Nick Lutsko is an American singer, songwriter, comedian, and multi-instrumentalist best known for his comedic songs and videos released via social media, particularly Twitter and YouTube. Most of the videos feature Lutsko portraying a fictional version of himself, singing directly into the camera about political figures, current events, or pop culture, often with absurdist or surreal tones.[2][3][4] He also does commercial composition work, winning a 2022 Webby Award for Best Original Music for his work with Lord Danger for Old Spice.[5] He has also written songs for Netflix, CollegeHumor, and Super Deluxe.[6][7]
Nick Lutsko | |
|---|---|
 Nick Lutsko performing at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on June 29, 2022. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | November 29, 1990 Orlando, Florida, United States[1] |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) | Musician, comedian |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Needlejuice |
| Website | nicklutsko |
A long-time resident of Chattanooga, Tennessee and a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University,[2][4] Lutsko films most of his music videos in and around his Chattanooga home.[3] Lutsko has released several albums, including Swords (2019),[4][8][6] a non-comedy album Lutsko worked on for four years.[4] Several of his comedic Internet songs have been compiled into the albums Songs on the Computer (2020) and More Songs on the Computer (2021).[4][9] Lutsko's videos have garnered millions of views online.[2][3][9]
Lutsko has created songs parodying political figures and topics like Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Alex Jones, Donald Trump Jr., Fox News, and Pizzagate.[3][8][10] Lutsko often appears sweaty and crazed in his videos, and his songs feature several running jokes and recurring characters, creating what Nerdist writer Michael Walsh called the "Nick Lutsko Expanded Universe".[10] Among these jokes are Lutsko's adoration of conservative commentator Dan Bongino, his ongoing feud with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and his relationship with his grandmother, who lives in a house with a basement Lutsko claims is inhabited by "men in the tunnels".[11]
Lutsko's character repeatedly writes unsolicited theme songs, including for Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Irishman, and the Spirit Halloween retail store chain.[3][12][13] The lattermost song inspired Spirit Halloween to solicit two additional songs from Lutsko about the company,[3] which also led to recurring jokes about Lutsko being the "King of Halloween".[14] Lutsko also regularly sings about the Gremlins film franchise, sometimes portraying a human/gremlin hybrid character named Desmond, and attempting to produce a fictional sequel film called Gremlins 3: Dawn of Desmond.[9][11][14]
Lutsko has long performed with his bandmate and bassist Eric "Greezy Rick" Parham, who performs while wearing a Muppet-like mask with brown fur and an elongated nose.[8][6] He also regularly performs with "Cowboy Jon" Elliot, who plays saxophone and xylophone while wearing cowboy attire.
Discography edit
Studio albums edit
- Heart of Mold (2013)
- Etc. (2015)
- Swords (2019)
- Songs on the Computer (2020)
- More Songs on the Computer (2021)
Extended plays edit
- Mumbo Jumbo Trash (2012)
- Hell Yup! (2022)
- Incantations (2022)
- Seven Inch Swords (2022)
- SNL: Celebration of Summertime (2023)
- Cruel Experiments (2023)
Singles edit
- "Grinning Like a Barracuda" (2018)
- "Spineless" (2020)
- "Obituary" (2023)
References edit
- ^ "Local Artist Profile: Nick Lutsko". October 23, 2015.
- ^ a b c Terry, Josh (February 12, 2021). "Nick Lutsko's Chaotic Comedy Songs Are the Soundtrack to 2021". Vice. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Heller, Emily Palmer (October 1, 2021). "Nick Lutsko: The Sweaty, Deranged Hero of Halloween". Vulture. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Leimkuehler, Matthew (July 1, 2022). "Need a laugh? Go see Nick Lutsko at Exit/In this weekend". The Tennessean. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "Old Spice Barbershop Sextet". Webby Awards. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ a b c Courter, Barry (October 22, 2019). "Nick Lutsko's album release party is a masquerade bash". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ Millstein, Seth (July 14, 2017). "Someone Turned Alex Jones' Rants Into A Bon Iver Song & It's Actually Incredible". Bustle. BDG Media. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
- ^ a b c Colburn, Randall (July 12, 2019). "Nick Lutsko's new video for "Sideshow" is a papier-mâché nightmare". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c Woodroof, Cory (June 23, 2022). "Nick Lutsko Issues a Supercharged Brand of Political Parody". Nashville Scene. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Walsh, Michael (September 17, 2021). "Nick Lutsko on his 'Spirit Halloween Theme' and extended universe". Nerdist. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Paul, Andrew (February 3, 2021). "Meet the guy who writes the internet's catchiest songs". Input. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ Walsh, Michael (December 3, 2021). "Nick Lutsko announces More Songs on the Computer 2 and drops new video". Nerdist. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ Colburn, Randall (July 24, 2020). "The best song you'll hear today is about getting unfollowed by Chrissy Teigen on Twitter". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Paul, Andrew (December 7, 2021). "King of Halloween Nick Lutsko bids 2021 farewell with a new song and album". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 1, 2022.