The Daily Gamecock

TJ Miller's bizarre comedy hits home with college students

Comedian and actor T.J. Miller brought his distinct, non-sequitur brand of comedy to the Koger Center last Thursday. No topic was sacred for the 34-year-old star of HBO’s "Silicon Valley."

Miller began the night with what could have been some below-the-belt digs at USC’s status as a university, suggesting that the original USC is not taken seriously compared to the University of Southern California. But thanks to Miller’s expert delivery, as well as some self-deprecation related to Miller’s own alma mater, the jokes went over well. 

Miller, a success in the entertainment world but far from a household name, joked about his level of fame. At one point, he revealed several fake gold chains around his neck, claiming that his 2010 role in the animated film Yogi Bear was a large source of wealth.

The defining feature of Miller’s set was a surreal, deranged persona that would appear with no warning. One moment Miller would be discussing marijuana or his girlfriend, and the next he would look straight at the audience with a serious face, and ask what quickly became a staple question: “Do you ever have nightmares?”

Between these alternating episodes of traditional commentary and bizarre, existential dread, there was room for some audience participation. After exploding in anger at an audience member who dared to ask why Miller was frequently spraying liquid onto his face, Miller graciously invited a different audience member to come on stage and try the spray herself. It turned out to be Evian “mineral water spray,” supposedly a French skin product that Miller bought at Sephora and referred to as “the most American product ever.”

While Miller’s style of humor is a very specific one, he pulled it off with confidence and was well-received by the audience. Students wanting more can find him on "Silicon Valley," Disney’s "Gravity Falls" and Dreamworks’ "Dragons." 


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