Tiny Idiot

Derek Sheen leans heavily into his anxieties, transforming a personal attempt to wean himself off the antidepressant citalopram into high-energy, cynical storytelling. Rather than treating depression as a tragic cloud, he uses his mental health struggles as a springboard for hyper-detailed, neurotic bits that make the audience brace for impact.

Recorded at Timothy O’Toole’s Pub in Chicago for the “Comedians You Should Know” showcase, the 2016 release caught Sheen as he was steadily building an underground reputation on tour with comics like Patton Oswalt and Brian Posehn. He frames the Old Testament as an absurd Dungeons and Dragons campaign populated by giants and laser angel babies, explains why motels are exclusively haunted by the living, and pitches a modern rewrite of the D.A.R.E. program. Stand Up! Records released the special on vinyl, CD, and video, which drew critical comparisons to early Patton Oswalt for its mix of nerdy references and intense, rapid-fire delivery.