Kyle Kinane is no stranger to playing for stand-up nerds, having toured nationally with indie comedy heroes such as Patton Oswalt (“The Comedians of Comedy”) and Brian Posehn (“Mr. Show”) over the past two years.
But the Chicago-turned-L.A. comic cranks the nerd factor to 11 when asked about the biggest single gig he has landed.
“At the end of 2008, I was at this thing called BlizzCon, which is a World of Warcraft convention,” Kinane said over the phone earlier this week. “But I think they were mostly there that day for this orchestra that was playing all the World of Warcraft songs.”
Nonetheless, Kinane’s playing to larger and larger audiences these days. His first stand-up album, “Death of the Party,” was recently released by respected L.A. label ASpecialThing, and earlier this month he was named to Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch” list.
We talked to the gravel- voiced, self-deprecating stand- up in advance of his show tonight at the final installment of “Los Comicos Super Hilariosos” at Orange Cat Studios.
Q: Having opened for Patton Oswalt and played a few events like Comic-Con, have you found it’s difficult to make comic-book geeks laugh, especially when some of the jokes are about them?
A: I try to stay away from calling people nerds or whatever, because I’ve got my own fetishes and interests. But someone at one of these shows (with Oswalt) was like, “How dare they treat us like this!” And I’m like, “Come on, man, self-awareness isn’t going to kill you. You’re more excited about seeing the songs from the video game played live than you are us!” But overall it’s too easy of a target and not as rewarding when it comes to jokes.
Q: Do you consider yourself a nerd?
A: I’m not a comic-book guy, but I’m just waiting for all the pop-punk from the early ’90s to come around again. That’s still a skewered subject, whereas metal and things like that have already come around again. I’m 33. I know what I like, and I’m not trying to adapt to new things.
Q: Chicago is home to a lot of famous improv comedy (Second City, etc.) but what about the stand-up scene there?
A: For people that start in Chicago, fame is not really the ultimate goal. There was no “Oh, I gotta have a ‘look’ and I’m going to get a TV show.” You just did whatever you wanted to do, which is why I’m so happy I learned there. It’s about doing comedy for comedy’s sake, not for any other reason.
Q: In addition to the Variety nod, you’ve lately been popping up at more festivals and in interviews with comedy authorities like The Onion’s A.V. Club. How much do those kind of things mean to you?
A: It’s great, but you realize, ‘Well, now I’ve gotta keep working hard and live up to this stuff.” I really appreciate it, but can you even remember who was in the top 10 last year?
Q: Good point. What’s your favorite thing to do that has nothing to do with comedy?
A: I’ve been mountain biking lately. Nobody mountain bikes anymore — or ever did — in comedy, so I have to go by myself. So yeah, just listening to music from when I was 16 years old and mountain biking. That’s geekier than any comic book, heavy metal-listening nerd. They’re celebrating that these days, but nobody celebrates a guy in a bike helmet listening to Screeching Weasel, so I pose that question, nerds: Who’s more of a geek now?
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
“KYLE KINANE.
Comedy. Wrist Deep Productions’ “Los Comicos Super Hilariosos,” Orange Cat Studios, 2625 Larimer St. Today. 8:30 p.m. $10. 303-246-8224 or
