Ryan Patrick Cownie is an American

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

originally from

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. His album ''I Can't Die'', which includes a theme song by

Riverboat Gamblers Riverboat Gamblers is an American punk rock band originally from Denton, Texas, formed in 1997, now residing in Austin, Texas. The band's current line-up comprises vocalist Mike Wiebe, guitarist/voc Fadi El-Assad, guitarist/voc Ian MacDougall, ...

Mike Wiebe Mike Wiebe is a musician, actor, and stand-up comedian from Texas. Originally from Denton, he now lives in Austin. Wiebe is the lead singer of several nationally known Austin-based bands including Drakulas, High Tension Wires, and his most longs ...

, was released by

Dan Schlissel Dan Schlissel is an American record producer from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and founder of the record labels Stand Up! Records, which specializes in comedy, and -ismist Recordings, which focused on punk and alternative rock from Nebraska and nearb ...

Stand Up! Records Stand Up! Records is an American independent comedy record label founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Grammy-winning producer Dan Schlissel. It has been called "the country's most respected indie comedy label." Stand Up! has released more than 20 ...

in 2019. Comedy site Laughspin called him "a future superstar."

Early life

Cownie was born in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

and grew up in

. He is a 2007 graduate of

Lincoln Southwest High School Lincoln Southwest High School is a Lincoln Public high school which is located on 74 acres adjacent to Wilderness Park in Lincoln, Nebraska. Academics Southwest offers dual enrollment education through three local tertiary education institut ...

. His comedic influences include the movies ''

The Jerk ''The Jerk'' is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and written by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, and Michael Elias (from a story by Steve Martin and Carl Gottlieb). This was Martin's first starring role in a feature film. The fil ...

'' and ''

The Wedding Singer ''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tells the ...

''. He began performing at age 17. He moved to nearby, larger

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

soon after graduating and worked as a waiter in a comedy club.

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

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 2015 to further his comedy career. Cownie's debut album ''I Can't Die'' was released in 2019.

frontman

recorded a theme song for the album, also titled "I Can't Die." Nicholas C. Martinez of comedy site Laughspin gave it an approving review, calling Cownie "a future superstar." In 2019, Cownie starred in the video for "Fashion Forward", a song by Wiebe's side project Drakulas. Cownie appeared in the 2020 series ''Munchie Run'' on the Social Club TV streaming network.

Personal life

Cownie is vegan.

Discography

*''I Can't Die'' (

, 2019)

Podcast appearances

''Heavy Friending'', "How I Met Comedian Ryan Cownie's Mother" (August 26, 2019)

''Comedy Wham Presents'', "Ryan Cownie Gets Raw" (October 6, 2017)

''Booker, Alex & Sara'', "Jay Whitecotton, Ryan Cownie & Bob Khosravi" (April 22, 2015)

''Austin Sessions'', Episode 48: Ryan Cownie (March 25, 2014)

''Death Is Imminent'', "''Constantine'', Poop, and Harry Potter, with Ryan Cownie" (August 16, 2018)

References

External links

*
Ryan Cownie at Stand Up! Records website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cownie, Ryan American male comedians American stand-up comedians People from Sioux City, Iowa People from Lincoln, Nebraska People from Austin, Texas People from Los Angeles 21st-century American comedians Stand Up! Records artists 1980s births Living people