Even in a time of quarantines where entertainment has become scarce, there is this reality that everyone out there is doing something to pass the time. I’m updating The Memory Tourist if just to give my average day a schedule. Still, it doesn’t take more than five minutes on Facebook to notice that pretty much everyone has taken to using their laptop cameras, expressing themselves in whatever way will keep them sane. Since I follow a lot of local theater companies, I am stuck with constant updates that they’re performing x songs.
Of course I want to watch them sing x songs. I love x songs. However, there is such an overwhelming quality to everybody now doing this that I have trouble keeping up with any of it. I encourage them to keep trying, for we could use joy in these trying times. With that said, there is one particular performer that I have been keeping up with. I have even watched and rewatched his videos multiple times a day. In a time where everything seems dark and dreary, he’s the light that makes waking up in the morning feel more worthwhile.
I’m talking about Ben Brainard, a comedian based out of Orlando, Florida. Described on his website as “the kid that will cheer you up,” he has found ways to turn the COVID-19 into comedy without relying on grandstanding, preachy behavior that would only fill the audience with dread.
His approach is more in line with sketch comedy, relying on broad archetypes to convey his points. On March 30, he began a regular series where he would take the 50 states and put them stuck in a meeting with the only one who is taking the pandemic seriously: (Washington) D.C. The first episode. “D.C. Calls a Meeting and Florida Comes,” was said to have started as a proposed one-off on Brainard’s TikTok, but quickly grew into a regular feature. In the first month, he went on to release 27 videos of varying lengths, including a recent video breaking down the NFL draft with each state making fun of each other for their picks.
The approach is admirable, finding him playing the massive cast as the camera rotates to each new perspective. Among the most noteworthy characters is Florida, who has been the centerpiece of the entire series. If D.C. is the straight man trying to maintain order, then Florida is the man waiting for the right moment to pull pranks on anyone. He doesn’t care that there’s a pandemic going on, he just wants “Jax” (or Jackson Beach) opened back up. As the supporting cast begins to rise, each state begins to take sides while attacking each other. While this is predominantly a satire of current events, it’s also a chance to hear Brainard’s endless accents as they discuss everything from regional dishes to which university has the best football team.
There’s so much attention to detail that it never feels like we’re getting hard lessons. Instead, we find California arguing with Florida over who has the better Disney theme park. Florida’s defense is that he can “drink around the world” and that California doesn’t have a real park. It’s small details like this that spice up the episodes, producing some of the series’ best moments, including a discussion of skyline chili that leads to the phrase “You do you, spaghetti man” (which is now available on merchandise off his website).
I for one can’t get enough of his depiction of “Louisiana,” whose Cajun accent has been hard for him to complete. He’s had to do upward of five takes to do it right. Even then, it’s hard not to love the personality, which features dashes of French amid an already indecipherable accent. In his premiere episode, he admits to not having a shirt because he went to Mardi Gras shirtless during a pandemic. The thought alone is absurd but perfectly embodies the harsher news in a palatable way. But yes, if you’re wondering if Louisiana and Florida are best friends… they are. In fact, they’re arguably the biggest stars of the series.
In a quest to learn more about Brainard’s magic, I went down a rabbit hole of discovering everything that he’s done throughout the past few years. Along with his website and social media, it’s worth checking out the Cards Conclave podcast (a baseball podcast that was this one time not about baseball) where he lays out his work habit. Even with everyone being cooped up inside, the effort to get an episode done becomes an arduous task with every new character he adds, especially since he wants to stay accurate to facts. You wouldn’t think that based on the brisk two-minute results that strike hard with comedy, but he deserves more credit for getting these out.
If you’re wondering why he is so obsessed with Florida to the point that he’s often dubbed “Florida Man” (who constantly refers to the pandemic as a hurricane) for his accurate portrayal of the state’s absurdity, it’s likely because of his time in the state. He was born and raised there, working his way up over the years. He claims that he will try anything once and because of his short stature, he was once only tall enough to play the female cow at Chic Fil A, thus making him the only 16-year-old employee with udders.
His attitude also applies to his own life. He graduated with high honors in high school and eventually became a rocket scientist for a hot minute. When he got bored with science, he decided to briefly join the military. With that came a wonderful story about the time that he pranked the entire troop to go back to sleep by imitating their commander while stationed in the Mojave Desert. It’s one of many fun stories he’s told during stand-up videos that can be found on YouTube. He is self-described as loving to do voices, which perfectly explains why he chose to do an entire series dedicated to the states comically talking about COVID-19. While he hasn’t done them all, there is still this hope that he has the audacity to pull it off.
Either that or the pandemic ends… whichever comes first.
There’s definitely something fun about seeing his growth throughout the years as an artist. His YouTube page starts with his graduation speech and finds a performer slowly finding his voice. The bits that follow are largely Florida-centric and it’s fun to find those early moments that work. Whether it’s his “Unmastered Class” where he cooks opposite a child, or “(P)Review” rants where he discusses topical subjects, there is this sense of him growing to his current form. And, if you want a fun game of speculation, look at the comments section for the video “Hurricane Lawyer,” posted three months ago where Brainard responds with his desire to do more sketches.
Do we owe j c credit for jumpstarting these new videos?!?!?
In the grand scheme of things, I think that Brainard is one of those comedians that will hopefully benefit from this quarantine. I had never heard of him before two weeks ago, but he quickly became one of my favorite people because of these videos. My sister randomly showed me one of his videos one day and I thought it was the funniest thing. With limited means, he was making the most of the quarantine culture, making the chaos of the world outside into something wondrous and hilarious. I love that it’s not rooted solely in “topical” humor and instead about characters throughout the spectrum of sanity, barely tolerating the other states.
There are constant stories throughout the week that are now more exciting because I imagine Brainard doing them in an upcoming video. Last week when the president announced that we should drink bleach, I immediately wondered what he would do. He didn’t disappoint. Why just this week I read that Georgia is allowing drivers to now get their license, not by regular tests but parental approval. It made me realize that he hasn’t done Georgia in a while and I would totally love to see how he skewers such crazy laws as this or the slow reopening in different states.
Even if he doesn’t, I just love him commenting on the world around him and noticing how weird different regional cultures are in this great country. There’s always haughty self-defense that leads to arguments, and it’s here that the series works best. D.C. is trying to hold it all together, and his frustration with Florida is now a requirement for the show to survive. The best of this country can’t survive without the worst of us, and Brainard captures that struggle to get through this madness together in poetic detail. The fact that they’re short also means that there’s no wasted time and I’m eager to press replay immediately.
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Besides watching his videos (which you should), he has many ways that you can support him. The easiest way is to follow his social media for regular updates. There’s also a Patreon where you can donate starting at $3. He also has merchandise on his website that proves just how much of a cult this series has become. There’s even a candle named after his Florida Man character.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ComedianBenBrainard/
Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/Benagain13
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_brainard/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSPgohF1KiMncPOI9HZztlA
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/1293420245
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Ben_brainard
When all is said and done, I wish him luck in his stand-up career because I really think he has a promising career. The only bummer is that he lives in Florida where I’m in California. If he ever posts more videos or gets that half-hour special, I’ll watch. Otherwise, I’ll be around Southern California for when you make it out this way. I can guarantee that at least me and my sister will be there. Based on how the rest of my family responds to the videos, they’ll at least bring well wishes. Thank you for filling our lives with laughter, and I look forward to seeing not only where you go, but where this country goes. I get the impression that you’ll be there to make me laugh along the way.
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