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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Cover image credit: Thumbnail: YouTube · 800 Pound Gorilla Media

Shocks & Struts

Kyle Kinane

YouTube · 2023 · 61 min

Kyle Kinane shares stories about van mishaps and middle-aged decay.

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Kyle Kinane’s storytelling is built on a specific kind of detailed dirtbag poetry, using an elevated, dense vocabulary to describe the mundane disasters of middle age. He kicks off the set with the lingering indignity of Zoom comedy gigs before shifting into his main wheelhouse: highly specific survival stories. The hour peaks during an extended, meticulously constructed account of getting his newly purchased van hopelessly stuck in the sand in Joshua Tree, only to be rescued by a chaotic desert trucker named Garrett.\n\nFilmed at Wiseguys in Salt Lake City, the 2023 special marks Kinane’s return to a full-length video format after years of audio-only releases and a short set on Netflix’s The Standups. Directed by Jonah Ray Rodrigues, the hour features segments on heavy metal cruises, food poisoning, and the horrifying realization of what his own pillows look like without cases on them. 800 Pound Gorilla Media later released an unabridged version of the set with additional material cut from the original YouTube premiere.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Single men and disgusting, discolored pillows.

    Unsheathing an ancient, stained pillow and comparing its patina to a wild-west wanted poster and a map to the New World, spinning off into tangents about snoring and gay explorers in the 1300s.

  2. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Getting stuck in the desert sand in a new van at Joshua Tree National Park and being rescued by a man named Garrett. closer

    A 20-minute descriptive storytelling routine detailing hopelessness, an improbable encounter, and coming away reevaluating his cynical, judgmental instincts.

  3. Performing on a heavy metal cruise with bands like Lamb of God during the waning months of the pandemic.

    Exploring the debauchery of cruises and stepping out of his musical comfort zone as a punk to find people joyfully reuniting after lockdowns.

  4. A laparoscopic appendectomy ('lappy appy') and GERD.

    Addressing physical ailments and surgical experiences.

  5. Dinosaurs as 'God's little tricksters' and airplane dashboards.

    Observing prehistoric history and airplane dashboards covered in 'don't die' buttons.

  6. Disdain for Zoom comedy shows.

    Detailing why he avoided Zoom comedy and opted for touring in a van to perform in parking lots and driveways.

How it plays

Tone
Reflective, self-critical, and grotesque yet empathetic.
On stage
Gravelly-voiced, self-reflective, and self-deprecating with an admitted struggle between cynical judgment and trying to do the right thing.
Pace
Ornate, long-form storytelling featuring extended soliloquies, detailed digressions, and vivid tangents rather than standard setup-punchline rhythm.
About
Reevaluating cynical attitudes and judgment, Aging and bodily maintenance, Pandemic-era experiences, Misadventure and travel, Personal growth

What the critics said

Praised as overflowing with hilarity, displaying Kinane's mastery of language and vivid, ornate storytelling that exceeds his past work.

In the room: Uproarious applause and receptive club crowd.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: eponymousreview.com, icheckmovies.com, themoviedb.org, vulture.com, img1.wsimg.com, comediansdefyinggravity.com.

Backstory

Conceived and developed during and coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Kinane toured DIY shows out of a van and later purchased a van that led to a life-altering breakdown misadventure.

Details

Released
Taped
Wiseguys, Salt Lake City
Runtime
61 min
Where
YouTube
Director
Jonah Ray Rodrigues
Topics
Before
Trampoline in a Ditch (2020)
After
Dirt Nap (2024)

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