You Know Me
YouTube · 2024 · 52 min
A veteran comic confronts the quiet indignities of middle age.
Greg Fitzsimmons has been a working stand-up for over three decades, meaning he is well past the point of trying to reinvent himself or chase trends. Filmed at The Comedy Mothership in Austin, Texas, the hour is an exercise in comfortable self-deprecation from a veteran who knows his lane. Rather than leaning into the culture-war outrage typical of the Austin club scene, he keeps the focus on the mundane indignities of aging, starting with a detailed sequence about visiting a urologist for erectile dysfunction.
Released independently on YouTube, the show serves as a checkpoint for a comic in his late fifties who has maintained over thirty years of sobriety. Fitzsimmons looks at the quiet realities of his life, from the loneliness of cheap hotel rooms to his futile efforts to convince his teenagers that he is actually cool. He treats the biological declines of middle age and a long-term marriage with a dry acceptance. Instead of chasing high-concept premises, he focuses on the small things, like why he now spends his free time just staring at other dads.
The set list
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Ancestry DNA test reveals 99% Irish heritage
Fitzsimmons jokes that 99% Irish feels kind of racist and questions what family traits were being protected, such as pasty skin, rage, and alcoholism.
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Interacting with an audience member claiming Irish descent
Crowdwork segment where an audience member with a Polish last name responded to the call for Irish people.
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Convincing his teenage children that he used to be cool
Explains that his kids only know his sober, monogamous self and wouldn't understand how wild he was because they weren't raised by an abusive alcoholic parent.
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Proposing new rules for Major League Baseball
Uses the recent introduction of the pitch clock to suggest additional humorous rule changes to make the sport more engaging.
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Cashing a wife-gifted massage coupon at a shady Thai massage parlor
Recounts an awkward real-life misunderstanding that resembles a comedic sitcom situation.
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Accidental beach nudity bonding with his son
Shares an awkward bonding moment watching a woman lose her bikini top in the Venice Beach surf.
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Contentment with reaching 'the middle'
Notes that his dad died at 53 and his grandparents in their 40s, concluding he is happy having made his living in the middle of comedy rather than seeking massive fame.
How it plays
- Tone
- Reflective, self-deprecating, irreverent, and old-school.
- On stage
- Candid, slightly cranky middle-aged veteran comic who is comfortable embracing his standing in 'the middle' rather than chasing celebrity.
- Pace
- Breezy delivery with classic club-comic timing and solid joke construction.
- About
- Sobriety, Irish heritage and DNA testing, Aging and middle-age health, Parenting teenagers, Sex and marriage, Combating loneliness on the road
What the critics said
Decider recommended the special as a 'STREAM IT', noting that while some bits feel traditional or dated, Fitzsimmons delivers proven, funny club-tested material anchored by seasoned joke writing and contentment in his late 50s.
In the room: Energetic Austin comedy club crowd receptive to edgy material including abortion and personal taboos.
Backstory
Reflecting on turning 57, 34 years of sobriety, marriage, and parenthood, filmed at Joe Rogan's newly opened comedy club The Comedy Mothership in Austin.
Details
- Released
- Taped
- 2023, The Comedy Mothership, Austin
- Runtime
- 52 min
- Where
- YouTube
- Director
- Greg Fitzsimmons
- Topics
- Before
- Comedy Central Presents (2006)
More from Greg Fitzsimmons
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Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central
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Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central
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