Connor Gorman’s story’s cool for a couple reasons. First, he’s been a loyal reader of the column for years. That alone makes him–and his story– very very cool. Second, he’s said that the work of other talented creators profiled here has inspired him to take initiative and start to make more of his own stuff. Out of that urge came his mockumentary effort, The Art of Karaoke.
Today’s feature is the latest in a series of contributions that follow Connor’s magnetically pathetic Franny Giroux through the low-stakes world of singing in shitty bars for drunk people who aren’t really paying attention. You know who is paying attention, though? Connor. He’s paying attention to the work of others in comedy, and not just famous comedians, either. Though it’s clear the Christopher Guests of the world have had an influence, Gorman told me he’s learning from folks like Blake Rosier, a dude who’s in much the same orbit as Gorman himself. That’s noteworthy because, especially in comedy, developing and creating is as much about respecting the people next to you as it is lauding those who’ve made it a few steps ahead.
Luke is a writer/director at CollegeHumor and a watcher of many web videos. Send him yours @LKellyClyne.