By Nick A. Zaino III Globe correspondent,Updated February 4, 2026, 1:15 p.m.<\/p>\n
There has always been something uncanny about Eugene Mirman\u2019s 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 \u201cEugene, the marvelous crooning child\u201d that would sing classic rock songs on demand, and on up to his newest special, \u201cHere Comes the Whimsy,\u201d streaming at the Veeps website starting Feb. 5, Mirman has always valued absurdity.<\/p>\n
About halfway through \u201cWhimsy,\u201d which was filmed at Somerville\u2019s Crystal Ballroom, Mirman says he has been trying to come up with merch to sell on tour. He admits he\u2019s 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 \u201cLaundry Basquiat,\u201d a laundry basket that might be colorful, but you wouldn\u2019t know it in the special, where the image is blurred because he couldn\u2019t license the rights to the art.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyway, you know how you have an idea and you have to bring it to life, even if it\u2019s \u2026 OK?\u201d he says, sheepishly folding the prop and tossing it offstage. \u201cNow you\u2019ve really gotten to know me.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cphoto of Eugene in a bathtub covered in the tap shoes he mailed to a restaurant in Maine.\u201d And you will also be officially declared a lord or lady, with the paperwork to prove it. \u201cI think it\u2019s very funny to be like, you can buy the record, and, of course, get the special,\u201d he said in a phone interview, \u201cbut also we\u2019ll make you a lord, and you\u2019ll get this beautiful plate with it.\u201d<\/p>\n