Within the first 10 minutes, Syracuse University graduate student Dan McCort realized that his comedy set was going to change. After six months of promoting his comedy special and hours spent preparing, only 60 seats were filled in Goldstein Auditorium when he walked on stage.  

Following a 16-year career in comedy, McCort performed “Live on Thin Ice,” a live stand-up special filmed for Netflix on Feb. 14. With a casual swagger and spit-fire delivery of multi-layered jokes soaked in satire, McCort performed for 90 minutes.  

“The show was about 50-50 or 60-40 of rehearsed to ad-libbed stuff,” McCort said. After the show, he said that much of his material he had never delivered to an audience before. His jokes spanned subjects like drugs, relationships and even “Antiques Roadshow.” 

McCort explained that his onstage personality of comedy mimics “when you hang out with your best friend.” 

“I feel really comfortable telling the jokes that are either cheesy or weak and not something you would expect to hear at a comedy show. I feel comfortable doing something new like ad–libbing and saying, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t say that,’’’ he said.  

The seasoned comedian’s jokes come from a long history of making people laugh. 

At the age of 14, McCort went to a summer lacrosse camp where he spent the majority of his time making teammates laugh on the sidelines instead of actually scoring any goals. McCort points to this moment as his realization that he had a talent for comedy.  

However, after being sidetracked in his pursuit of being a professional drummer, it wasn’t until the age of 23 that McCort whole-heartedly dedicated his time to comedy.  

With newfound determination, McCort enrolled in a New Jersey college to be closer to New York and “live the Jerry Seinfeld life,” he said. Sporadic gigs of stand-up in the city led to the realization that this was something he wanted to work at full time.  

McCort sought out his good friend and comedic role model, Jim Gaffigan, to share his plans to drop out of college. Gaffigan met this announcement with a discouraging reaction, McCort said.  

“He knew what I now know, which is that most comedians quit after getting into it,” McCort said. “But I knew from the beginning that it was something I could work really hard at, and I knew there was a big premium work ethic I knew mattered more than if I was funny yet.”  

During McCort’s special, he focused much of his material on his own mental health. He revealed to the audience that he was bipolar in a self-deprecating manner. This then became a theme throughout the show. 

“Personally, I think a great comedian does one of three things: paints a vivid perspective for their audience, considers their audience no matter the topic at hand and puts the joke, message above themselves,” McCort said.  

McCort said his brand of comedy is centered around appearing “unrehearsed.” He will often make intentional mistakes in his syntax and sound like he’s talking “at the top of your head,” as if everything is on-the-spot. His conversational tone adds to this method. 

SU junior Caleb McDonald opened the “Live on Thin Ice” special with his own original comedy. Initially, he was the assistant director on the project, but when McCort saw a video of McDonald’s own routine, McCort asked him to open the show.  

“It’s the mere joy I get from making people laugh that I enjoy,” McDonald said. “With my jokes, I try to make a clear train of thought, and so, the idea that everyone is a passenger on this train is fun for me. It also shows that there are some commonalities among everybody no matter the details.”  

This event merged the talents and efforts of multiple Syracuse students. Michael Egidio worked as a Student Centers and Programming Services venue manager at the event. In this role, he helps communicate and delegate tasks during events and changeovers in the auditorium. 

“It can teach you a lot about how to have a conversation with virtually anyone, which is an amazing skill to have,” Egidio said.  

Egidio believes the role has given him a lot of value in terms of communication, critical thinking and problem solving. 

As for McCort, who was surprised by the low audience turnout, he remains optimistic regarding future endeavors.  

“I think it took a decade before I knew it could work,” McCort said, “But at least now I have a body of material and history that suggests as long as I keep working at it things will work out at some point.” 

Published on February 19, 2020 at 11:19 pm