Comedy

BOOK REVIEW: Zombie, Spaceship, Wasteland by Patton Oswalt

POSTED: Wednesday, February 16, 2011, 5:00 PM

Filed Under: Comedy | Critical Mass | Books Stand-up

I'd like to thank comedian, actor, author and lead Ratatouille voice Patton Oswalt for disproving an axiom. Somewhere along the way, art snobs decided that self-indulgence is a bad thing. I suppose this can be occasionally true, if you happen to disagree with the auto-gratuitous auteur's worldview but even then, at the very least it's interesting ... and education is never a heavy burden to carry. In Zombie, Spaceship, Wasteland, Oswalt indulges his every whimsy, his every stopped-at-a-red-light daydream, his every doodle scribbled on the back of a Chinese take-out menu. And the result is superb. Despite being a thoroughly self-indulgent book (or, perhaps, because of that), Zombie, Spaceship, Wasteland did what all great art should do: it provided me a causeway to a deeper vantage point of my inner self. A full dose of Patton's psychology shortens the psychic chord between me and all things. It also happens to be as entertaining as a Harvard campus mullet flash mob (read: very). The book is broken up into different segments of memoir, punctuated by (generally shorter) pieces of pure comedy. He takes us into his adolescence as a ticket-ripper at the local movie-plex, introducing us to his weird characters in up-close, present-tense narrative. He explains the role that dungeons and dragons played in his pre-pubescent development. He takes us up to the Vancouver suburbs to relive his very first headlining comedy gig, which *spoiler* was a nightmare. He explores the frayed synapses of his uncle with schizophrenia, and how that madness taught him about his own relationship with the world. He dazzles us with absurd restaurant wine-lists and a hilarious comic strip about the mellow-dramatic nature of vampires. All interesting, poignant, funny and brutally honest.

comedians.jokes.com

Most importantly, he develops a thesis. He posits that every creative person subconsciously injects their worldview into one of the following thematic aesthetics: zombies, spaceships, or wastelands. Me personally? I've found that my enthusiasm for abstraction and flair for futurism renders me a pretty obvious spaceship dweller. Patton's idiom? Well, fans of his comedy can just recall his liquor-ad lady coiting with the entire softball team in the abandoned hospital to get a general idea of his take on the American landscape. But Patton's manifesto is every bit as generous to the modern American experience as it is biting. His concepts are well-developed, his imagery is vivid, and his turn of the phrase manages to remain maybe his greatest strength. Check him out in a few pretty insightful interviews with him on : The Bill Simmons Report (1/19/11), and WTF w/ Marc Maron.

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LOL WITH IT: Q&A w/ Natasha Leggero

POSTED: Friday, February 11, 2011, 8:00 PM

Filed Under: Comedy | Critical Mass | LOL With It Stand-up

Natasha Leggero, known for her hosting duties on Last Comic Standing and as a regular round table guest on Chelsea Lately, plays Helium Comedy Club tonight (Feb. 11) and tomorrow (Feb. 12) at 8 and 10 p.m. Our comic connoisseur Ryan Carey had a little chat with her before she hopped the plane to fly into town. City Paper: Are you excited to leave sunny L.A. for the frozen tundra of Center City Philadelphia? Natasha Leggero: I actually performed not too long ago at a couples-only retreat in the Pocono's. It was a Comedians of Chelsea Lately show. What I soon came to realize is that couples only retreat equals "swingers". So after the show I stayed in my hotel room with the door locked. CP: What gig made you realize, "It's on ... time to quit the day job"?

NL: Quitting your day job, that just sorta happens. You're almost driven in a way that you're not in control of. You have to be committed, "okay every night, five nights a week for the next ten years I'm gonna get up and potentially humiliate myself in front of a crowd full of strangers." If you think about it too much you won't do it. I've had some amazing shows and I've had some terrible shows throughout the years. I performed at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in the back of a thrift store in Anaheim, you have these out of body experiences where you realize, "What am I doing, do I really need attention this bad ... you just kinda hope that you're being guided by something bigger than neglect from your parents." CP: Is that something you're speaking about from personal experience? NL: No, not at all. I would say that there are a lot of funny people and you see a lot of hilarious improvisers that come from really great homes. But I think that's something that makes a stand-up comedian a lot of time, they didn't get enough love from at least one of their parents, which is what drives them to stand-up. CP: What can you tell me about that N.A. meeting gig? That sounds pretty crazy ... NL: Heroin addicts need to laugh, too! They're really great crowds. I perform at halfway houses, where people are earning their rights to have free time out of prison. When you have a life as a stand-up, you're constantly being asked to do crazy shows — in laundromats or a bar full of sailors — I used to perform every Sunday at 4:30 p.m at an ice cream parlor. That's the life, especially in L.A. because there aren't a ton of clubs, people just make up shows. If you're serious about it then you go do them. CP: How has Chelsea [Handler] helped your career? NL: Chelsea has helped me a lot — and a lot of comedians. For example, I'm finding a lot of girls come up to me after a show, and they'll say it's their first time at a comedy club. In the past, I think the comedy club regulars were a bit on the conservative side. They just wanna laugh, they don't wanna think. When I first started stand-up, I'd have to make random plumbers laugh on their night off. Now it's better because you're getting your demographic of young, hip cool people coming out who want you to challenge what's happening in society, it's a new type of audience. CP: Was Reno 911 an all-business atmosphere, or what? NL: Not at all, Tom Lennon and Ben Garant ... some of my favorite things I've done have been with them. They're amazing improvisers. When you work with amazing improvisers, YOU become much more funny. They open you up for hilarious jokes, you're less self-conscious, I've done two pilots with those guys. CP: What do you think about the podcast world? Things got a little awkward when you went on WTF with Marc Maron. NL: Marc's podcast always gets awkward, we all know him so he likes to give into it, which is, i think, why his podcast is so great. I have a podcast called The Lavender Hour. It's a salon-style super show that I do with my writing partner Duncan Trussel. I have guests like Tim Heidecker, Chris Hardwick, Dave Willis from Aquateen Hunger Force, Reggie Watts ... We delve into some deep issues. CP: Did you enjoy judging Last Comic Standing? NL: Last Comic Standing was an amazing experience for me. You really can't ask for anything more than spending days with Greg Giraldo (R.I.P.) and Andy Kindler having belly laughs all day long. The benefits far outweigh the negatives (which were, like, a few people I knew from when I was an open miker had to get rejected). CP: Any broad generalizations about the current political climate? NL: I think it's interesting that Sarah Palin has a reality show, and she's talking about running for president. Donald Trump's another one, has a reality show and he's thinking about running for president. I think they're gonna turn the presidency into a reality show. Tonight on The Presidency. Who will be eliminated tonight, North Korea or Iran? Text in your vote ...

For a comprehensive list of other stand-up gigs happening in Philly, check our online Comedy listings. Giggle!

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COMEDY: Little Plates, Big Tapas, 2/11-14

POSTED: Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 8:00 PM

Filed Under: Comedy | Critical Mass Theater

The Haverford-spawned Groundswell Players, best known for their Philly Fringe hit, How to Solve a Bear, will present Little Plates, Big Tapas Fri. Feb. 11, through Mon. Feb. 14 at the Latvian Society (541 N. Seventh St.).

The show is about a small town pizzeria that gets handed down to the owner's fancy chef school son, who aims to turn his family's folksy dive into a high-end tapas joint. The Groundswell Players (alter-ego of improv troupe Leo Callahan), scripted the show, leaving room for improvisational flourishes. "They love exploring the idea of small time people with big city ambitions... and everything goes totally wrong," says Philadelphia Joke Initiative's Alexis Simpson. "They really investigate the integrity of these little people with big dreams. The comedy of everything falling apart isn't mocking these characters, but it shows how they're over-reaching their capabilities." Starring Nick Kerr, Alison King, Jack Meaney, Nicholas Mirra, Jesse Paulsen and Scott Sheppard, Little Plates, Big Tapas is $15 at the door or $10 online. For more information, visit The Philadelphia Joke Initiative online.

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LOL WITH IT: Q&A with Todd Barry

POSTED: Friday, February 4, 2011, 7:00 PM

Filed Under: Comedy | Critical Mass | LOL With It Stand-up

Every Friday, Ryan Carey takes a look at who and what's giving Philly the giggles. This week he talks to comedian Todd Barry, performing tonight at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. at Connie's Ric Rac (1132 S. Ninth St.).

Critical Mass: Thanks for taking time in between filming to speak with me today. Can I ask what you're working on? Todd Barry: Today I was filming an episode of Louie, here in New York.

CM: It seems like you've been doing more acting as of late. Where does that stand on your attention-grid? TB: I really don't pursue acting as a priority. I got in some pretty high-profile films like The Wrestler and Road Trip, but I tend more often to play myself on TV shows. I'd probably consider doing a long shoot if it was a good script. CM: What does your Philly resume look like? TB: I've played World Café Live, Helium, The Khyber, The Troc, and I've performed twice at First Unitarian Church opening for bands. Once with Yo la Tengo and once with Mates of State. CM: You're known for doing those unusual band shows, how did that get started? TB: I have musician friends, and I'll help them out. When people hear about you doing that, they're more likely to ask you. It's not really the ideal situation for comedy, but I like to help people out. CM: I saw you handle a heckler pretty hilariously a couple of years ago. I was surprised, because you had seemed like more the joke-writer than a funny-off-the-cuff type. Do you do a lot of crowd work? TB: Yea, I like to do crowd work. Usually I get a little bored with my material, so you try to get something goin' with the crowd just for the challenge of it. Sometimes, if I have a shorter set, and the crowd's rowdy, it'll be like, "I guess I'm not telling any jokes tonight" and I'll abandon my act all-together to have fun with the crowd. CM: How many Twitter followers do you have? TB: I have over 85 thousand. It's definitely beyond being a fad ... but then again, look at Myspace. It's a great way to promote, but I think the key to getting so many followers is — some people only use it to promote shows, and people get tired of it. But if you put funny content on there, and it gets enough re-tweets, it starts to catch on. I don't test jokes out on Twitter, and when I think of something I have to wonder whether I should save it for my act or put it on Twitter. Some comics use their tweets in their act, and it's not like a large percentage of the audience would be like, "Hey wait a minute..." But I generally tweet those one-liners that don't really lend themselves to fleshing out in joke form. CM: Who are your favorite tweeters? TB: Well, I know I'm forgetting some but John Daly, Rob Delaney, Patton Oswalt, Boobs Radly, I'm definitely leaving people out. Tonight's shows at Connie's Ric Rac (1132 South 9th St.) are at 8pm (sold out) and 11:pm (tickets still available). Visit Todd online at www.toddbarry.com, and on twitter at http://twitter.com/toddbarry/

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SNOW MAKEUP-DATE: Ministry of Secret Jokes rescheduled

POSTED: Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 4:00 PM

Filed Under: Comedy Stand-up

Last week's Ministry of Jokes performance was rescheduled because of the damn weather. Here are the new deets.

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LOL WITH IT: Philly's showbiz exports, stand-up comics (pt. 2)

POSTED: Friday, January 28, 2011, 8:00 PM

Filed Under: Comedy | Critical Mass | LOL With It Stand-up

Continued from Part 1 ... Philly funnymen who jumped ship to make good elsewhere were asked: WHEN did they start comedy & when did they leave Philly? WHY did they relocate? HOW has it been going? WHO were their favorite Philly comics or bookers in the Philly scene when they left? WHERE can we find them performing should we happen to be in their town? Todd Glass

WHEN: I started doing comedy in high school. I did an open mic night at Comedy Works in Philadelphia. I did three minutes of comedy, and sometimes there were 25-30 acts. I left Philly in approximately 1990 and I am currently living in Los Angeles. WHY: I relocated because you can only go so far with an acting or comedy career unless you're in New York or California. HOW: Living in L.A., I see a lot of unbelievable comedy and it inspires me to be a better comic. I hope to keep growing throughout my career as George Carlin did, he never stopped growing in his 30s, 40s, 50 [or] 6's. It's very admirable. WHO: The owner of Comedy Works, Steve Young, had great taste in comedy. Friday and Saturday nights, the professionals came in from New York and California. We saw acts like Paul Reiser, Richard Lewis, Steven Wright, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Gary Shandling, Eddie Murphy. It was an amazing place to learn about great comedy that I will remember for the rest of my life. My favorite Philly comics were Tom Wilson, Chris Coccia, Ben Kurland, Kevin Sullivan and the comedy team Meyer & Young. Ryan talks with Joe DeRosa after the jump ... Joe DeRosa

WHEN: I started late December 2001 in a bar in Collegeville called The New Road Brewery. I played music before I did comedy. One night at a gig, the crowd was drunk — we were kinda drunk, too — so we started antagonizing the audience. Everyone thought it was funny. The manager said, why don't you guys start doing comedy every week? I did that for a month or two before I took it to Philly, hitting up the Laff House open mic. A year and a half later, I moved to New York. WHY: Every City is a gym, and New York is the best gym with the most equipment. There are multiple types of rooms, not just clubs. There's a ton of downtown rooms and black-box theaters. Every borough's scene is different. Brooklyn's scene is very hipster, Queens is more mainstream. The Bronx has more urban rooms. Manhattan is right down the middle. So [there are] many rooms and venues and scenes for you to sink your teeth into. Living here puts you in a better position to perform. My goal for moving was for comedy to be my full-time job. It would have been a longer haul in Philly, fewer spots to make your living. NYC is the comedy mecca. HOW: There was some due paying again in New York, but it was a very profitable decision. It's good to make moves when you're scared. There was some waiting and trying to get to know people, but things changed almost immediately. I was in New York for a year-and-a-half when I got my first TV spot on Carson Daily, and then I booked the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal. I got management, I booked my first Comedy Central spot, started getting paid at clubs, it all started moving very quickly. You're put in these high-pressure situations where your skin gets thick enough, and your skills get sharp enough and you get these opportunities from people you admire. At one point I had to audition for Gotham while the checks were being passed out, following a guest set by Dave Chapelle. I ended up working at the club. Two years later, I'm on the road with Chapelle opening for him. WHO: The WID was very supportive of me and I also got a big push from my friend Turae, who helped get me working at the Laff House on the weekends. I also really liked the Comedy Cabaret guys like John Kensil, Ed McGonical, Steve Zorbalas. WHERE: I co-host a show every Tuesday with Jared Logan called Righteous Kill at Ace of Clubs below Acme Restaurant in New York. We're sorta experimenting with some comedy duo stuff, and we have 4 or 5 great comedians. Also, I do a weekend at Gotham once a year. Coming soon, Part 3. I talk to younger folks who left Philly recently, to see how they're holding up.

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PREVIEW: Ministry of Secret Jokes returns to Fergie's Pub tonight

POSTED: Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 5:00 PM

Filed Under: Comedy | Critical Mass | Events Stand-up

UPDATE: Due to the snowlocaust, this show's cancelled, according to Ministry of Secret Jokes' Web site. The Ministry of Secret Jokes is back tonight, upstairs at Fergie's Pub (1214 Sansom St.). This esoteric gathering of young Philly comedic minds abounds with positive post-hipster energy and serves up comedy with a hearty side of weirdness and dancing bears. Telling jokes will be Chip Chantry, Luke Cunningham, Carolyn Busa, and Mayo. A free show from 8-10 p.m., come prepared to be entertained by comedians in suits, backyard wrestling, sketch comedy by the side-cleaving Feeko Brothers, and of course the legendary Omniana battle. What's Omniana? It's a structured verbal debate over which of two fictional characters would win in a fight to the death. Sounds important, right? It is! Perhaps most important is the celebrity status upgrade of host Doogie Horner. In addition to his book, Everything Explained Through Flowcharts (Quirk Press), he spent the past summer tearing through NBC's "America's Got Talent," making it to the top 48. Don't let his successful run on an uber-mainstream reality show fool you, though. Doogie's comedy is not filled with typical middle-America, Two and a Half Men-esque premises. He clearly belongs in some literary-minded sideshow, fueled on absurd word play. Says Doogie about the experience, "Performing on the show made a profound impact on my personal outlook. I was able to appeal to a mainstream audience while maintaining my comedy's integrity, and I didn't know I was capable of that."

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LOL WITH IT: Q&A with comedian Hannibal Buress

POSTED: Friday, January 21, 2011, 9:00 PM

Filed Under: Comedy | Critical Mass | LOL With It Stand-up

On Sat., Jan. 22, SNL and 30 Rock writer Hannibal Buress comes to Connie's Ric Rac (1132 South Ninth St.). He was recently mentioned on Rolling Stone's "10 Funniest People, Videos and Things of the Coming Year" list, but is he worth all the hype? Ryan picked his funny brain this week about David Letterman, Tracy Morgan and playing Madden Online.

Photo | Frederick M. Brown

Critical Mass: You were on Letterman — is the notorious set-screening as ball-busting as it's rumored to be? Hannibal Buress: Eddie Brill, the booker, has you go through a bunch of different sets. He watches and gives notes. I still have a lot of input, but they wanna make sure they know how everything works. It was fun to do, any time you do standup on TV, it's fun. I was happy with the set, a lot of people saw it, it was fun to get the material out there. CM: What were your big breaks early on? HB: It was great to write for SNL. I got approached about working there after I performed on Jimmy Fallon. For that opportunity to pop up... it was great. And it was fun to work with a bunch of great people. (It was his stint at SNL that led him to the opportunity to write for 30 Rock ...) CM: Is Tracy Morgan's character really just a "character"? HB: There are definitely some aspects of Tracy Jordan that are similar to him in real life, but there's also a character there. A lot of it is fictional, but then lot of the story lines have a thread of truth to them throughout the show. CM: What kind of things do you like to do while you're not spewing the funny? HB: Madden online ... I get beat by people a lot, they wanna talk shit about it after they beat me. People take it super serious. I played this guy and he was winning and about to take a knee with 30 seconds left. Instead he scored a touchdown and then onside kicked, I turned it off, like "you're being an asshole!" I go back online and he sent a message, "Too Much Celebrating, Not Enough Scoring... I own your bitch-ass!" I just wrote back, "Congrats man... Apply the energy to real life."

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LOL WITH IT: Q&A with Connie's Ric Rac manager Frank Tartaglia

POSTED: Friday, January 21, 2011, 7:00 PM

Filed Under: Comedy LOL With It

Connie's Ric Rac has been an emerging hot spot for Philly comedy as of late. This week, Ryan got a few works with manager Frank Tartaglia to see what that's all about.

conniesricrac.com

Critical Mass: What was the very first comedy show you booked? Frank Tartaglia: The first comedy related event we had was the Improv explosion. A bunch of different improv groups doing crazy make-em-ups. CM: What are the most popular comedy shows that perform at your venue? (and, your favorites?) FT: Greg Gethard's "Bedtime Stories" comes to mind. Eack month he tackles a different theme with Philly's best and brightest improvisers, stand ups and sketch people. Last bedtime stories theme was "The worst Night of your life" and Chris Gethard [Gregg's brother who's making good up at the Upright Citizen's Brigade in New York] came to the theater and wrestled a dude. It was no joke. We also enjoy whenever Johnny Showcase and the Lefty Lucy Cabaret does a show at our spot. That show is hilarious and packed with live music. We also have had some tremendous stand-up shows . Kenny Zimlinghous sticks out in my head. CM: Is there a big enough interest in comedy in Philly to make it an equitable type of entertainment to book (how does it compare to music?) FT: It's definitely easier for us to do comedy shows. No gear to deal with, wires... No tricky sound requests. But comedy shows are much shorter than music shows so, we sell less refreshments because the audience is only there for 2 hours tops. It's a toss up. CM: What are your plans for the future? FT: Keep doing shows and creating a fun environment. I plan on adding more cool lights. I am really into lighting these days. The kids dig the psychedelic lights. Come back at 4 p.m. for Ryan's interview with comedian, 30 Rock and SNL writer Hannibal Buress.

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LOL WITH IT: Q&A with local comedy booker Corey Cohen

POSTED: Friday, January 21, 2011, 5:00 PM

Filed Under: Comedy LOL With It

On Sat., Jan. 22, Philly's hardest working independent comedy booker, Corey Cohen, brings SNL and 30 Rock writer Hannibal Buress to Connie's Ric Rac (1132 South Ninth St.). Today, he takes time out fof his busy schedule to chat with Ryan about his up-and-coming booking company.

coreycohen.blogspot.com

Critical Mass: How long have you been doing Corey Cohen Comedy Productions? Corey Cohen: I've been doing CCCP for nearly a year now, as far as being completely focused on booking standup comics is concerned. Prior to that I was in a sketch group called "The Sixth Borough," and during that time I also ran a monthly comedy variety show called Steal This Show. So I've been producing comedy shows for a few years now, but CCCP is really a proper attempt at bringing the best comedy I can, standup or otherwise, to Philadelphia. CM: Are all your shows at the Ric Rac? CC: As of right now, yes, though my hope is to expand into the future. But I have a strong loyalty to the Ric Rac. I've been working with them for years, since it was just a shell of what it is now, and I have a great deal of love and affection for those guys. Plus I think that Connie's is an awesome venue, perfectly built for comedy. Frank and Joe Tartaglia--the brothers who co-run the joint--are probably some of the funniest people I know. Watching them interact is a show in and of itself. I think their ongoing support, coupled with the Ric Rac being an awesome black box venue in South Philly, make's Connie's a pretty ideal place for these shows. CM: Does being a booker have any implications on being a comic? (i.e. more stage time?) CC: It's hard to say. Since I've ramped up the production side of things, I haven't been performing as much. My original thought was that doing these shows would parlay into being in some of them, but the truth is I'm really enjoying putting the shows together right now, and that's enough for me. Plus, I have other comedy writing projects I'm working on that I would also like to use CCCP to produce and promote. Being someone who does comedy, the biggest advantage is already being very familiar with the local comedy scene, and being able to support it and expand it. Philly is an increasingly young town that is long overdue for a comedy revival. People want to laugh, and I'm happy as long as I'm helping to make it happen. Corey is always interested to know which comedians people want to see in Philly, so visit him at Corey Cohen Comedy Productions. And stop back by Critical Mass at 2 p.m. for Ryan's interview with Connie's Ric Rac manager Frank Tartaglia about all the funny business that's been going on there lately.

Kid

Posted 2011-01-21 12:43:59

This guy is a great producer and one funny son of a bitch. In the past six months, he has made me cry every kind of tear. Happy ones. Sad ones. Miscellaneous. Every kind.

Sherman

Posted 2011-01-21 16:58:29

This guy...

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« PREVIOUS | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | NEXT »

Q&A with SHARI SOLANIS: "The goal isn't pornography"
What we're trying to do this weekend
ICE CUBE: In Memoriam: Joe Tartaglia
Coming soon to Philly: Two cockamamie movie promotion schemes
SEXY TIME Q&A: I've never had an orgasm during sex with a man — and I'm 30!
Q&A with Tony Goldwyn: "Life is gray, and relationships are, too"
CONCERT REVIEW: Primus (3D & quadraphonic sound) @ The Tower 10/17
PHILLY LOVE NOTES: An ode to Spruce Street
CONCERT REVIEW & PHOTOS: James Blake @ TLA 5/11
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: The Archbishop meets the Geator, the Mayor goes suit shopping, Le Bec Fin fin.

About this blog

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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