I went to see one of the coolest stand-up comedians on the comedy circuit, not to mention one of the biggest nerd celebrities around, Chris Hardwick aka The Nerdist.
Made up of a trio of stand-up comedians (Chris Hardwick, Matt Mira, and Jonah Ray), The Nerdist is the ultimate mix of hilarity and geekiness; combining everything nerds love (Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who) with a dose of silliness. The Nerdist is one of the most popular podcasts on iTunes, not to mention one with a stellar list of A-list celebrity guest stars like Tom Hanks, Mel Brooks, Jimmy Fallon, and Tina Fey. The interviews sound less like your typical late-night talk show banter, and more like some hardcore fan getting the chance to interview his heroes for an hour or two. Not to mention asking questions that only a fan would ask like
“Is Tom Hanks embarrassed or proud of Bosom Buddies?”
“Will Mel Brooks ever make History of the World: Part II?”
“What was Jimmy Fallon doing seconds before he got the job to be on Saturday Night Live?”
These are the kinds of questions that provide a sense of catharsis to those who crave this kind of entertainment. Besides A-listers, other guests have included those who are mostly well-known in the nerd realm. There’s comedian Aisha Tyler, who lends her voice to the FX hit show, Archer. She may be a hot girl on the outside, but underneath it all, she is a hard-core geek with a love on online-gaming. There’s also astrophysicist, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who is also the head of New York’s Hayden Planetarium. Their interview is chock-full of scientific know-how, not to mention how the infinity of space challenges our thoughts on existentialism; mind blown!
Besides podcasts, the Nerdist also does a string of stand-up shows across the country. Sometimes, you may just find yourself in the middle of a live podcast as the show turns into a panel discussion for a future podcast episode. I went to one in New York City at the Best Buy Theatre last fall where the special guest was filmmaker and producer extraordinaire Guillermo Del Toro, the creator of such films like Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, and co-producer on Dreamworks Rise of the Guardians. He was there to take questions from the audience and panel about his next big project, Pacific Rim, an upcoming sci-fi picture that pays tribute to the Japanese monster movies of the past. I found him to be so enlightening, friendly, and I love hearing him answer questions with that thick Spanish accent of his.
Lately, the Nerdist has expanded its small, but hilarious empire into the visual realm by invading your TV sets, by way of BBC America. Yes, a channel that specializes in all things British has given a Yank an hour long talk show, which airs Saturdays at 10/9 central, right before Hardwick’s other favorite show, Doctor Who. The Nerdist talk show is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It has a panel discussion set-up, much like The View, but with a cooler set design and funnier topics. Debuting back in the fall of 2011, the show started off a just a series of specials airing Saturday night on BBC America, but everyone took notice of how great the show was, and now, after almost a year long hiatus, The Nerdist is back with new episodes every Saturday night. Think of it as a great warm up before SNL, minus Weekend Update and a musical guest. But like their podcast, don’t expect boring banter. Watch as Chris Hardwick challenges Mad Men star Jon Hamm and Breaking Bad star Betsy Brandt to a game of Mad Libs, where each of them try to comically write an episode script combining both elements of the two biggest shows on AMC. Or see Chris Hardwick’s one-man band leader Mike Phirman compose a commercial jingle for Gozer the Gozerian from Ghostbusters. Just another typical episode!
The latest venture from Nerdist is, wait for it…bowling! As the son of bowling legend Billy Hardwick, Chris is something of a modern day Fred Flintstone, or Homer Simpson with more hair. When he’s not gushing with admiration for time-traveling doctors or zombies, Chris can really throw a mean curve ball, down the alleyway that is! The Nerdist channel on YouTube features Chris and his cohorts battling cast members of popular TV shows on the lanes. From Mad Men, to Mythbusters, to Conan O’Brien, and yes, Doctor Who, Chris has done the unthinkable: he has made bowling not just entertaining, but funny too! Now, if only he could the same with golf and soccer?
Leading The Nerdist is Chris Hardwick, who I see as the hottest and most underrated stand-up comedian in entertainment today. A native of Memphis, his true passion seems to be Doctor Who, the epic sci-fi series from the BBC that he follows with the utmost devotion. I’m not saying he’s a hardcore fan of the series, but let’s put it this way: Bill O’Reilly likes shouting at people who disagree with him less than Chris Hardwick loves Doctor Who. In the past, he has hosted Web Soup, an internet version of E’s The Soup, along with G4’s Attack of the Show, and is a contributing writer for Wired magazine. Besides having an encyclopedic knowledge of sci-fi and movies, he is also a pretty, damn good bowler! When he interviews someone on his podcast, he sounds like a nerdy fan in an audience who is getting the chance to talk to the people that we either idolize or have grown up with. Arguably, Hardwick’s best interview came with voice-over legends Rob Paulsen and Maurice Lamarche. Hearing the two men who gave us Pinky and the Brain along with countless other cartoon characters we’ve all grown up with is enough to give someone the biggest permanent smile you’ll ever have! At the end of the interview, Hardwick, trying to hold back tears of laughter, quietly says, “I’m luckiest boy in the world!” If I was interviewing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Toucan Sam, respectively, I’d probably be saying the same thing too!
Assisting Mr. Hardwick are Matt Mira and Jonah Ray, a pair of loveable, portly, four-eyed dorks that you can’t help but love! The three of them together is just one more element of why The Nerdist has become something of a success. If you look back at history, some of the most famous comedy teams have been male comedy trios. From The Three Stooges, The Marx Brothers, and Stella, these trios of tickling your ribs have made quite an impression on me, namely a big smile and a sore tummy from laughing! When the three of them aren’t interviewing stars, they are trading insults, bad jokes, and seeing which one is the worst bowler on Team Nerdist (it’s Matt Mira). It’s like watching a couple of kids get into such shenanigans and wondering who’s gonna get laughed at first? Either way, the chemistry between all three seems to work on many levels.
Stereotypes about nerds are a dime a dozen in comedy. The ugliest of which is the fact that nerds are unattractive misfits who devote their lives to science-fiction, bad movies, and not talking to girls. Ok, not all nerds are caricatures from an episode of The Simpsons, Futurama, or Family Guy. Then again, those shows are beloved by nerds and they make the most astute observations about everyday life, so why is anyone complaining? The Nerdist takes that comedic concept, and makes it more than socially acceptable, it makes nerd culture down-right hip! Not to mention gut-bustlingly funny! I find Chris Hardwick to be like the cool, older brother I wish I had growing up. The kind of guy I can come to whenever I feel picked on or whenever I feel that my devotion to pop-culture seems worthless. Chris Hardwick, along with Matt and Jonah have proven that you can take your pop-culture savvy, and turn it into a paid career. And with a popular podcast, stand-up tours, TV show, and web series, The Nerdist is living proof that the meek shall inherit the Earth. Or help you defeat the original Legend of Zelda on NES.
And as they say at the end of every Nerdist podcast, “Enjoy Your Burrito!”
@nerdist
@mattmira
@jonahray