Hear Nebraska

by Chance Solem-Pfeifer | photos by Bridget McQuillan When a man approached Omaha comedian Ian Douglas Terry after a bit about how much he hates horses, Terry thought he was in for a scolding. “I was like, ‘Great, is this gonna be big horse fan?’” Terry recalls worrying. Quite the contrary. The man praised Terry’s routine — in all its oddity — for transposing onto horses the hatred lesser comedians might direct toward women or the LGBT community: simultaneously fostering originality and pointing out the absurdity of hate comedy. At the source of Terry’s alternative material is a punk rock credo banning homophobia, racism and misogyny, learned from the musical community where the comedian began performing in high school. Then partner that social principle with the DIY mentality Terry adopted while playing in punk bands in his hometown of Columbus, Neb., and later in Omaha punk outfit Renford Rejects. When Terry co-founded the OK Party Comedy collective three years ago, he carried those lessons with him.