Streamboats: 5 American comedians to watch online
Our conversation with American babe Nick Thune got us thinking about US standups you might not have heard of, but who're big in the States. Here are some of our favourite American comedians, and why you should stream them online
Kyle Kinane
Like Nick Thune, Kyle Kinane did a week at London’s Soho Theatre before heading to Manchester. A genius storyteller, Kinane feels like an old friend you can’t wait to catch up with, and at Manchester’s Pub/Zoo back in November he made 80 minutes feel like a tight 20.
- Read our interview with Kyle Kinane
Mitch Hedberg
An inspiration of Thune’s, Mitch Hedberg sadly passed away in 2005 but his absurd non-sequiturs live on, and some of his best clips on YouTube are possibly the greatest you’ve never heard of. “The way that he threw jokes away I just thought, ‘Wow that’s interesting,’” Thune told us. “It really kind of perked my ears up.’”
Todd Barry
Todd Barry is a kind of comedy Keith David, in that when you see his face you’ll recognise him from heaps of shows but won’t be able to put your finger on which. He’s popped up as the third member of Flight of the Conchords and plays himself regularly in Louis CK’s Louie, but it is his standup you should really seek out. Currently his show Crowd Work, in which he performed a whole tour with zero material, is a masterclass in dealing with an audience.
Maria Bamford
Another comedian you might have spied in cameo roles in the likes of Arrested Development, Louie or Tim and Eric, Maria Bamford is well worth seeking out, particularly her Netflix special entitled The Special Special Special! in which she performs in her parents’ living room. To her parents. One for fans of very good comedy, and also super awkward situations.
John Mulaney
A former Saturday Night Live head writer, John Mulaney is the latest in a long line of standups to be dubbed ‘the new Seinfeld’ (Hedberg was also inexplicably laden with this). His sitcom entitled Mulaney certainly didn’t help with the comparisons and was cancelled after 13 episodes but it is his smart observational standup that’s worth checking out, specifically his special New in Town.
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