Freaked Out

Most stand-up sets about the state of modern culture tilt straight into despair, but Tom Papa takes the opposite route, arguing that constant exposure to cable news has tricked everyone into living in a state of manufactured panic. To make the point that life is actually pretty good, he dresses the stage like a 1970s game show, complete with flashing multicolored light bulbs and a troupe of sequined go-go dancers. The contrast between the upbeat variety-show glitz and his calm everyman delivery gives the performance an unusual, self-aware charm.

The set focuses on the small absurdities that drive daily anxiety. Papa questions why society still bothers producing pocket change, ridicules the postal service for running decades behind reality, and points out the organizational confusion of Occupy Wall Street. When turning to domestic life, he talks through the confusion of raising two daughters, the steady physical decline of getting older, and the practical value of opinionated gay men.

Premiering on Epix in 2013 before heading into wider digital release, the hour arrived during a busy run for Papa as both a club headliner and a versatile character actor. He had recently finished hosting Jerry Seinfeld’s NBC series The Marriage Ref, appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s Behind the Candelabra, and launched his SiriusXM radio program Come to Papa.

Directed by Jay Chapman and executive produced by longtime collaborator Rob Zombie, who helped design the retro aesthetic, the hour showed a comic willing to look silly in service of a comforting premise. Laughspin later included the audio release on its list of the ten best comedy albums of the year.