Nick Swardson – comedian

Event: Comedian Nick Swardson

Venue: Florida Theatre

Price: $41
Website: www.floridatheatre.com
Box Office: (904) 355-5661

Nick Swardson may not be a household name, but he is certainly a household face. Swardson is the quintessential “Oh yeah, that guy,” turning up in a variety of comedy roles in cult TV classics like “Reno 911” and movies brought to you by industry titans such as Adam Sandler alike. Those familiar with the oddball musings of his everyman slacker stand-up style will most likely not be disappointed by Swardson’s latest “Taste It” tour. Though it is new material, it’s not as if he will suddenly be breaking into political humor or anything.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be hardcore political. Hardcore,” jokes Swardson, “I’m just gonna completely endorse Sarah Palin the whole time. No, it’s the same stuff. I mean I got new stories and new topics but there are still a lot of drinking jokes. I don’t want to give too much away, but—I talk about farting. No one’s gonna be blindsided by the show. It’s been well received, I think Jacksonville will like it…or they can go watch the Jaguars instead or something.” (speaking of comedy)

Swardson also starred as the always hilarious Danny McBride’s criminal sidekick in “30 Minutes or Less,” a 2011 comedy about a pizza delivery driver who has a bomb strapped and locked on him and is ordered to rob a bank or face sudden death via detonation. Mayhem, hijinks, and laughter ensue. I had always assumed that this movie was based on a similar real life incident that occurred in my hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, in 2003, where a pizza deliveryman was forcefully harnessed with a bomb collar by a criminal mastermind and then ordered to rob a bank, only to have that bomb explode and kill him during a tragic, disturbing stand-off with police officers who could not get the bomb squad there in time.  Swardson quickly corrects my factual error regarding this story being the inspiration behind his farcical film, leaving me to embarrassingly taste my mistake in the process.

“No it’s not actually,” says Swardson, “That was kind of a misconception.  It wasn’t based on that. There was a case where that happened, but that movie has nothing to do with that incident. A lot of people thought that.”

So what exactly does “Taste It” refer to?

“It’s just something that me and my buddies say at the bar to refer to things that we like,” explains Swardson, “Like if there’s a chick at the bar my buddy would be like, ‘look over there, taste it.’ Or like, ‘How’s that beer? Dude, ‘taste it.’”

You can come out and spend an evening with Nick Swardson and “taste it” for yourself at the Florida Theatre on October 2nd.