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Having the Time of My Life

Tommy Ryman

Stand Up! Records · Album · 2018 · 46 min

Boyish deadpan stand-up about new-age parents and suburban accidents.

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Tommy Ryman delivers his sophomore comedy album with the gentle, slightly neurotic energy of a performer who knows he looks more like a high schooler than a married homeowner. His style is mild-mannered but punctuated by sharp sarcasm, drawing humor from a Midwestern upbringing shaped by a folksinging mother and a traditional Lutheran father. Rather than relying on shock value, he leans into observational domestic absurdity and the trials of looking significantly younger than a grown man should. Released in 2018 on Stand Up! Records, Having the Time of My Life reached number two on the iTunes comedy charts. The 46-minute set features routines about a run-in with a grocery store lot attendant, buying a hedgehog, and trying to fix a wooden step, turning everyday domestic mishaps into detailed, layered narratives through a mix of boyish excitement and deadpan self-deprecation.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Broken bones and grocery shopping

    Unintentionally toying with the emotions of a grocery store lot attendant leads to a $900 hospital bill.

  2. Asking for his wife's hand in marriage

    Awkwardly telling his future in-laws that he was 'going to be in their life… for a while.'

  3. Buying a pet hedgehog named Phylis

    Exploring the quirks of purchasing the 'latest and greatest' in unconventional household pets.

  4. Working at Barnes & Noble

    Experiencing an awkward moment working at the bookstore before and after college when a former high school classmate gets caught shoplifting.

  5. International snack smuggling

    Joking about his wife's covert habit of bringing unauthorized snacks across international borders.

How it plays

Tone
Clean, lighthearted, self-deprecating, and whimsical.
On stage
Oddly adorable, awkward, and endearing with an innocent, nerdy demeanor masking clever absurdism.
Pace
Conversational cadence driven by infectious excitement, childlike glee, and deliberate repetition of words and phrases.
About
New Age parenting, Marriage and relationships, Pets (hedgehogs, rescue dogs, rats), Accidental criminality and run-ins with the law, Everyday mishaps and DIY home repairs

Backstory

Drawing heavily on his personal life, Midwestern roots, three-year marriage to his wife whom he met while working at Barnes & Noble, and growing up with a New Age folk-singer mother.

Details

Released
Runtime
46 min
Where
Stand Up! Records (album)
Honors
Reached No. 2 on the iTunes comedy charts
Topics
After
Activated (2018)

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