Justin: Minnesota comic Cy Amundson makes a comeback while fighting autoimmune disease

Cy Amundson was poised to be one of the most talented stars to ever emerge from the Twin Cities comedy scene, a stand-up with Bill Burr’s anger and John Mulaney’s mastery of language. He was being courted by ESPN, MTV and Comedy Central.

And then came the crippling pain.

Amundson’s back problems date back to 2004, shortly after he moved to Minneapolis from his hometown of Worthington, Minn. At first, he wasn’t overly concerned. Those ailments run in the family. But by his early 30s, things got worse. Much worse.

“It would come and go. And then it wouldn’t go,“ Amundson said last Monday at Acme Comedy Co., where he’s performing this week, his first full slate of local shows in five years. ”It moved to my neck. Then my shoulders. One of my knees. It became this thing.“

By 2020, the comic had difficulty brushing his teeth. His wife, Jenna, had to dress him. His bad posture started to affect his once booming voice. Touring became out of the question.

“You get so miserable, it makes you not want to be alive,” he said.

Finally, after consulting with more than a dozen doctors, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, a condition in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks tissues and organs.

After getting proper medication and moving to Cincinnati to be close to a world-class therapist, he started to feel better, well enough to plan for eight to 20 gigs this year. That’s a far cry from the 40-week schedule most top comics book, but it’s a step in the right direction.

“When I’m on the road, people coming through the merch line want to know, ‘When is Cy coming back?’” said national headliner Chad Daniels. “This has been a long time coming.”

Still, Amundson, 40, can never get back those lost years. Louis Lee, who has run Acme since 1991, ranks Amundson among the top five comics to ever develop their chops at his club.

“He was on the verge of exploding,” Lee said. “The timing couldn’t have been worse.”

But unlike his gripe-heavy act, Amundson has remained upbeat.

“Having to step back at that time was hard. It’s still hard,” he said. “The other side of it is, you can’t sit in it. Either you’re going to be someone who thinks about that all the time or you’re going to manage it.”

Amundson seemed like his old self last Monday while recording an episode of “Middle of Somewhere,” the podcast he does with Daniels. The longtime friends spent much of the taping at Acme insulting each other with vigor.

“I wish your fat would have killed you during COVID,” Amundson said, after Daniels chided him for wearing a mask on his plane trip from Ohio.

He also shared hilarious stories about running across a panhandling ventriloquist and checking out an art fair with only five stands, two of which were selling chili.

But after they were done, Amundson’s voice was fading. While chatting in the Acme lobby, he kept shifting in and out of his seat. Staying in one position for too long gets uncomfortable.

“You know when you have the flu and start to feel like it’s going to break?” he said. “I’ve been stuck in that place for a long time.”

He’s stayed in the game through podcasts. In addition to “Somewhere,” he has “The Cy Amundson Show,” a goofy take on sports that helped lead to directing a short Vikings documentary last week while he was in town.

His spirits also have been lifted by the birth of his son, Sunday, now 18 months old. Being a parent wasn’t in the cards four years ago.

“I savor every moment I have with that dude. It’s like a bucket of water I found in the desert,” he said. “I’m so unbothered by every single aspect of parenting.”

Nate Abshire, another Acme favorite, suggested that Amundson’s challenges might have made him an even stronger comic.

“Something like that makes you better because it prevents you from doing what I call ‘winner comedy.’ That’s my least favorite kind of comedy,” Abshire said. “Stock markets are for winners. Comedy is for losers.”

Abshire, like many other comics, considers Amundson a mentor. Whenever Lee spots a promising stand-up who could use a little help, he asks Amundson to reach out.

Daniels, who will be at Acme Feb. 26-March 1, said Amundson’s coaching in Cincinnati over the past couple of years already has improved that city’s comedy scene.

But nothing pleases Amundson more than being back onstage himself, even if it might not lead to the kind of fame that once seemed to be within his grasp.

“I like the way I’m doing stand-up right now,” he said as Acme employees switched off the club’s lights. “The hope that stand-up is going to create this big career for me is pretty absent. I think that’s pretty OK.”

When: 8 p.m. Wed.-Thu.; 7 and 9:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat.

Where: Acme Comedy Co., 708 N. 1st St., Mpls.

Tickets: $25 ($28 for early Valentine’s Day show). acmecomedycompany.com