Everybody Wants Some

Getting singled out by Ian Bagg is a hazard of sitting near the front of his shows, but it is also the entire point. On his 2020 comedy album Everybody Wants Some, Bagg skips the usual joke-setup-joke structure to deliver a set built almost entirely on unscripted crowd work. Instead of relying on a polished monologue, he turns the audience into active participants through a series of fast-paced, unpredictable conversations. Released in August 2020 by 800 Pound Gorilla Records, the 54-minute audio release caught the Canadian comic at a transitional moment when pandemic closures had shuttered his regular Las Vegas residency at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club. Unable to tour, Bagg promoted the record across major comedy podcasts, showcasing his ability to extract weird confessions and tension from what would be a mundane exchange in any other comic’s hands, specifically on standout tracks like “I Am Sticky Bobby” and “Keep the Core Warm”.