Whitmer Thomas just wants to make his friends laugh

American musician, actor and comedian Whitmer Thomas takes a sip from his cold brew as he answers whether or not he feels like a “cool guy.” His wavy hair sits under his hat. Reflected sunglasses cover his eyes while a second pair hangs from the collar of his plain white T-shirt.

“On paper, people have said, you know, you’re a guy in an indie rock band who does stand-up and has floppy hair, you’re technically a cool guy,” Thomas said. “But I don’t. That’s me being performative, like, trying desperately to buy the right clothes.”

He’s not worried about being cool. The only characteristic he really cares about is loyalty, especially when it comes to his guys, his buds, his “Terminal Crew of Dudes,” the title and subject of his latest HBO Max comedy special, out Friday.

“(Their friendship) means a lot, you know?” Thomas said. “It’s my entire identity. My friends and the stories that we tell together. ... I almost feel, like, in debt to my friends.”

Throughout the show, his chosen family is on stage with him, punctuating his stories with songs that give each anecdote an emotional button. Their presence gives “The Terminal Crew of Dudes” an intimacy that feels less like a comedy special and more like friends jamming and trying to make each other laugh.

That kind of chemistry isn’t possible without his best friend, Clay Tatum, who co-directed the special and plays guitar throughout the show.

“It was emotional and sweet to have them there, knowing that they knew those stories,” the comedian said. “A lot of the stuff I’ll sometimes talk about, people think is sad or something, but to them, it’s not. It’s funny, you know? They were there for the aftermath.”

Sometimes the Terminal Crew laugh at certain details the audience wouldn’t pick up on — laughs that were only meant for his friends. Sometimes his friends would even dare him to tell a joke about buffalo wings, the kind of dares that can only be conceived by years of friendship.

Thomas performed the bit, committed to it and was persuaded by his producer and fellow comedian, Tim Robinson, to keep the joke in the final cut.

“There’s stuff like that where the joy of doing that in the moment feels great. But then when you’re editing it, no matter what, I’m gonna be like, ‘Ah, I should have just done tight stand-up,” Thomas said.

Touring with a band is expensive and getting everyone in one room for rehearsal was difficult. Instead, the group relied on the rapport they’ve developed throughout the years of knowing each other for the filming. It’s a true ode to their friendship, the essence of the special.

Before the taping, “The Terminal Crew of Dudes” performed the show together twice. Regardless of the lack of rehearsal, they never missed a beat. The band comes alive through each song, becoming more than backing musicians, they become fully realized characters.

“We’ve been playing in bands together since we were in seventh grade,” Thomas said. “There’s a shorthand, as far as all that goes.”

Initially, the special was headed in a different direction. During its beginning stages, Thomas was set on telling stories about his childhood and trying too hard to make people laugh.

His mind was set on making a traditional stand-up special, a thought that crosses his mind anytime he’s getting ready for a new hour. But anytime he creates something with his friends, the end result winds up being a collage of vulnerable narratives drawing inspiration from skate culture and MTV’s cult classic “Jackass” — the kind of work that makes him feel honest with the audience.

“The problem is, I don’t necessarily know how to do anything unless I’m being vulnerable, or leaning into some sort of thing that makes me feel uncomfortable,” he said.

It all turned into a special that Thomas hopes will bring friends together to watch.

“Maybe that’s corny or something, but I really want, like, friends to watch it,” he said. He hasn’t even watched it with his own Terminal Crew of Dudes yet, but that’s still how he hopes the audience will experience it. “I’m just missing the guys.”

Tribune News Service