running gag / said by James
He's my kind of guy
What does "He's my kind of guy" mean on Small Town Murder?
James's deadpan compliment for a killer: whenever a murderer is described as charming, polite, well dressed or otherwise likeable, he tags him as his (or Jimmie's) kind of guy, and the horrific thing the man did lands as the punchline. Once established it turns into call-and-response, with James prompting Jimmie ("say it, Jimmy - what is he?") and both of them warning each other to hold back on the phrase until the story is out.
- Kind
- running gag
- Usually said by
- James
- First heard
- Episode 95, 5 December 2018
The story behind the phrase
Where did "He's my kind of guy" come from?
The earliest hint in the transcripts is episode 95, but the transcript there is garbled. James seems to tag a sister's flattering defence of her accused brother with "it's my kind of guy". By episode 103 he is clearly teasing Jimmie with "your kind of guy" over a quiet, well-dressed man.
The joke is a deadpan compliment for someone who sounds likeable, charming or tough, with the grim turn in the story as the punchline. In episode 111 James explains the trap: you should never call someone your kind of guy because "you have no idea where the story's going".
How is "He's my kind of guy" used now?
It turns into call-and-response between the two. In episode 166 James asks "what have we said about he's my kind of guy" and tells Jimmie to hold off for a while, and in episode 198 he invites Jimmie to say it, then tells him the man is not his kind of guy after all. Even a fond line like James's in episode 179, "he's going to be your kind of guy", carries the warning.
When was "He's my kind of guy" first said?
It was first heard in episode 95, "Yes, No, I Don't Know...", on 5 December 2018, at about 1:26:22.
"That's like her you say, it's my kind of guy."
James is reading a sister insisting her brother could never have done it ("that's not the kind of person he is") and caps it with "it's my kind of guy" - the exact template of a flattering description of an accused murderer tagged with the phrase. It is thrown away in passing rather than set up as a new bit, and the machine transcript is half-swamped there; by the next few episodes James is using "your kind of guy" to tease Jimmie, and by 111 he is warning that you should never say somebody is your kind of guy because you never know where the story is going.
Heard in these episodes
Found by searching the transcripts; speech recognition can miss a use.
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