Neurotic Gangster

Ben Gleib brings a manic, over-analytical energy to the stage, treating everyday annoyances like a personal offense. His stand-up leans into hyperactive self-deprecation, focusing on things like the puzzle of where a man is supposed to put his bottom arm while spooning, or the minor humiliation of realizing his dad can out-drink him. Filmed in a single take at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara during the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Festival, this 2016 Showtime special captures Gleib at a high point in his TV career, hot off hosting the puzzle show Idiotest and appearing on Chelsea Lately. He performs with the frantic pace of someone who is deeply addicted to his phone, moving quickly through observational material on public restroom technology, the primitive nature of dance-floor grinding, and his own ADHD.