By his own admission, Kyle Kinane is no salesman. So, he figured it would probably be the best decision to record and release his latest special before people stopped finding it interesting and he had to work to get people into it again.
With his new special, Dirt Nap, which premiered earlier this month via 800 Pound Gorilla Media and will next find its way to YouTube on April 2, Kinane isn’t exactly trying to reinvent the wheel. There may not be any sort of big magic trick behind his approach or vision, but what he is trying to do, though, is bring us fully up-to-date with some of the goings-on in his life, as well as a whole brand new slate of observations and long form stories, as he has in specials past, that further illustrate his feelings of getting older and trying to keep up with the ever-changing times. But by all accounts, the speed at which the world works now doesn’t have Kinane too shaken, and he’s up for the ever-present challenge in making sure his comedy is still as sharp as possible.
“I’m hesitant to say this is along the lines of a one-person show, but this hour definitely has more of a narrative to it, so you’re going to sit there and pay closer attention to it,” Kinane tells Vanyaland. “It’s kind of the opposite of what’s going on in the world, where you see thirty-second crowd work clips, which we’re doing great with, but it’s not my corner. I like telling these longer stories, and I like how they come together. I like figuring out how to connect the beginning to the end. In addition to seeing if it was funny, that’s what interests me about telling these long stories. I like that as a challenge.”
Although he wouldn’t be too quick to say his material has found a more “mature” approach in the most used sense of the word, his perspective has certainly shifted and gone under that transformation in the analysis of experiences he’s gone through as he’s gotten older and worked through more material.
For a good portion of his years on stage, Kinane has detailed quite a lot in the realm of his experiences with drugs, alcohol, and a bit more of a partier vibe than his current standing, but as he’s gotten older, he’s consciously worked to move away from that perspective and shift focus onto other topics and viewpoints that oftentimes square up on the fact that he’s middle-aged.
But that’s not to say he’s becoming the truth teller for the “get off my lawn” folks either. In fact, he sees that as a counterproductive way of living, and isn’t about the cultural and generational shunning that has transpired over the last few years.
“I don’t want to be the ‘these kids don’t know anything anymore’ type of comic, because I think it’s a weak approach to choose to not understand somebody in a generation younger than you,” says Kinane. “You might as well get in the grave now. You’re just old. The world keeps going, but you’re going to stop learning? Just hop in the fucking casket now, man.”
To help get that point of personal growth and perspective even further across, Kinane found collaboration in the comedy genius of legendary comedian and director Bobcat Goldthwait, who was called upon to direct this hour. While it wasn’t the first time Kinane has tapped a fellow stand-up to direct one of his specials, having had Jonah Ray call the shots on his 2023 special Shocks & Struts, Kinane was excited to have the opportunity to work with Goldthwait, as he feels having someone with stand-up experience on their resume to set the tone of a special is of the utmost importance — and he was once again left impressed by the final result.
“Having anyone there that has a background in stand-up helps, and Bobcat obviously has an extensive stand-up background. He’s also just such a benevolent presence. He’s such a mellow, easy-going guy who makes you not worry about anything, and he also has a lot of sensitivity and heart in the projects that he does,” says Kinane. “It’s not just jokes for the sake of jokes, and I hope that does connect to people a little bit more, that he knows how to make it look and feel warm. It was a special night in Minneapolis, and he knew that, so I think he nailed it in making people feel like they were out to a good club enjoying a comedy show.”
While he may not be of the belief that his special is in need of a full cinematic treatment, Kinane also wants his audience to consume his material in comfort as it was intended, and not in short thirty-second bursts on your phone. Instead, he just hopes people take the time to really sit down, relax, forget the world for a bit, and watch the full hour on your TV, if you’re able to.
And although he hopes viewers will heed his words, he also isn’t claiming to be free of sin, as he hopes his material shows how he’s just as guilty as anyone when it comes to him questioning the dependency on cell phones. But at the end of the day, he just wants everyone to kick back for a bit, and enjoy some comedy for its intended purpose: to laugh and let loose.
“If you like this one, I have seven or eight other hours out there that I’m still pretty proud of, so go check it out and spread the word. Also, make sure you take the time to sit down and watch it on a TV. I know it’ll be out on YouTube, but it took me long enough to find out you can watch YouTube on your TV. I’m late to the game on that, but just take an hour to sit down and relax, enjoy the show, and don’t worry about trying to watch it on your phone during your lunch break,” says Kinane. “If there’s any take away from this special, it’s that I’m just as guilty as anyone else about consuming everything on my phone, so maybe for this one, just treat yourself to not looking at something on a two-by-five-inch screen for once. Watch it on a larger screen instead.”