Chris Fleming’s HBO Special Blends Physical Comedy and Observational Humor Chris Fleming, the thirty-nine-year-old comedian known for his theatrical flair and androgynous presence, has made his debut on HBO with a special that marks a shift toward mainstream comedy while retaining his signature eccentricity. The show, his first for the network, aims to expand his audience beyond his cult following, which has long been drawn to his irreverent takes on gender norms and mundane routines. Fleming’s work has always leaned into the absurd, but his HBO special—titled Prances, Scuttles, and Undulates—offers a more accessible blend of observational humor and physical comedy, while still leaving room for the surreal. Fleming’s standup bit about Trader Joe’s, which has garnered over a million views on YouTube, has become a cultural touchstone among his female fans. In the piece, filmed at Los Angeles’s Dynasty Typewriter, he humorously contrasts the shopping habits of men and women, suggesting that women navigate the store like “witchy laboratories of gastronomic discovery,” guided by an almost mystical connection to the store’s ever-changing snack inventory. Men, he jokes, are drawn to the same blue-corn tortilla chips since pre-Obama, while women “swan dreamily” through aisles, “guided by their foremothers” toward the most obscure products. The bit’s success lies in its ability to resonate with women who feel both seen and honored by its playful generalizations, a rare feat in comedy that often sidelines feminine experiences. Fleming’s physicality on stage is as integral to his act as his words. He moves with a theatricality that blends glam-rock aesthetics with modern dance, often adopting exaggerated gestures to amplify his humor.#hbo #chris_fleming #trader_joes #dynasty_typewriter #lin_manuel_miranda
Conan O’Brien and Chris Fleming’s Unfiltered Conversation Conan O’Brien began by expressing surprise, joking that he had mistaken the interview for a conversation with the late illusionist Doug Henning, whom he had attended the funeral of. Chris Fleming responded by quipping that the magazine’s usual content—such as Alexander Skarsgård interviewed by Judge Judy or Fiona Apple by the Tinder Swindler—was far less coherent than their exchange. O’Brien admitted his admiration for Fleming, calling him a “ridiculous figure” and lamenting that he still wished he were speaking to Henning. Fleming recalled their last encounter, when O’Brien had catcalled him at a stoplight, and joked about O’Brien’s vanity plate reading “Redheads have more fun.” O’Brien revealed his illegal, longest license plate in Los Angeles, while Fleming noted O’Brien’s scholarly appearance in glasses, comparing him to Sissy Spacek in Carrie when the glasses were removed. Fleming mentioned his current location in Northampton, a town he described as more vegan than their shared hometowns, and joked that if the Salem Witchcraft trial judges had seen the area, they’d be “pissed.” O’Brien humorously claimed that during their Zoom call, a bear had recognized Fleming, to which Fleming replied that he had spotted a porcupine in Massachusetts. O’Brien added that turkeys in Boston were also a real thing, referencing Fleming’s earlier comment. Fleming recounted seeing O’Brien at an event where he had resisted the urge to mention The Moody Blues or Zydeco while interacting with Charli XCX, whom O’Brien claimed he had “drilled down on” to confirm Charli XCX had not wanted to be near him.#conan_obrien #chris_fleming #alexander_skarsgrd #judge_judy #fiona_apple
See How a Breakout Comic Uses Dance to Make Us Laugh A funny walk can go a long way in comedy. The stand-up Chris Fleming has elevated his to an art form; specifically, he has turned it into dance. “My leg brain will take over,” he said. “If I’m in front of an audience and I’m struggling, my legs know how to get a laugh.” Fleming, 39, whose first HBO special, “Chris Fleming: Live at the Palace,” arrives Friday, cuts a different figure from just about anybody else in the comedy world. Partly this is because of his fashion sense: blindingly bright jazz shoes, plumage as an accessory and jewel-toned flares, which accentuate his lanky frame. But mostly it is because he marries the idiosyncrasies of his writing — one bit has him pretending to be a dirty cast-iron skillet — with a delivery that leans heavily on his training in classic modern dance. He is probably the only working funnyman who cites Isadora Duncan as an influence. “Chris is one of the most exciting comedians to watch right now,” said Mike Birbiglia, the veteran comic who has hosted Fleming on his podcast. (Conan O’Brien, another fan, produced his special.) Fleming’s physicality and style are “so deeply himself” and original, Birbiglia said via email. “Plus his material is very uncensored. He’s like Kathy Griffin meets Lenny Bruce meets Cirque du Soleil.”#conan_obrien #hbo #chris_fleming #mike_birbiglia #cirque_du_soleil
