Chris Fleming (comedian)

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Chris Fleming
File:Screen Shot of Chris Fleming in "Boy Band Outfits ft. Victor Pope Jr and Chris Fleming".png
Fleming in 2018
Personal information
Born (1987-01-29) January 29, 1987 (age 37)
Stow, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationSkidmore College[1]
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • YouTube Personality
  • Actor
  • Musician
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2009–present
Subscribers439 thousand[2]
Total views83.3 million[2]
Last updated: 07/05/24

Chris Fleming (born January 29, 1987) is an American comedian and actor best known for his YouTube series Gayle, in which he stars as the eponymous character Gayle Waters-Waters. In June 2019, Variety named Fleming one of its "10 Comics to Watch for 2019".[3] Fleming is known for his unique, specific character comedy[4][5] and "powerful, ridiculous songs."[6] Much of Fleming's comedy is aimed at deconstructing social norms, including masculinity.[7] He has been described as accruing an online cult following.[7] A staff writer for FSUNews, covering an appearance at Florida State University, praised his stand-up performance's underlying message, stating, "Fleming does not seem to give too much respect to anything, including himself, which allows him to rid different social norms and constructs of their power."[7] Fleming has been described as a "progressive gender-bending role model."[7] Fleming has stated that he accepts any pronouns, stating, "Anything works for me."[8]

Early life and education

In 2007, Fleming performed stand-up during HBO's 13th annual Comedy Festival in Aspen, Colorado.[9] He received a degree in theater from Skidmore College in 2009,[10][11] and graduated one credit short of receiving a minor in dance.[12]

Gayle

Gayle is a 40-episode, absurdist comedy series on YouTube.[12] The series is written by Fleming and directed by comedian Melissa Strype, who also plays Gayle's daughter, Terry Gross Waters-Waters.[11] It was launched in 2012 and its final episode was published in 2015.[12]

The series follows high-strung, eccentric suburban mother Gayle Waters-Waters and her ruthless journey to uphold social status in the small, fictional community of Northbread, Massachusetts.[13] Fleming developed the idea for Gayle through his stand-up comedy.[11] In 2019, Fleming described the origin of her character:

I did Gayle in my stand-up and she was inspired by a lot of folks that I saw growing up...It kind of cemented as ideas do in a very singular moment when I was in a Crate & Barrel and I saw a woman diving into a barrel of placemats. Like her legs were up in the air, and she was just digging through these placemats...it just kind of came from there...I just plucked her from a tree...I have elements of her in my psyche too; it's not gender-specific thing. It's fear of how you're seen in your community, that's what it is, that's the essence of it...Why I related to her so much is just that terror of how others perceive you.[14]

Fleming's mother co-stars as Bonnie, Gayle's best friend and biggest rival (i.e., frenemy).[11] Gayle's sensitive birdwatching husband, Dave, does not reveal his face during Gayle; his voice is provided by Fleming, while his legs are portrayed by Fleming's father.[11]

The soundtrack was composed by Brian Heveron-Smith,[12] Tom Lowery, and Chris Hartford.[15] The series is filmed in Fleming's hometown in Massachusetts.[16] Forbes reported that, in the off-seasons of filming Gayle, Fleming worked as an SAT tutor.[11] In 2014, the Gayle team went on a US tour with the show titled Gayle Live.[17]

Although much of his hometown supports the series, with some neighbors even participating as actors,[11] Fleming claims:

There's one woman, who a lot of [Gayle] was inspired by, who is NOT happy about it, at all...[she's] absolutely pissed [because her full name is used for a background character]. I forget to change people's names sometimes, so a lot of my life has been trying to explain to people's faces that something that is very obviously about them is not about them.[14]

Fleming has expressed regret that COMPANY IS COMING, a viral 2015 short featuring Gayle,[18][19][20][21] is the series' best known project and "what I get stopped at airports for."[22] He dislikes when Gayle is known purely as a "crazy mom character," claiming her character transcends the stereotype:[8]

I've played that character for so long I have such love for her...there's so many different facets to her. That's just one part of her being. I hate that that's what people think of her in general. There's so many other beautiful shades to her psyche.[8]

Sketch comedy

Fleming runs a YouTube channel under his full name; the channel has gained over 445,000 subscribers as of August 2024. In addition to Gayle, Fleming has a variety of other content that ranges from music videos to car rants.[23] He also posts videos on his Twitter and Instagram pages. His 2015 video "COMPANY IS COMING,"[19] starring his Gayle character, went viral, accruing over 13.9 million views as of May 2022. In 2018, Fleming has lampooned this viral video as a Faustian bargain with a demon named Davis, who says, "We made a deal; one viral video in 2015 for a lifetime of servitude! You promised me your soul for your video COMPANY IS COMING going viral, and now sorority girls from the South like you for all the wrong reasons!"[24] Fleming is known for his specific, unique character comedy.[4][5]

In 2020, he created "Sick Jan," a song and music video detailing his former H&R Block tax preparer who exhibited unusual behavior that intrigued Fleming.[4] In 2022, New York magazine interviewed him based on Sick Jan's similarities to Deirdre, a character in 2022 film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Fleming stated,

Jan's not an archetype, Jan's such a specific woman. ... [The] story of Sick Jan, the character herself, is so dense — maybe it's just that all tax preparers have a vibe of anarchy and Southwestern style. With Jan, obviously, it was one song, so I could focus only on the fact that she was chronically sick for three years and never addressed it. And also her desire to go to jail — her overwhelming desire. People talk about sexual tension in the video a lot, but it's just between Jan and the prison system. ... I remember putting her on speakerphone so my friends could hear her, because she would use this catchphrase while also coughing.[4]

In 2020, Fleming stated that "Sick Jan" and "DePiglio" are his personal favorite of his YouTube videos.[22]

In 2022, Fleming created a mockumentary-style interview with an eccentric male character who explains his invention of the word "umpteenth."[25]

Stand-up comedy

In 2010, the 24-year-old Fleming moved to Los Angeles after signing with the talent agency who managed Dane Cook.[26] Fleming has stated, "I was signed to a manager who seduced me to moving out to L.A., and as soon as I got there, she promptly became a chef."[27] In 2011, describing Fleming's brand of comedy, Jenkins stated, "Chris isn't a funny comedian; he's an interesting person who sees the world in a funny way. Chris's world is this rubbery, cartoonish, absurd place filled with over-the-top, self-important characters. It's a really cool world he shows us."[26]

File:Chris Fleming Comedian.jpg
Chris Fleming in 2017 at The Wilbur in Boston, Massachusetts

In January 2012, Fleming's friend, comedian Gary Gulman, invited Fleming to a party to meet successful L.A. comedians from Boston.[28] Upon arriving, Fleming realized he was at comedian Dane Cook's house, and it was a watch party of the NFL playoff between the Patriots and the Ravens.[27][29] While receiving a tour of the house, Fleming complimented its appearance, comparing it to a Crate & Barrel; Cook was not amused by the joke.[27] Dressed in androgynous clothing and having no knowledge about football, Fleming felt "freak[ed] out" and claims to have lost his sense of spatial awareness. He sat on Bill Burr's armrest "like a toy breed," eventually humiliating himself by sneezing "directly into the pleat of Bill Burr's khakis." During his 2020 Boba Everyday tour, Fleming describes the experience in detail.[27] On January 22, 2012, Dane Cook tweeted a photographic lineup of comedians at the party, including Fleming.[30] Fleming displayed this photo at the end of the stand-up routine as photographic evidence of the described party.[27] Fleming lampoons their differences in appearance by displaying the Bostonian comedians with a Dropkick Murphys song; then his own face accompanied by "Last Christmas" by Wham![27] In 2016 and 2017 he toured the United States with his stand-up comedy show titled Showpig.[31] When asked the meaning of the title, Fleming stated, "I fancy myself a showpig – grease me up and send me to market!"[32]

Describing his comedic process to WBUR in 2019, Fleming said,

I burn the formula every time I make something. I really revel in making things that no one is asking for. I think it might be the nature of being anti-establishment is like, when people like something they're like "Oh we want more of this," I'm going to give them something completely out of left-field. I think that's a way to make inspired work. To follow yourself and not to follow what David Bowie called "The Gallery."[14]

Fleming is likely referring to Bowie's advice for young artists,[33] in which Bowie says, "Never play for the gallery...Never work for other people at what you do."[34][35]

Fleming's stand-up tour entitled Boba Everyday began in late 2019 and was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[36] In October 2020, Fleming announced Forest Musings, a virtual show.[37] In August 2021, Fleming announced his stand-up tour, Tricky Tricky.[38] In May 2022, he announced a summer stand-up tour with venues in British Columbia, Texas, New York, Ontario, and Vermont.[39][40] When Vulture asked for the best comedy advice he had received, Fleming responded, "Rick Jenkins, owner of the Comedy Studio [in Harvard Square],[41] taught me that, through clarity with your audience, even the most absurd idea can be accessible—also, that no idea is too absurd."[22]

Filmography

Pilot

Beginning in about 2019, Fleming created WarnerMedia/Adult Swim pilot I'm the Mayor of Bimmi Gardens.[4][42] The pilot was shot in Atlanta, Georgia in the summer of 2021.[43][44] It featured Fleming as the protagonist, a "mayor of a town off the coast of Florida (but technically a territory of Maine)."[43] Other actors included Victoria Pedretti, Perfume Genius, and Ms. Pat.[4] In 2022, Fleming told Vulture: "[The pilot] didn't get picked up by the network that we made it for, so we're trying to get it somewhere else."[42] On August 3, 2022, Fleming shared screenshots of the pilot along with captions explaining scenes and thanking the actors.[43]

Film

Year Title Role
2012 Genderfreak Zach
2019 The Last Laugh Palace Comic

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2012–15 Gayle Gayle Waters-Waters
2019 Corporate Todd
Splitting Up Together Rando
Twelve Forever Mr. Fleming Voice role
The Diaper Sert
2020–23 Bigtop Burger Cesare Voice role
2021 Adventure Time: Distant Lands New Death Voice role, Episode: "Together Again"
Summer Camp Island Professor Q. Voice role, Episode: "Oscar and the Monsters Chapter 1: Unaccompanied Oscar"
2022 Waffles + Mochi's Restaurant Donny Episode: "Cheese"

Comedy specials

Year Title Streaming service
2018 Showpig YouTube
2023 Hell Peacock

References

  1. ↑ "Chris Fleming '09".
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "About chuntzit". YouTube.
  3. ↑ "Variety Announces 10 Comics to Watch for 2019". 13 June 2019.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Alter, Rebecca (2022-03-31). "Chris Fleming Breaks His Silence on Deirdre Beaubeirdra". Vulture. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Mic'd Up: Ronny Chieng, Chris Fleming bring their freshest to The Wilbur". Vanyaland. 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  6. ↑ "Chris Fleming draws inspiration from the strangest of places". Vanyaland. 2019-08-01. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Northerner, Kenneth. "Chris Fleming's stand-up teaches valuable lessons to FSU students". FSView. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 ""Masculinity means nothing to me" and other life mantras with Chris Fleming". The Peak. 2019-02-11. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  9. ↑ "Chris Fleming during HBO's 13th Annual U.S. Comedy Arts Festival -..." Getty Images. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  10. ↑ Boston Comedy: Funny Grown Here. "Chris Fleming Interview March 2010". YouTube. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Humphrey, Michael. "Meet The Man Inside The Madwoman, Gayle Waters-Waters". Forbes. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Wenzel, John (9 July 2017). "The Ideal Jester for the digital age". The Denver Post. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  13. ↑ The Next Big Thing in Digital Comedy: Gayle Waters-Waters. The Paley Center for Media. 2013-11-12. Archived from the original on 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via YouTube.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Comedian Chris Fleming On Shape-Shifting Comedy, Terry Gross And New England Moms". www.wbur.org. 3 August 2019. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  15. ↑ "Dadgeplott, by Brian Heveron-Smith & Friends". Brian Heveron-Smith. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  16. ↑ "Local Comedian Chris Fleming Brings Fictional Local Web Character 'Gayle' to Boston Stage". BDCWire. 2015-03-19. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  17. ↑ Zaino III, Nick A. "Comic takes 'Gayle' offline in Davis Square". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  18. ↑ "This Is the Most Rewarding Way to Motivate Yourself to Clean Your Home". Lifehacker. 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 COMPANY IS COMING. Chris Fleming. 2015-11-10. Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via YouTube.
  20. ↑ "With 21 million YouTube views and counting, Chris Fleming is a jester for the digital age". The Denver Post. 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  21. ↑ Edwards, Theresa (2015-11-12). "This viral video is the perfect guide to frantically prepping your home for the holidays". SheKnows. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 "For Chris Fleming, No Good Idea Is Too Absurd". Vulture. 2020-10-20. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  23. ↑ "Chris Fleming - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  24. ↑ Davis. Chris Fleming. 2018-10-25. Archived from the original on 2022-09-24. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via YouTube.
  25. ↑ "The guy who came up with the word 'umpteenth' : Video 2022 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Clark, Andrew (2011-07-31). "Some funny things happened on the way to LA". Boston.com. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5 My Superbowl Sunday with Dane Cook. Chris Fleming. 2020-05-09. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via YouTube.
  28. ↑ Levy, Marc (2017-08-03). "Comedy Studio seeks new space for 2018, ending a 21-year run atop Harvard eatery". Cambridge Day. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  29. ↑ "Patriots to face Ravens in '22 home opener". www.patriots.com. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  30. ↑ Cook, Dane [@DaneCook] (2012-01-23). "@billburr @garygulman @johncampanelli1 @thechrisarmy @paulhughescomic @wayneprevidi @keithfoti @chrisfluming #Patriots http://t.co/xYCWKroS" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2022-05-29. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Twitter.
  31. ↑ Bedford, Keith. "Chris Fleming is going beyond 'Gayle'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  32. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :15
  33. ↑ David Bowie on why you should never play to the gallery. Stuart Semple. 2016-05-12. Archived from the original on 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via YouTube.
  34. ↑ "David Bowie's tribute to Bob Dylan on one of his final songs". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2022-02-03. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  35. ↑ "Looking back at David Bowie's advice for young artists". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  36. ↑ Fleming, Chris [@chrisfluming] (2019-09-23). "new show new tour BOBA EVERYDAY tickets at https://t.co/38VHrFh8Vk https://t.co/o7s6VQVnLw" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Twitter.
  37. ↑ "Chris Fleming: Forest Musings – new media touring". Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  38. ↑ Fleming, Chris [@chrisfluming] (2021-08-25). "https://t.co/38VHrEZy3M https://t.co/15B2Urstm5" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2021-11-21. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Twitter.
  39. ↑ Fleming, Chris [@chrisfluming] (2022-05-20). "summer tour tickets for you at https://t.co/38VHrEZy3M (nyc and toronto onsale tuesday) https://t.co/TidgUTUvD0" (Tweet). Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Twitter.
  40. ↑ "Chris Fleming". Chris Fleming. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  41. ↑ Zaino III Globe, Nick A. (November 24, 2021). "By George, the Comedy Studio is coming back to Harvard Square". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 "Katie Ballard, Hair Department Head, Karri Farris, Makeup Department Head, BOOKED on Adult Swim Pilot, "I'm the Mayor of Bimmi Gardens". – CEC Entertainment". Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 Fleming, Chris [@chrisfluming] (2022-08-04). "last summer we shot the pilot for a show called I'm the Mayor of Bimmi Gardens in which I play the mayor of a town off the coast of Florida (but technically a territory of Maine) with some incredible people https://t.co/UQpHJKFoJq" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-12-02 – via Twitter.
  44. ↑ "Film Production Resume". Film Buildings LLC. Retrieved 2022-08-04.

External links

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