The comedian’s latest special, ‘Here Comes the Whimsy,’ debuts Feb. 5
By Nick A. Zaino III Globe correspondent,Updated February 4, 2026, 1:15 p.m.
There has always been something uncanny about Eugene Mirman’s style of silliness. From his early days in the Boston scene, to the animated photo of himself on an early iteration of his website billed as “Eugene, the marvelous crooning child” that would sing classic rock songs on demand, and on up to his newest special, “Here Comes the Whimsy,” streaming at the Veeps website starting Feb. 5, Mirman has always valued absurdity.
About halfway through “Whimsy,” which was filmed at Somerville’s Crystal Ballroom, Mirman says he has been trying to come up with merch to sell on tour. He admits he’s having trouble coming up with ideas for himself. But he does have something for the estate of the late artist Jean-Michael Basquiat, should they be looking for an opportunity. Mirman then reveals the “Laundry Basquiat,” a laundry basket that might be colorful, but you wouldn’t know it in the special, where the image is blurred because he couldn’t license the rights to the art.
“Anyway, you know how you have an idea and you have to bring it to life, even if it’s … OK?” he says, sheepishly folding the prop and tossing it offstage. “Now you’ve really gotten to know me.” The audience gives Mirman an applause break because, yes, they do know him, and these are the kind of odd moments they have come for.
The offbeat sensibility extends to the way Mirman and his record label, Pretty Good Friends, are marketing the special. Fans can buy just the audio for 10 bucks. But they can also spend $250 and get a download of the video, an autographed copy of the vinyl album, and a commemorative plate featuring a “photo of Eugene in a bathtub covered in the tap shoes he mailed to a restaurant in Maine.” And you will also be officially declared a lord or lady, with the paperwork to prove it. “I think it’s very funny to be like, you can buy the record, and, of course, get the special,” he said in a phone interview, “but also we’ll make you a lord, and you’ll get this beautiful plate with it.”
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