AS DENVER COMEDY CHAMPION, NATHAN LUNDÂ DOMINATES THE RING OF COMPETITIVEÂ PHILOSOPHY
I donât know of a major university in America that offers a degree in comedy, but if they did it would probably be nestled somewhere between the philosophy and psychology departments. In fact, one could almost go as far as to say that comedy is a sort of applied philosophy, where seeds of thought are researched and developed into the energy that propels society.
And so, the path to comedian is a circuitous and meandering one with no textbook. And the wanderer a thoughtful and sometimes antagonistic poet, whoâs only guidepost is the truth and sound of laughter. One of my favorite local comedians, Nathan Lund, has been traversing that path for the last 11 years as a stand up comedian, spending 7 of them being nurtured by Denverâs dense soil. He seems to be hitting his stride as one of the most talented and engaging of Denverâs up and coming comedians.Â
Lund started out in comedy in his hometown of Henderson, Nevada just outside of Las Vegas after graduating college with a degree in psychology and minor in philosophy. âI just got burned out of being told what to do and think.â He started doing open mics and performing at casinos, where he says if people were laughing you couldnât hear it over the buzz of slot machines. Talk about a cold room.
But as the story tends to go, a girl brought Lund to Denver where he planted himself into the gritty scene. At the time, the Squire Lounge open mic, hosted by legendary Denver comedian Greg Baumhauer, was known as the âmeanest micâ and the crowd was a rough mix of homeless people, drunks and aspiring comedians. Baumhauer had a take no prisoners approach to building comedians, and through his tough love approach nurtured Denverâs current class of comedians into the stalwarts you can see around town today.
Among the class of comedians who got their start with Lund were Denver greats Adam Cayton-Holland, Kevin OâBrien, Sam Tallent, Bobby Crane, and Chris Charpentier. Like an incoming class of freshman, the gentleman were tested and hazed until their voices could pierce even the hardest of hearts. Although Baumhauer played into the competitive aspect, (comedians would go up against each other at the end of sets to compete for a bar tab), Lund says the competitive energy fostered growth instead of animosity.
After a couple years working the mic, Lund teamed up with Tallent, Crane and Charpentier, who has since moved to LA, to start the Fine gentlemanâs club on Wednesday nights at the Deerpile. The showcase, which features a line-up of different comedians every week, and the comedic stylings of the fine gentlemen, has been building a steady following over the last 5 years.
And although Lund has a dark style, no doubt some of the soot of Las Vegas caked into his soul, Lundâs unique brand of comedy is about as feel good as you can get at 11pm. There is a jolliness, a kind hearted approach that Lund brings to a room, that gives him instantaneous appeal and charisma. He says, it took him a while to soften the harder edges that usually accompany stand-up comedy. âIt can be exhausting to dwell in the negativity,â he reflects.
As one of the founding members of the fine gentlemanâs club, his giving nature that really comes across. âI like comedy because you can be selfish and giving. I want to help people, but I want to be the one that talks.â The shows at the Deer Pile (206 E. 13th Ave) every Wednesday nights are free.
Recently, Lund has entered into the genre of performance art as well, testing out a variety of characters and thought experiments along side his more traditional approach. As he was rustling around in a box of theatre props at the local Buntport theatre, he came across a championship belt and had an idea. âFuck,â he thought, âIâm going to be the Denver Comedy Champion!â After creating a fictional entity called the Ensemble of Comedic Writers, Lund crowned himself the Denver comedy champion and has been parading his belt and title at shows around town.
Even though the title is fictional, it has taken on a life of its own. He has been referred to as âThe Denver Comedy Championâ on a poster for a show he did in Vail, and has since set up a Facebook Page, an email address and even hosted a smack down with Charpentier to battle for the title. No match would be complete without a humiliating defeat, and the loser of the match he proclaimed, must immediately leave town to LA. (Fortunately, Charpentier was already headed to LA, so when he lost it was no sweat of his back). Lund is 4 in 0 in defending the championship against local Denver comics, and says tongue in cheek, he worries about it going to his head.
But itâs the concept of a comedy champion that really sticks with you. Hang out at any open mic or stand-up comedy show and itâs not hard to pick up that the genre is heavily about ego and competition. But how do you quantify laughter? How do you determine what joke is the funniest, or which truth is the most truthful? Itâs this paradox that Lund is confronting in his art.
Many Denver comedians are heading out to LA, and Lund is staying put in Denver for now. He does some commercial work when he gets the chance, but devotes as much energy as possible to perfecting his art and craft. âI gave up working day jobs,â he says. The plunge certainly doesnât afford a glamorous lifestyle as he is waiting for his break, âof course, we all want to make it,â he says. But it was a quote from local comedian Andrew Orvedahl, which helped put things into perspective, âhe said, âif you are doing it, youâve made it.â
The way people consume media is an ever changing rubix cube we have been waiting around for the world to settle into. Through internet, TV, cinema, people are looking for that avenue of escapism. In that way, standup comedy has a certain allure. And itâs venues around town that are popping up, acting as a vessel for the energies that connect people, and satiate peopleâs appetites for entertainment and connection in one.
On the afternoon we talked, Lund was getting ready for a show at the Hi Dive, and reflected that whether itâs music or comedy, the Hi-Dive has become a place of curated interaction. The audience knows what kind of quality performance they can expect to see in the space. Owners of spaces, like Jim Norris of 3 Kings, Sudhir Kudva, owner of the Squire, and of course Dan Landes, owner of City Oâ City are enabling the art form to grow and develop.
It maybe sometime before there is a Comedy major at any of the local universities, but the power of comedy is certainly taking root in this silly cow town of ours. And itâs people like Lund who are tilling the soil.
