Nick Cox: Safety Pins & Duct Tape

November 24, 2024

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Nick Cox

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Some­times it’s 15 min­utes of fame that sets a career on its path; with Nick Cox, it may well have been 25 min­utes of tepid response from a non-Eng­lish speak­ing audi­ence. Mul­ti­ple times.

As Valerie dis­cov­ers in their inter­view, those expe­ri­ences, a pas­sion for music, and more dia­pers than you’d expect, did us all a ser­vice by mak­ing Cox the fan­tas­tic com­ic he is today. 

From DIY Bandmate to DIY Standup Comic

Growing up in Memphis, TN, it's hard to imagine music not worming its way into your life in some form. They say it's best to "start 'em early", and Cox definitely got the worm early on, picking up the guitar at age 11, and music has been in his life ever since. At the same time, a much-loved DVD of the movie Clerks (with bonus documentary on the making-of) served to stoke Cox's desire to perform for laughs, in addition to lighters.

I liked the idea of try­ing to be fun­ny, before I even knew what standup was
Nick Cox
Doing Comedy in Columbia

When someone brings up the "language barrier" of being in another country, it's most often considered a challenge. For Cox, it turned out to be a boon (at least for a little while).

Doing English comedy in Medellin for a primarily Spanish-speaking audience (with a sprinkle of expats) gave him that most rare of commodities for a new comic: stage time. The hosts of the mic often gave him upwards of 20 minutes, unheard of for an open mic set, giving Cox the room to explore material in long form.

It also gave him time to find what he wasn't quite good at yet; it definitely throws you for a loop when a "common" name drop like Stone Cold Steve Austin doesn't get a reaction: "I think at that point I was, like, there were so many things that were probably wrong with my set that the references were just one part."

I thought, maybe I’m incred­i­ble at this!’
Nick Cox
Being known as a Diaper Comic

Valerie cracks the case wide open by asking Cox the story behind an Instagram picture from Good Evening News that seemingly has him in an a child's protective underpants. "It looks like that because it's me in a diaper," Cox laughingly confirms, adding that he also made the bold choice to play not only a baby character, but one with a Boston accent.


He does note that he also had on boots and a hat, but we're not sure if that's better or worse.


The first 8-minute performance au-Pamper revealed he'd need a sturdier solution for the long-term, culminating in him sewing his own custom diaper. Dedication to a bit, indeed.

The whole time I was like…‘there’s some duct tape under­neath this and some safe­ty pins that are doing a lot of work right now’
Nick Cox
A deep dive in the differences between standup and improv

Having taken the first three levels of classes at the famed Upright Citizen's Bridge, Cox still wasn't sure that improv was for him. "I had to hype myself up to, like, a manic state," he recalls, just to get past his own fear that the lack of familiarity with the form was going to manifest in him being a grumpy stage partner. As with so many new experiences, though, you won't know until you give it a try: "I had a blast, and I ended up loving it," he confirms. A win for him and a win for us in the audience!

[The audi­ence gets] to enjoy it on some oth­er lev­el, where they feel like they’re going on in some ride with you, instead of just, like, watch­ing a movie
Nick Cox
Find out more

Fol­low Nick

Fol­low Good Evening News

Nick can be seen and heard:

  • Banana Phone — Every Sun­day 10pm at The Creek and the Cave
  • Good Evening News — Every Tues­day at Sun­set Strip and avail­able to watch on Youtube
  • Craft Com­e­dy at Batch Craft Brew­ery — 1st Wednesdays
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Nick Cox