Shelton Hull
Dude Dad Debuts in Duuuval
Words by Shelton Hull
Whereas social media was once the ugly duckling of the communications world, platforms like YouTube and TikTok have now become the most reliable indicators of social trends, and the primary means by which stars are made today, particularly in regard to music and comedy.
Some of the most popular content on social media revolves around themes of parenting and domesticity. Taylor Calmus, aka Dude Dad, is considered a pioneer in that genre. He’s now taking his act on the road, and you can catch it in person on Friday night, January 31, when he and his crew perform at the Florida Theatre.
Calmus calls in from his hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado, which is where his “On Thin Ice” tour begins on the 23rd and 24th. His Duval debut comes fourth, following a show in Tampa the night before, with shows in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale after that. The Florida Theatre is one of several historic venues on his itinerary this year, and their appeal is not lost on him, given his own background in construction and contracting. “I’m looking forward to it,” he says. “I’m excited to check it out. A lot of the theaters we’ve been to are these old theaters, with tons of history and stuff. It’s really cool.”
Jacksonville is a long way from Fort Collins–1,801 miles, to be exact–but our state’s reputation proceeds us. Has Calmus heard of “Florida Man”? “Yes!” he exclaims. “The way I’ve always described it, is that Florida is like if Wal-Mart was a state. There’s a little bit of everything, and people are just doing their own thing. And that’s kind of cool.”
He’s been making content since launching his YouTube channel in January 2012. Technically, Dude Dad was born before his kids were. That first video only got about 12,000 views, but that would change very quickly. 13 years later, he and his wife Heidi have three kids and a brand that helped pioneer an entire sub-genre of parenting-based creators across all platforms. Calmus is keen to share the love, encouraging his peers
“We’ve performed at comedy clubs, where the stage is, like, ten feet wide. And then we’ve also performed on Broadway stages, which are 80-100 feet wide. So, that changes up certain aspects of it, like, I’ve got a couple of costume changes and stuff. It’s basically a standup show, but there are other elements that we add to it that kind of make it into a “show” show. We’ve had to get creative a few times, to make certain things work.”
One of those elements, of course, is his wife Heidi, who’s been side by side with Calmus through this whole journey. “Essentially, the setup of her coming out was about [maintaining] balance. I told that if I ever do a comedy tour, then she’s coming with me.” His reasons are sound. “A, people like her more than me. Any video she’s in does better than the ones she’s not in. The audience has a warm spot in their heart for her. But B, we have four kids [ages 9, 7, 3 and 1), and I didn’t want her to be at home watching the kids while I’m off touring and living the rock star lifestyle. It’s been great for our relationship, because when you have four kids, you don’t get a lot of time alone.” The idea of working with your spouse can be dicey, no matter the field, and cautionary tales abound. In this case, however, Taylor and Heidi are like a well-oiled machine, but it’s clear who’s the boss here, and I’m not talking about Tony Danza.
As one might expect, parenthood takes precedence over commercial considerations, so the tour itinerary is much different from many performers, who might normally be cramming as many sets into their schedule as possible. “Our tour is different, because we don’t just go out on the road for months at a time. For us, we go out for a weekend at a time. For example, we’ll go out to Florida and do four shows, and then we’re back home for three weeks, because we don’t take our kids on the road with us. They’re home, in school, and we don’t want them to forget who mommy and daddy are, but we don’t want to throw them off their rhythm. It makes the tour take much longer, but we think it’s best for our situation.”
Joining Taylor and Heidi on stage will be two of their friends and frequent collaborators, both of whom are opening for them. “DJ Cosgrove is my business partner who helps me run Dude Dad,” says Calmus. “He’s just really funny, and he’s always wanted to do comedy, so when we started doing this, he put together a little set. The other guy is David Rodriguez, who owns the local Comedy Fort here in Colorado. He became a dad and was just pouring himself into standup, but he decided he wanted to stay here in Fort Collins and raise his kids. Now he brings in all kinds of big acts to our little town. He’s been a huge asset in helping me take what I do with the videos and turn that into material that I can present on the stage.” All of these performers will be here for the first time on the 31st, but odds are good that they will all be back.
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