“I think some people get blindsided by America at first,” Irish comedian, actor, writer and filmmaker Dylan Moran says. “We have so much in common and sound so alike, but there are crucial differences.”
A key to success as a standup comic is relating to your audience. These cultural differences are the reason a 25-year veteran like Moran takes time to catch up on more than the big national stories (read: Donald Trump) that American audiences are talking about. He makes sure to read about local news stories and weather happenings going on in the individual cities his tour stops in.
Moran’s latest North American tour has a decidedly ambiguous name. Though he didn’t want to give away the joke, he says Grumbling Mustard is about how, “The pace of life is so very fast that there isn’t a lot of time for reflection.”
“The title comes from the feeling of sitting up late at night, maybe you’re sitting in the kitchen with a drink, and everyone has gone to bed and you’re just thinking about what you’re doing and what’s going on in the world,” he says.
Moran understands that this feeling is growing increasingly common amongst Americans by the day. “I feel like I was beginning to understand America,” he says. “And now I feel like many people in America are feeling like they don’t understand America.” His comedic mix of current events and deadpan observational humor may be just what we need.
While he insists that he only wants his audience to walk away from his show having had a good time, he does concede that his intentions may be a little deeper.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
“We’re living in very fevered times, as well as very divided times,” Moran says. “I think that it’s very good for people to kind of get together and check notes. I think that that is part of what I’m doing, to articulate what a lot of people are thinking about, I hope.”
Dylan Moran will bring the Grumbling Mustard Tour to Turner Hall Ballroom on Tuesday, Oct. 3. You can purchase tickets here.
