Ryan Cownie

Last updated
Ryan Cownie
Born
Ryan Patrick Cownie

1987or1988(age 35–36) [1]
Sioux City, Iowa
Alma mater Lincoln Southwest High School
OccupationStand-up comedian
Years active2007-present

Ryan Patrick Cownie is an American stand-up comedian originally from Lincoln, Nebraska. [2] [3] His album I Can't Die, which includes a theme song by Riverboat Gamblers' Mike Wiebe, was released by Dan Schlissel's Stand Up! Records in 2019. [4] [5] Comedy site Laughspin called him "a future superstar." [6]

Contents

Early life

Cownie was born in Sioux City, Iowa and grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. [7] He is a 2007 graduate of Lincoln Southwest High School. [2] His comedic influences include the movies The Jerk and The Wedding Singer . He began performing at age 17. He moved to nearby, larger Omaha soon after graduating and worked as a waiter in a comedy club. [3] [8] [9] [10]

Career

Cownie's comedy often riffs on pop culture, including a long-running gag in which he pretends his comedy has been sponsored by Mountain Dew and other corporate products. [11] [3]

Cownie moved to the larger city of Austin, Texas in 2010 to establish his career in comedy, along with fellow Nebraska comic Cody Hustak. [12] The two would later take first and second place respectively in the prestigious annual Cap City Funniest Person in Austin contest in 2014. [13] Cownie quickly became an integral part of the Austin comic scene, hosting the Avalanche Comedy showcase from 2013 to 2015. [12] Avalanche was praised for its "laid-back vibe" by The Austinot website. [1] Cownie is also a musician and rapper. [3] With Dustin Svehlak, Cownie co-wrote and directed Cownie, a 2013 mockumentary that Moontower Comedy News called "funny and dry." [14]

Cownie moved again to Los Angeles in 2015 to further his comedy career. [3] [15]

Cownie's debut album I Can't Die was released in 2019. Riverboat Gamblers frontman Mike Wiebe recorded a theme song for the album, also titled "I Can't Die." [4] [5] Nicholas C. Martinez of comedy site Laughspin gave it an approving review, calling Cownie "a future superstar." [6]

In 2019, Cownie starred in the video for "Fashion Forward", a song by Wiebe's side project Drakulas. [16]

Cownie appeared in the 2020 series Munchie Run on the Social Club TV streaming network. [17] [18]

Personal life

Cownie is vegan. [18]

Discography

Podcast appearances

  • Heavy Friending, "How I Met Comedian Ryan Cownie's Mother" (August 26, 2019) [19]
  • Comedy Wham Presents, "Ryan Cownie Gets Raw" (October 6, 2017) [3]
  • Booker, Alex & Sara, "Jay Whitecotton, Ryan Cownie & Bob Khosravi" (April 22, 2015) [7]
  • Austin Sessions, Episode 48: Ryan Cownie (March 25, 2014) [20]
  • Death Is Imminent, "Constantine, Poop, and Harry Potter, with Ryan Cownie" (August 16, 2018) [21]

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    References

    1. 1 2 Thomas, David (2013-12-17). "3 Austin Comedy Showcases You Can't Miss". The Austinot. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    2. 1 2 "Southwest High grads announced". Lincoln Journal Star . Lincoln, Nebraska. 2007-06-10. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Valerie Lopez (2017-10-06). "Comedy Wham Presents: Ryan Cownie Gets Raw". Comedy Wham Presents (Podcast). Comedy Wham. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    4. 1 2 Mike Wiebe at IMDb
    5. 1 2 "Mike Wiebe – I Can't Die". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
    6. 1 2 Martinez, Nicholas C. (March 19, 2019). "Ryan Cownie a future superstar in debut comedy album". Laughspin. Archived from the original on 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
    7. 1 2 Brad Booker, Alex Franco, Sara Osburn (2015-04-22). "Jay Whitecotton, Ryan Cownie & Bob Khosravi". Booker, Alex & Sara (Podcast). KAMX . Retrieved 2020-10-19.{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    8. ↑ Young, Molly (2008-02-03). "Comedy night caters to diverse crowd". The Daily Nebraskan . Lincoln, Nebraska . Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    9. ↑ Bowen, Don (2008-02-08). "There really is nothing like laughter". Fremont Tribune . Fremont, Nebraska . Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    10. ↑ Bowen, Don (2008-07-02). "Kuddes finds a career in comedy". Fremont Tribune . Fremont, Nebraska . Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    11. ↑ Faires, Robert (2015-05-22). "Joke 'Stache: Danny Palumbo wins Funniest Person in Austin 2015, advances equal rights for facial hair". Austin Chronicle . Austin, Texas . Retrieved 2020-11-05.
    12. 1 2 Brenner, Wayne Alan (2013-11-04). "Ryan Cownie Has Up and Taken Over Avalanche Comedy". Austin Chronicle . Austin, Texas . Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    13. ↑ Merriman, John (May 23, 2014). "Cody Hustak is the Funniest Person in Austin!". Moontower Comedy News. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    14. ↑ Merriman, John (October 24, 2013). "Screening Room: Batman, Superman, Silverman & Cownie". Moontower Comedy News. Austin, Texas . Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    15. ↑ Brenner, Wayne Alan (2017-10-05). "Five Arty Things to Do". Austin Chronicle . Austin, Texas . Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    16. ↑ Sacher, Andrew (October 31, 2019). "Watch Drakulas' video for "Fashion Forward" off upcoming album". Brooklyn Vegan . Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    17. ↑ Maas, Tyler (2020-07-22). "Franklin native takes baked comedians to fast food drive-thrus in 'Munchie Run'". Milwaukee Record. Milwaukee, Wisconsin . Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    18. 1 2 "Ryan Cownie at Jack in the Box". Munchie Run. Season 1. Episode 8. Social Club TV. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
    19. ↑ Joe Barlow, Laura Lee Bishop (August 26, 2019). "How I Met Comedian Ryan Cownie's Mother". Heavy Friending (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    20. ↑ Mark Shapiro (March 25, 2014). "Ryan Cownie". Austin Sessions (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-10-19.
    21. ↑ "666 constantine, poop, and harry potter 666 with ryan cownie". Death Is Imminent (Podcast). August 16, 2018. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
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