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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Cover image credit: Thumbnail: YouTube · Stand Up! Records

Round Trip

Sam Miller

YouTube · 2023 · 55 min

An Olympia comic recounts a decade of homelessness and sobriety.

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Sam Miller is a 6-foot-6, 360-pound comedian who spent a decade homeless in Washington state before getting sober in 2008. For his debut special, recorded at the Capitol Theater in Olympia, Miller chose a venue directly across the street from the sidewalk where he spent his final night sleeping under a tarp. This geographical irony sets the tone for a set that treats extreme personal chaos with matter-of-fact utility rather than tragedy.

The material centers on the absurdities of survival on the streets, the mechanics of dating without a home, and the weird gossip generated by a rumor about seagull eggs. Miller also details a “pre-emptive tasing” and contrasts his volatile past with his current, relatively stable life as a married father of two. Released by Stand Up! Records in October 2023, the special reached number one on the iTunes comedy chart.

The set list

3 bits

  1. June 10th, 2008 under a tarp

    Recounts waking under a tarp outside the Capitol Theater next to a woman he did not recognize on the last day he ever did methamphetamine, receiving a pivotal look from a woman walking her dog before work.

  2. Marching on methamphetamine

    Acts out how smoking meth made every thought feel like inspiration and made him march everywhere between Fred Meyer and DSHS, until repeated arrests caused him to attempt to conceal it by swaying his legs instead.

  3. Big people sex

    Comically explores why sex between large people is the best, comparing it to stress-testing furniture and pretending to be monster trucks.

How it plays

Tone
Joyful, raw, frankly honest, emotionally grounded, and absurd.
On stage
A 6-foot-6, 360-pound self-described 'tried and true pickle of a man' and 'endearingly positive presence' whose delivery style brings to mind Kyle Kinane and Tommy Chong with an undercurrent of Margaret Cho.
Pace
Laughs his way through dark and personal material with a sly lilt and physical demonstrations.
About
homelessness, drug addiction and sobriety, marriage and parenting, living as a large person, jail and police run-ins, COVID-19 pandemic

What the critics said

Praised by Richard Lanoie of The Serious Comedy Site as 'interesting and original' and 'the best comedy album I have listened to all year.'

In the room: Featured an infamous 'loud laugher' in attendance during the taping.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, allmovie.com, knkx.org, podparley.com, thesobercurator.com, critics.io.

Backstory

Filmed directly across the street from where Miller spent his last night homeless sleeping under a tarp before getting sober in 2008, bringing his sobriety and comedy journey full circle.

Details

Released
Taped
2022, Capitol Theater, Olympia
Runtime
55 min
Where
YouTube
Director
Ian Rans
Honors
No. 1 on the iTunes comedy chart
Topics

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