remarkably polite Chicago police officer. Critics praised the set for avoiding the tired traps of aging-comic bitterness, noting his ability to make profound observations out of something as simple as blessing a sneezing cat.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Redefining miracles and burning laundry at the laundromat

    Argues regular people should loosen their definitions of miracles, viewing his scorched clump of shirts not with fury but with awe as he dubs himself 'the alchemist.'

  2. Doing an interview for Hustler magazine and the ensuing call with his mother

    Reflects on the realization that his mother Google-alerts his name like a stalker and panics into over-explaining that the Hustler feature was strictly text and no pictures.

  3. Falling in the shower during an in-apartment spa day

    Spins a ten-minute narrative connecting waterproof Bluetooth speakers, Lionel Richie love songs, falling in love in a bank, and a barroom brawl before finally arriving at the shower fall.

  4. Browsing pet adoption websites instead of pornography

    Explains that browsing shelter websites at night offers a much more attainable, grounded late-night fantasy than unrealistic pornography.

  5. Receiving pickled eggs as a romantic gift

    Chooses to marvel rather than rue the unconventional tokens of affection encountered in his dating life.

How it plays

Tone
Wonderfully grim yet curiously positive, ribald, contemplative, and charmingly unpretentious.
On stage
A boozy bard and grizzled, blue-collar everydude delivering depraved, self-effacing stories with a busted-up Zen optimism.
Pace
Conversational, meandering long-form narrative momentum described as an 'ADD tornado' with smooth multi-topic tangents.
About
aging and domestic domesticity, drinking and shower beers, redefining everyday miracles, absurd personal mishaps, romance and dating

What the critics said

Universally praised by critics as a masterclass in long-form narrative pacing, elevated by Kinane's specific vocabulary and knack for finding joy and wonder in lowbrow squalor.

In the room: Warm and enthusiastic rock-club atmosphere accompanied by the clink of beer bottles.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: kylekinane.comedydirect.com, pro.imdb.com, letterboxd.com, mymoviefinder.com, pastemagazine.com, newnoisemagazine.com, vulture.com, theguardian.com, en.wikipedia.org, phoenixnewtimes.com, knoxandjamie.com.

Backstory

Filmed at the legendary rock venue 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia, under the pressure of its musical pedigree (including Nirvana's backstage autograph).

Details

Released
Taped
40 Watt Club, Athens
Runtime
65 min
Where
Comedy Central
Director
Lance Bangs
Topics
Before
Comedy Central Presents (2011)
After
Sold Out, Suck It (2015)

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