Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
When I become full on obsessed with something, I won’t shut the hell up about it. In the past I’ve implored friends, family, and hordes of disinterested strangers to watch Nathan For You, Clark and Michael, Soft Focus with Jena Friedman, everything Joe Pera, and a host of other criminally under-seen gems that deserve a brighter spotlight. Exceptional comedy that has the ability to make someone’s day just a little bit better deserves to be shared, and with that in mind, I’d like to introduce you to my latest comedy obsession: James Veitch.
An English stand-up comedian who’s made a name for himself by taking a stand against the tyranny of spam emails, Veitch has transformed playful mischief into an art form by extracting an absurd amount of humor out of the banality of everyday life. His Ted Talks and appearances on Conan have generated a surplus of genuine laugh-out-moments as Veitch uses carefully crafted PowerPoint presentations to share his stories of elaborate wrong number pranks and zany adventures in responding to spam emails.
His cheerful brand of comedic swashbuckling is reminiscent of John Mulaney. Not so much in subject matter — although both comedians have a knack for finding humor in the mundane — but in feel. Watching Veitch’s killer rubber ducks bathroom bit on Conan reminded me of the first time I heard Mulaney’s now legendary “What’s New, Pussycat?” story. When I first listened to that set, I knew I was experiencing a special comedian. Like Mulaney, Veitch offers a fresh perspective and immense level of specificity that elevates his humor to the level of virtuoso.
Veitch is a surgical storyteller who sincerely relishes in sharing his escapades with the public. His YouTube series Scamalot details many of his email exchanges with various spammers, but his dogged quest to receive a free toaster from the “Royal Bank of Scotland” is one of the most explosively funny stand-up sets I’ve seen in recent memory. We’re all forced to endure the scourge of spam emails, but what we see as a minor inconvenience, Veitch recognizes as an opportunity for good-natured devilry.
The following exchange is so absurd that it results in Veitch receiving a “Please stop emailing us!” response from his spammers.
One of the many reasons I find the comedy of James Veitch so uplifting is that he’s a crackling beacon of fun who celebrates the sillier side of life. “Whenever you feel weighed down by the mundanity of modern life, don’t fight the frustration,” Veitch says while detailing his hysterical back and forth with a local supermarket. “Let it be the catalyst of whimsy.”
A catalyst of whimsy just so happens to be the perfect summation of comedian James Veitch.
