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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Cover image credit: Thumbnail: YouTube · Boys Gone Wild

Sweet Prince

Horatio Gould

YouTube · 2024 · 48 min

A cynical Gen Z elder refuses to trauma-dump on stage.

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Horatio Gould enters his debut special with a contrarian stance for a twenty-something comic: he is perfectly fine. At a time when stand-up leans heavily on vulnerability and therapy speak, Gould rejects the pressure to confess his struggles, questioning the modern self-care culture that insists everyone must be struggling. Instead, he positions himself as a grumpy beta male who is comfortable with his mediocrity, delivering a structured, joke-dense hour that looks at the changing definitions of masculinity.

Recorded at The George Tavern in East London on May 1, 2024, the special captures Gould as his online profile was rapidly expanding. Known for the Boys Gone Wild podcast and viral sketches parodying modern podcasters, Gould spent much of the preceding year touring this material following a sold-out run at the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The 48-minute show features some of his most discussed bits, including his perspective on the shift from Gen Z’s fear of being perceived as gay to the fear of being seen as homophobic, and a detailed routine about ISIS. Rather than relying on crowd-pleasing sentimentality, Gould keeps his focus on cynical, slightly misanthropic observations, occasionally contrasting his own passivity with the brazen behavior of his East End cockney father.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Weaponizing Gen Z's learning difficulties and mental health disorders for wartime conscription

    Argues his generation would excel in warfare by assigning dyslexics to Morse code, ADHD people to drone strikes with Subway Surfers video distraction, and autistic people like Francis Bourgeois to tanks

  2. Contrasting his father's fearless attitude with his own generational neuroses

    Compares his dad's first memory of England winning the World Cup against his own memory of Two Girls One Cup, noting his father sleeps easily while he is kept awake by social anxiety

  3. His father's jarring mix of cockney wheeler-dealer nature and New Age spirituality

    Riffs on his father aggressively demanding chakras be aligned and quitting an Indian silent meditation retreat because West Ham matches were not shown

  4. Playing Civilization V instead of Call of Duty as a child

    Explains how avoiding Call of Duty led him to play turn-based strategy, turning him into a genocidal warlord manufacturing famines rather than a team player

  5. Being bullied and beaten up by an older sister

    Recounts childhood physical altercations resembling pro wrestling until puberty hit, leading his sister to pivot seamlessly into psychological warfare

  6. Questioning the cultural mantra 'It's okay to not be okay'

    Observes a competition among peers to claim diagnoses and conditions, professing that he is simply okay with being okay

How it plays

Tone
Dry, misanthropic, irreverent, and edgy
On stage
Laid-back, dry, and sarcastic persona described as a beleaguered but defiant, grumpy beta male
Pace
Calm, meandering cadence featuring lengthy pauses and dry delivery that lead into surprising admissions
About
Modern masculinity, Generational differences, Mental health culture and over-diagnosis, Family dynamics, Childhood desensitization and video games, Gender differences

What the critics said

Praised as an assured, joke-heavy debut from a savvy writer with a distinct, edgy voice exploring modern masculinity, though occasionally navigating into provocative terrain

In the room: Engaged and reactive with hearty laughter, punctuated by occasional tense intakes of breath before being won over

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: comedydynamics.com, weownthelaughs.com, letterboxd.com, chortle.co.uk, broadwayworld.com, longstaffreviews.co.uk, imdb.com, pbjmanagement.co.uk.

Backstory

Examines generational contrasts between Gen Z culture, mental health awareness, and traditional masculinity represented by his working-class father

Details

Released
Taped
The George Tavern, London
Runtime
48 min
Where
YouTube
Director
Pete Wells
Topics

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