LOL WITH IT: Pro-wrestling joke-slingers @ Connie's Ric Rac

Last night I enjoyed a mixed show of pro-wrestling joke-slingers and local comedians at Connie's Ric Rac.

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LOL WITH IT: Pro-wrestling joke-slingers @ Connie's Ric Rac

POSTED: Friday, December 2, 2011, 1:00 PM

Filed Under: Comedy LOL With It

Every Friday, Philebrity Award-nominee Ryan Carey reports on who and what's giving Philly the tee-hee-hees.

Last night I enjoyed a mixed show of pro-wrestling joke-slingers and local comedians at Connie's Ric Rac for Delaware County comedy-booker Thomas H. Robinson III's 42nd birthday. To all you wrestling fans who missed out because you preferred to get your laughs from the Eagles, allow me to invoke a classic Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) chant: "YOU F*CKED UP! YOU F*CKED UP!"

In true style of independent Philly comedy, attendance was low but spirits were high. The show was hosted by ECW favorite — the lyrical miracle and the sexual intellectual — Joel [insert dirty limerick here] Gertner. Off-stage, Gertner was quieter, more laid back and — for what it's worth — way younger looking than I expected. On-stage, he was inappropriate, loud and hilarious as ever.

215 comedy favorites Benny Michaels and Jim Grammond ranted about their shortcomings in marriage, getting laughs for about ten minutes each. After that, the king of old-school and former ECW heavyweight champ Steve Corino amused us with tales of his, uh, exploits during his wrestling tours through Japan. Note: Stay away from any pay-for-companionship situations in that country.

Finally, we got to see hilarious local headliner Pat Barker (pictured). Barker, recently back from touring the West Coast, is hands down one of the funniest comedians we have in town. He gets big laughs with stories about how playing slots makes him a lame, degenerate gambler and how his Dad exaggerates when he reports on a McDonalds employee screwing up his order. Barker's consistently been one of the best Philly headliners for years now. Some comedians have more talent than skill, others vice versa. Pat Barker has that ideal combination of inner spark and outer polish that makes him a legit standout piercing through Philly's increasingly energetic comedy community.

(ryan.carey@citypaper.net) (@slackerDIYtoday)

Photo by Ryan Carey

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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