Viral Video Star Chris Fleming Mines Anxiety For Laughs
Chris Fleming, now based in Los Angeles, says his upbringing in Massachusetts still heavily influences his comedy.
Alexandra Genova
Chris Fleming has been mining a rich vein of social anxiety for material, and it has paid off in a number of viral videos.
He had an unlikely hit in 2016 with his video “I’m Afraid to Talk to Men,” a fumbling stadium rock anthem to his fear of being revealed as — as he puts it — “a fruity turkey vulture.”
“That was one of those things that I made that I was like ‘I don’t know why I’m doing this; no one’s going to relate to this; this is a disgrace. I don’t know why I’m sharing these disgraceful thoughts with the public,’” he tells “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes.
Based in Los Angeles now, Fleming’s upbringing in Massachusetts still heavily informs his comedy. He says he wrote “I’m Afraid” before attending a family barbecue on Cape Cod.
“I was just nervous about talking to the Steves of the world,” he laughs. “And it’s not their fault, it’s my fault. It’s an all-systems-go thing for me to try and not freak out a dude by bringing up Tracy Chapman or Stevie Nicks.”
That anxiety surrounding masculinity and sexuality forms the basis for a number of Fleming’s routines, including another of his viral videos, a song called “Polyamorous,” and a story he tells about his father accidentally saying “I love you” to his childhood soccer coach at the end of a phone call.
“I saw what could have basically been an audition for Juilliard, what he did next,” Fleming says. “He turned into Brando. There was a lot of feral pacing. Everything short of packing the suitcase.”
“Which is why I love the Puritan hellscape that is New England,” he says, “they got their khakis on so tight that any little squeak-outs like that are such high-stakes cause for emergency. I don’t know why it’s so funny, but I love it.”
Fleming performs at the Plaza Theatre at 8 p.m. Sunday.
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