at cap city this week

Comedian Nick Thune brings his internet-inspired, sometimes acoustic act to CapCity this weekend

Comedy fans have learned to be wary of stand ups who bring props onstage (you ruined it for everyone, Carrot Top), but Nick Thune—whose acts are often punctuated by acoustic interludes and spoken word-style lyricism—is a definite exception.

For a guy who originally moved to LA with the hopes of hosting a kid’s talk show, Thune’s come a long way. He’s appeared on the Tonight Show eight times, and his resume boasts spots on Conan and The Late Show w/ Jimmy Fallon—plus, he’s got his own Comedy Central Special and an album, Thick Noon, out now.

Thune (who appears at Cap City Comedy November 9^th – 12^th with 2011 Funniest Person in Austin winner Andy Ritchie) isn’t the only guy out there incorporating songs into his act. (See: Bo Burnham, Garfunkel and Oates and Demetri Martin, to name a few.) He’s among the first to really use his online presence to his advantage, though, starting with the 2006 short “Phone Tag” co-starring Olivia Munn.

“It’s just like music videos when they would hit MTV, bands started looking different and acting different,” Thune tells the Serial Optimist. “And once comedy hit the Internet so many people had much more access to it and more people had a chance to be involved in it. There are kids in some small town all around making $500,000 a year off of YouTube videos. It’s crazy that things like that are even possible.”

Kerri Lendo and Albert Im of Last Gas Comedy interview Nick Thune and Ben Kronberg at SXSW

It’s not all about YouTube videos. In 2009, Thune created a web series, Nick’s Big Show, for Atom TV. The (sadly short-lived) series co-starred comics like Nick Kroll and Paul Scheer (The League), AD Miles (currently head writer on Fallon), Kate Micucci (Raising Hope) and TJ Miller (known best for his starring role in Cloverfield, and for earning spots on Best New Faces lists left and right). It follows Thune as he tries to make it in Hollywood, and doesn’t disappoint with the meta-humor and absurdity.

That’s a hallmark of his live act, too—and he doesn’t ignore the internet just because he’s onstage.

“In the beginning, with my first Internet joke, I think a quarter of the audience got it,” recalls Thune, to The AV Club. “There’s still funny things about the Internet. A joke I have right now about the Internet that does well is: “I BCC Stevie Wonder on all of my e-mails.” And people think about it: Nobody ever really talks about BCC. I think if you surprise people with stuff, especially if you’re delivering to an audience that sits in front of a computer all day—you know you’ve gotta remember how much of peoples’ lives are spent in front of that thing.”

Thune’s particularly adept at mining seemingly played-out subjects—like the weird politics of the internet, or the fact that weed makes you do dumb stuff (below). A skill of any great comic, he’s able to shift the way audiences think of their everyday routines.

Nick Thune - “Stoned”

Oh, he’s also appeared on WTF with Marc Maron, and about a million episodes of Comedy Bang Bang. Don’t miss your chance to see Thune this weekend at Cap City—when all your friends are swooning over Thune’s inevitable big screen break, you’ll be able to say you’ve been a fan forevsies.

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Nick Thune appears at Cap City Comedy November 9^th – 12^th.

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Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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