'He Is Basically the Goop That's Inside a Lava Lamp'

"Fleming's work is a hyperspecific, manic, digressive observational comedy buried inside a cloud of performance-art strangeness. A classic Fleming joke begins with him positing the existence of "girlos" - a subgroup of women who exist in opposition to "girlies." He starts dissecting the girlo as a woman who might have been gay if only she'd been born after 1995, "the Sapphic Meridian.""

"I would say somehow a six-foot dandelion stumbled on some cocaine and tore itself out of the earth. Minutes later, O'Brien is still attempting to describe Fleming, and he eventually lands on the image of "the goop that's inside a lava lamp.""

Chris Fleming is a six-foot-two comedian known for his distinctive performance style that blends observational comedy with performance art. He arrives in an absurdly tiny Nissan Figaro, a 1950s-styled convertible where his tall frame and voluminous curly hair create a comical visual. Described variously as a Muppet, fairy, prophet, and cartoon by peers and audiences, Fleming's comedy is characterized by hyperspecific, manic, and digressive observations. His jokes begin with specific premises, like distinguishing between "girlos" and "girlies," then veer into elaborate tangents and surreal descriptions. His new HBO special, Live at the Palace, was produced by Conan O'Brien, who describes Fleming as "a six-foot dandelion stumbled on some cocaine" and "the goop inside a lava lamp."

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