Whitmer Thomas

Nestled squarely between Park Slope and Carroll Gardens. The Bell House is a state of the art 8,000 square foot facility with separate performance space and lounge. Crafted out of a 1920’s printing factory and featuring an 88 foot long, 25 foot high magnificent wooden barrel vault ceiling, The Bell House has  become a major hub for arts and performance in Brownstone Brooklyn.

The Bell House

Whitmer Thomas・Wednesday, Dec. 8・6:30pm Doors・7:30pm Show

Conner O'Malley

<h3>Featuring Conner O&#x27;Malley!</h3>When asked to describe himself, Whitmer Thomas—comic, musician, skateboarder, infamous Blink182 stan—will tell you, “I’m always gonna be the one whose mom called him ‘the Golden One,’ right before she died.” This is where his debut HBO comedy special, The Golden One, finds Whitmer: age thirty, investigating this sense (curse?) of destiny-as-identity. It’s been thirteen years since he left Alabama for LA, becoming a linchpin for LA’s young, independent comedy scene with Power Violence, the monthly show he hosted with friends. But he became haunted by the question: had he already peaked, just like his mom, singer in a local band with big ambitions that never made it out of the Flora-Bama Lounge in Gulf Shores? Rather than shy away from all that messy self-mythology, Whitmer tapped the source of it all through writing this one-man show featuring his own original music. Songs from The Golden One, a companion album of songs from the special, features Whitmer’s darkwave bangers, synthesizing relatable-content: millennial anxieties, therapy-speak jokes, and the annals of his own childhood tragedies.Songs from The Golden One feature ten cuts of borderline-John Maus cosplay with spasms of pop-punk absurdity. Thomas uses the gothy, nasal vocal drone as a tool of comic detachment to cover thr funny-’cause-its-true territory of awkward sex, crippling insecurity, the shame of ambition, and the long tail of abandonment traumas. Each song is a capsule of initial therapy breakthroughs: those realization-zingers where suddenly it all makes sense, how each fucked variable from then makes up the weird shit of now. When you see it all for what it is, it looks like some sick, clever joke from the universe, driving you desperate to revise the comedy so that if you have to be reality’s punchline, at least you can write the jokes.Original tracks from the special include the shimmering, synthy euphoria of “Eat You Out,” a glorious admission to performance anxiety and the ol’ magician’s cloak of cunnilingus move. There’s “The Codependent Enabler,” a whole jungle gym of toxic relationship rationale where “I can only get it up if you are down,” and the sadboy sobriety anthem “Partied to Death,” about when you’re young in LA and you have to tell people that you’re not *Cali sober for wellness*, but because your mom actually died from addiction, so.At first pass, Whitmer’s special and album make a relevant, hilarious articulation of one tragic childhood, of the messiness of masculinity, of the timeless qualms of being broke with a dream in Los Angeles, and the humiliation inherent in having “a dream” at all. But in flashes of unexpected weirdo wisdom, Whitmer weaves a deeper story of a person finding reconciliation and forgiveness alongside finding his own self and voice. He faces his darkness with darkwave, writing the story of his objectively insane youth through a Venn diagram of cool guy music, goofy dude jokes, and sensitive boy reflections that hit in a way that feels bigger than the sum of its parts. Whitmer will say that he made The Golden One out of desperation, but there’s something about the show feels a lot more, instead, like destiny.

6:30pm Doors / 7:30pm Show$15 ADV / $18 DOSAges 21+**Proof of full vaccination required for entry***This event will be mixed seated/standing. Arrive early for best seat selection

IMPORTANT:This event is not socially distanced. All attendees must have proof of full COVID-19 vaccination to attend the event. Please download and register with <a href="https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/excelsior-pass" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">NY’s Excelsior Pass</a>. You must present this at the door to verify your vaccination status. If you are visiting from out of town or can not access the Excelsior Pass app, you must present your vaccination card or photo of your vaccination card at check-in. NAME ON VACCINATION CARD MUST MATCH YOUR ID.Full Vaccination is 14 days after your second dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or at least 14 days after your single dose of the Johnson &amp; Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccineAll guests are asked to wear masks when not seated . The Bell House will follow all City, and State guidelines to ensure a safe performance for patrons, staff, and artists. This event will be presented in accordance with applicable public health requirements as of the date of the event; which could include changes to capacity, attendance prerequisites, procedures, and other protective measures. Any updated protocols will be included in your ticket reminder email closer to the event date

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Whitmer Thomas

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Whitmer Thomas

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