The Bastion has begun toying with a new series -- Pick of the Week, as decreed by us. This week we are quite sure you don't want to miss the monthly midnight comedy revue A Demon Who Never Appeared! Saturday, Nov. 4 (or Sunday, Nov. 5, depending on your perception of such matters), midnight at the Playground Theater. To kick off this week's series feature, we visited the cast of Demon in a pretty creepy attic on Ashland Ave., for their official press photo shoot.
We followed Demon co-creator Jared Logan up two flights of stairs, the second steeper and darker than the first, to enter the attic before the flood lights had been set up. The high slanted roof peaked over a single stream of sunlight coming through the bay window, the very top disappearing into shadow. Soon, however, this window was shuttered with various wood paneling found scattered throughout the dusty, empty attic, shadows of loose insulation jumping teasingly around various beams and the single, narrow door of entry.
Soon art director Jordan-Vogt Roberts and photographer Jon Wilcox were flooding the room with lighting, making the setting less aphotic, but as they covered the lights with translucent orange sheets of plastic, the room was cast in an eerie glow, and a single treasure chest gaped open and emanated more of the unearthly orange gleam. Quietly, from unknown places, pigeons sang their ghostly coo.
Thankfully, more cast members showed up just as the chill was really beginning to set in, including Kumail Nanjiani, Hannah Gansen, Josh Cheney, and Andy Ross. Soon the room was filled with jovial laughter and the earlier willies seemed silly to have in a room full of such hilarious, talented folks.
After about an hour or so of shooting, which was peppered with discussions of horror movies (with a slant on humorous observations, of course), the world's best police chases, and graphic novel and action movie hero attributes, it was about time things began to wrap up for the afternoon. Documentarian-of-the-shoot Krystle Gemnich had to use the bathroom, so the Bastion decided to show her down the stairs and then catch a smoke while the cast finished putting all the technical toys away. "Here, the door pushes out. Or does it pull in? No, I'm sure it pushes out. It's not. Well. It's not pushing out. It seems to be locked. From the other side."
The door locked itself from the other side.
About the same time this realization set in, Kumail found a hook that jutted from one of the roof beams, unbeknownst to anyone during the time the shoot was occurring.
We were told not to panic, but a distinct sense of claustrophobia crept into our chest. After several minutes of trying to unjam the latch, it was decided that kicking the door down would probably be okay. And that's when Jordan Roberts got to fulfill one of his life dreams -- and, at the same time, be a hero to those that might have, quite possibly, been privy to a demon who DID appear.
Hey, it's Halloween time. Just sayin'. Maybe this parody shoot conjured up more than just graphics for a new, slick press kit and Web site.
Photos from top to bottom: director Jordan Vogt-Roberts with ghostly tendrils afloat -- Krystle Gemnich
The cast waits for direction -- the Bastion
Shot from above; cast looks alarmed by an unknown entity -- Krystle Gemnich
If you survived this past weekend's Halloween shenanigans, with the addition of an hour Saturday night due to the daylight savings time change, and STILL want more Halloween buffoonery, there is no shortage of gore, costumes, and laughter about town (and even some lovely ladies shaking their thang).
ChUC will be going full out tonight, with the likes of "Allison Mummy", "Mike Frankenstine", "Robert Wolfscemi", and "Dracula Tolk" performing, with "free snacks and everything!"
Our friends over at Star + Garter Burlesque will be performing a special Halloween show of “Thriller! I Hardly Know Her” at the Motel Bar for free beginning at 9:30 p.m. Get there early; if these ladies' shows at Fizz are any indication, this one's going to fill up fast!
Stage Left Theatre will be hosting some of i.O.'s top performers in "Four Chambers", four frightening and hilarious comedy vignettes.
The folks in Let's Get Out of This Terrible Sandwich Shop will be playing the Note in Wicker Park tonight. Stop by and see them if you can, because it's going to be their last gig for awhile as they're heading into the studio to record and work on some new stuff. There will also be a calypso band and a karaoke contest!
pH Productions is having a "Halloween Hootenanny" fundraiser at the Bird's Nest, promising contests and an all-you-can-drink bar until 11 p.m. for your 30 bucks.
If you haven't checked it out yet, the teen-slasher parody Splatter Theatre at Annoyance will end run tonight; be sure to wear your paintin' clothes for this one!
Messenger 58, Best Musical Winner at FringeNYC, explores the day-to-day grind of a bike messenger based off of writer and actor Tony Mendoza’s personal experience.
Businessmen and security guards are skewered throughout the performance but the lead character, Telly, is not left unscathed by the end of the show in his search for respect, musical success, and love.
October 26th’s performance featured the cast switching roles and although some timing and rhythm was off, it was still a great performance by a cast that was taken out of its element. All the performers had some great moments but Dan Jessup stole a lot of the laughs by simply walking out on stage. He really cared about all of his characters and gave them distinct voices.
Catch 58’s final performance on November 2nd at 8 PM at the Annoyance Theater. $7 regular admission and $5 for bike messengers.
Inside With: Robert Buscemi, Comedian, Actor, and Writer
Chicago comedian, actor and writer Robert Buscemi has been catching his breath since his successful show at the Subterranean last month. He and several talented friends (including filmmakers Landon Kirksey and Jordan Vogt-Roberts) staged a one-of-a-kind comedy concert during which material was filmed for a forthcoming DVD of his sharpest character driven stand-up, the forthcoming "Robert Buscemi...Lands on His Feet!". "I want to film a new 50 minutes every year. For future titles, I'm thinking Robert Buscemi...Gilds the Lily, Robert Buscemi... Gallops Ahead, Robert Buscemi ... Wows Boise. Like they're Daffy Duck or Pink Panther shorts. I love that idea." He bounced onstage like a superstar, his past as a dramatic actor making him immediately comfortable in the charmingly weird theater environment of the Subterranean.
Buscemi has been employing an old-fashioned work ethic to accelerate his comedic evolution for the last four years here in Chicago, making notably quicker progress over the last year as he's become more adept at talking with the audience and improvising with his special brand of offbeat-but-accessible comedy. He credits guidance from HBO Comedy Festival producer Kirsten Ames and Second City producer Beth Kligerman with prompting him to realize that he needed to spend more time in New York, and play all kinds of different clubs (including in the 'burbs) to develop the instincts to be able to play to all kinds of audiences. "I've headlined a lot recently, I've been busting my butt this year. And I've realized I have to indicate to audiences that I KNOW I'm playing the fool. I make fun of myself, and of them, and it breaks that elitist / wordsmith / weirdo thing I can get saddled with if I'm not careful."
Through this period of pushing himself to mesh with different types of audiences, he's also been able to more instinctively deviate from a planned set with the ease of someone who's working from a rich and complex throughline of stories and themes. "I work to avoid being just a comic's comic. If you can't entertain the public, you're in trouble." He is one of those comedians who is keenly aware of the experience of his audience, and works to measure and react to every nuance of response in the room. He points to comics like Jim Gaffigan as examples of the kind of audience mirroring that he strives to incorporate into his work.
It took a detour through academia to lead him to the realization that performing, and particularly comedy, were what he needed to put his energy into. He did some theater his senior year of college, and then plunged headlong into grad school, taking a year off to clear his head from the fog of nebulous liberal arts theory. In that time away from his English Lit studies, he realized that performing was "it," and so jumped back into theater with the ardor and intensity of the recently converted. "I'm mystical about it. I worship the stage. It saved my life. Claymation skunks couldn't keep me away. I'm not kidding."
As it happens, Buscemi began pursuing comedy in earnest in New York City just pre-9/11. He hit shows around town, especially at the Comedy Cellar, every night for several months, and saw a lot of improv at the old UCB Theater, soaking up the creativity, and breaking down the comedy with his disciplined eye. He particularly enjoyed the work of those comics who performed character-based comedy, and has long been in love with comedians who put forth a cartoony, fictional projection of themselves. "I like Vaudeville types. Gilbert Godfrey, Jimmy Pardo. Give me chaos. Give me outrage. Give me a character. Give me an act."
Buscemi points to Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes, and Sarah Silverman as comics who play with the tricky "slightly more wicked version of themselves" model of stand-up that he works with. He has long admired the older work of Woody Allen, and vintage Larry David, and especially admires Steve Martin, who he considers a master at "setting up an environment where who he is precedes what he says," and "establishing a framework that the character can operate within." Buscemi says he strives to project a cartoony version of himself, an "ultimate ladies man/hipster/innovator," who laughs at own jokes and yet is willing to laugh at himself as well.
He readily admits that he has discerned no foolproof formula or pattern to successful comedy writing. In his experience, something that can seem brilliant on paper can fall flat in front of an audience, and five seconds later, a totally impromptu joke from nowhere can have people falling out of their chairs. "It's always a mystery as to what's going to work," he says, and while it's risky, he instinctively knows that throwing himself out there and playing the jackass creates an atmosphere where the audience is willing to follow him out onto a spindly limb.
While Buscemi is interested in doing more film, commercial work, acting work, and voiceover work, he says he'll always maintain his love for stand-up as an art form in and of itself, and not merely a stepping stone to other opportunities. "The fact that Chicago standup doesn't get much industry scrutiny makes you have to create your own comedy world, your own sensibility and taste and aesthetic and hierarchy. Which is awesome. But at some point, you want to be seen." He would love to tour as a headliner, and do stand-up on late night shows, but, like many Chicago performers, has concerns about pursuing a broader range of opportunities while leaving one foot firmly planted in Chicago, where he has strong ties to family and friends.
He's hoping, as are many Chicago performers, that there will be continued reinforcement of the "land bridge" that exists between Chicago and New York, on which comedians like Hannibal, Mike Burns, Brooke Van Poppelen, and others are going back and forth, gaining valuable performing experience in New York clubs yet still maintaining a presence in their home city. "The shortlist of top standups on Chicago's North Side is staggering. People are going to look back on this moment and marvel at the talent. And both audiences and scouts on the coasts are figuring that out."
In the forthcoming year, people across the globe will be able to get more and more Boosh, as he's recently acquired a new videocamera and will be posting a lot more standup on his Web site. More specifically, you can see him tonight (Saturday Oct. 28th) at 10:30 in Don't Spit the Water at the Playground, Halloween day (Oct. 31) and Tuesday Nov. 14 in Chicago Underground Comedy at Gunther Murphy's, Friday Nov. 10 in Graffiti at the Playground, and Friday Nov. 17th at Schaudenfreude's Rent Party. Come on, all the cool kids are doing it. You want to be cool, don't you?
Our friends over at Chicagoist alerted us to a call for information from the kids at the Neo-Futurarium. Go voice your opinion on theater and help with the creation of a new show.
Quickly rising local comic Brendan McGowan is making his Improv debut as emcee for Robert Schimmel tonight and tomorrow. The Bastion is hoping to make it out to the mall tomorrow night to root for our friend and get our picture taken with Mr. Schimmel!
Mr. Pat Brice can be seen at Zanies from now until Sunday, emceeing for Mark Lundholm, who is threatening that the Monday show will be alcohol-free. We don't think that'll be the night we go to check out the show, gulp. We also want to congratulate Pat on a great set last night at the Lodge; it was his first time showcasing for USCAF. Well done!
We're waiting to hear from David Angelo how his "New York debut" went. He went up at Oh, Hello at Rififi last night, and he was literally bouncing off the walls all week in anticipation for the show. In conjunction with this visit, David hosted a Lunch Launch Party Thursday morning for his USPS newsletter "Jokeaholics Hilarious" (the Bastion is Fan Club Member #56). We are wondering if, indeed, a certain star of The Howie Mandel Show was in attendance as David promised to the Haha Board Tuesday.
Our buddy Ken Barnard dropped us a tidbit recently: "I just found out today that I am a semi-finalist for New York Comedy Festival's 3rd Annual Andy Kaufman Award Contest. Including myself, there will be 20 comedians performing Monday November 6th at 7:30 p.m. at Stand Up NY at 236 West 78th Street. Each contestant performs 5 minutes and is judged on humor and the embodiment of the originality and courage of the late Andy Kaufman. From the 20 semi-finalists, 8 will be chosen to perform in the finals on Thursday, November 9th at 7:30pm at Carolines On Broadway." We know if Ken's there it's going to be a rockin' good time!
Allison Bills (Getting Serious, Very Bad Porn) is urging people to get involved in the upcoming election. From her bulletin on such matters: "Anyone who knows me, knows I find myself frantically too busy all the time to even bathe, but guess what? I give a shit (in fact, I give a lot of shits) about my civil liberties and if you want to keep yours, you should get involved."
Those cats at Riddles out in Orland Park are having a costume contest tomorrow, and the Howard Stern boys will be there. Hooray Halloween!
Speaking of Halloween: NateCraig recently translated the announcement, "Will be shithoused katie kouric @ Traynums bar on 31st" to the more English-reader friendly: "i will be very drunk, and dressed as katie kouric on hallows eve at the establishment bar 107 in downtown los angeles. the bar is owned by one former chicago comedian brian traynum." Stop by and see the spectacle for yourself!
And FINALLY, a new Blerds video dropped Thursday! Featuring Jared Logan, co-creator of the monthly midnight show, A Demon Who Never Appeared! We also got word that lots of stuff is happening over there right now; we're getting a little anxious to find out exactly what the hell is going on.
Follow Up: Chicago Stand-Ups in New York, Los Angeles
The Chicago comedy diaspora checks in with the Bastion today. Renee Gauthier is exploring lovely LaLaLand, while Brooke Van Poppelen and Kara Buller are checking out the comedy scene in New York City.
Joselyn Hughes has also hit the ground running in New York, and sends us a dispatch a month into her big move. In her own words:
"new york is great.
new york comedy is fantastic.
there's just more. more more more of it then anything you could imagine.
more open mics, more shows, more comics.
i feel like i've been here longer than i actually have, perhaps it's because i know the east village pretty well from past visits, and i've seen and/or performed in shows in a bunch of places here. i have always liked new york.
while i was in chicago, i was always planning trips here -- i wanted to be in this. and now i am and i love it.
so what would happen in chicago is that i would get really anxious about getting booked places, because there's only a small base to cover. but now that i'm here, it's great because i want to check out all these different shows and meet all these different comics; experience their comedy. and there isn't that anxiety. it's just about setting goals as a comic and getting better and figuring out all the tiny details that i need to make my writing and stage presence better.
chicago comics are hilarious, and we are grouped into a scene of our own of sorts here. "oh you're one of those chicago comics," they'll say. it's cool. but i don't like to totally include myself in that category, because i am still becoming what i want to become in comedy. that's why i moved here. you can see so much here and learn from both the good and bad.
i have written a bunch of new stuff and am refining what i already have. i just want to work all my stuff out, all the stuff i always liked to do and maybe was just too scared to try out. i am going to be shooting a lot more video, and making those for myself, just written and produced by me. not only because i am poor, but because i want to do this. and i love that medium. it's so fucking great when it hits. i am taking improv classes at ucb and struggling through what any beginning level improv class will do to a person's soul. i am excited to get through the first three levels of that and get to the real meat of it, since i did do improv at the playground for a year and graduated annoyance's program.
but i go out every night and see a show, do a show or an open mic, or any combination of the three.
i've met some great people i really like and laugh with. i knew some people from before, either through shows i did, or [mike] burns' or brooke [van poppelen]'s friends i'd met, and i actually have a couple non-comic friends that live here too.
i have been babysitting a couple days a week since pretty much the day i got here, and then i got hired at a pub down the street. i worked there for about 4 days until i walked out when the angry irish pub owner got in my face about reading a newspaper. sounds ridiculous because it is. i'll get another bullshit part-time job somewhere, even though i may donate some eggs to pay for my rent in the meantime. so what if there's a couple kids out there with my genes -- fuck em, i wanted to live in manhattan, dammit.
so my main concern is just being a better comic. and if i can manage that, i will get where i need to be.
i feel ready for all of it, and excited for the future."
Shows are 8 and 10pm on the 27th and 4 and 6pm on October 28th. Send an e-mail or call ahead (773-871-3793) to make reservations, as these shows will probably fill up pretty fast, and be warned that tickets will only be released at 10 minutes before show time, and latecomers will have to wait for a break between acts to be seated, so performers have an ideal environment in which to strut their stuff. Go Chicago comedy!
Bastion contributor Mackenzie Condon went out on the scene for us recently to check out some of the boo-larious offerings for the best holiday of the year, Halloween, and she survived to tell us about it:
If you feel uneasy roving door to door for candy, there are a few Halloween options in Chicago comedy land – but only for the not so faint of heart.
Uptown, Annoyance Theater's macabre Splatter Theater parodies teenie bopper slasher films. The "Splatter" refers to the gallons of blood which fly across the stage. By the conclusion of the production, 13 characters die 13 gruesome deaths.
Here's one now:
Because the new stage at the Annoyance is a virginal shade of white, after the show, cast members rush out to repaint it.
If you are queasy and do not like the smell of raw meat, then Jason Chin's Halloween show at i.O. is a less cadaverous option. Be forewarned, there are very, very loud noises that may cause one to spill drinks on oneself. Oops.
This Friday the i.O. Halloween show is having a special 10:30 show at the Del Close Theater followed by a party.
EDIT: We just got word that the Don't Spit the Water! crew at Playground are having their annual Halloween show this Saturday, where the whole cast goes topsy-turvy and dresses up as each other! We're especially looking forward to seeing The Noob dressed as Jumbles the Penguin.
HBO Comedy Festival Industry Showcase, Seminar at the Lincoln Lodge Thursday
It's a big week for comedy in Chicago. Thursday, Oct. 26 at 10:30 PM, Tight Five Productions will be hosting a stand-up showcase at the Lincoln Lodge for industry execs scouting for rising Chicago talent to participate in the USCAF (US Comedy and Arts Festival in Aspen).
"Based on HBO's citywide search, the comedians featured in this showcase will be vying for a potential slot in America's most prestigious comedy festival 'presenting cutting-edge new talent to the industry' -- including casting executives from HBO, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, WB and Comedy Central."
Admission is $5, or free for those who attended the 9 PM show. Ten Chicago comedians will take the stage to work their magic, including TJ Miller, Pat Brice, Prescott Tolk, Summer Neville, and C.J. Sullivan.
Ambitious comedians should also show up at 7 PM that night for a seminar led by HBO's Senior Producer for Festival Talent, Kirsten Ames, who will "provide insights to attendees on the HBO Comedy Festival organization, its artistic goals and requirements for talent."
A Special Thing Interviews Onion Head Writer Todd Hansen, and More Printy Tidbits
From A Special Thing: "The Onion began in 1756, a full 20 years before the establishment of the Republic. Originally entitled The Mercantile-Onion, it was published by an immigrant named Friedrich Siegfried Zweibel, who as every schoolchild knows went on to become the patriarch of the illustrious Zweibel newspaper dynasty, a corrupt family of publishing-industry robber barons which would ruthlessly rule journalism with an ink-stained iron fist for the next several centuries… and, in fact, continue to do so."
Say Something Funny, Funnyman. Chicago comedian Dustin White wants you to know it's just as improper to ask him to tell you a joke as it is to ask a dentist to poke around in your gingivitis at a cocktail party.
Also, we can't stop talking about Del Close's skull. Chicagoist has uncovered more fascinating personal anecdotes about the long and storied history of the Chicago comedy legend's cranium. A friend of Close's, Jay Freidheim, says "I think that the focus on the 'joke' aspect of most of the coverage of Del's plan misses the point that Del seemed to care the most about. I believe that for Del it was about a sense of immortality, living on after death in your work, your deeds, your craft." We didn't know Close personally, of course, but from what we've read and heard about him, we suspect that he would love the continued discussions and speculations.
Hannibal Back From NYC - Catch Him in Chicago this Week
Chicago stand-up Hannibal is back from a happily busy two weeks in New York. It sounds like he hit every single comedy stop along the way.
"I performed at most of the NY clubs while I was there, Caroline's, Improv, Stand Up NY, Comix. At Comix I got to do a guest spot opening for Josh Blue, the winner of Last Comic Standing. I performed at Hot Tub, the last show they would be doing at the People's Improv Theater ( the show has moved to Comix). Michael Showalter was also performing. When I did an audition for P'Diddy's Bad Boys of Comedy, Damon Wayans stopped in and performed for 30 minutes close to the end of the show."
"The Live at Gotham set went pretty cool, Bill Burr performed at the end, Demetri Martin also stopped in and worked on his Letterman set. I also performed at Crash Test at the UCB - Zach Galifianakis headlined. All in all it was a pretty good trip - I got to perform at a lot of shows, see lots of good comedy. I think the two weeks I spent was more productive than the four months I spent earlier in the year."
"Band Geeks: A Halftime Musical," and "Listen, Kid"
There is a new trend in the Chicago sketch scene: corny, tongue in cheek, subtly dirty musical comedies. Unlike the breed of self important Broadway musicals, these shows have the feeling of a sketch show where the best characters and bits just happen to keep coming back in song.
Listen Kid, by Improv Olympic alum and current Colbert Report writer Peter Gwinn, is a hilarious show that aims to teach lessons to children that their parents wouldn't have the balls to tackle.
That said, do not bring your kids, but do keep an open mind to their advice: everyone could probably stand to hear a song about the fact (yes, FACT) that having a friend with benefits will eventually go awry.
Listen Kid stars seven Chicago improvisers (members of Merman, DSI's The Beatbox, and Baby Wants Candy, to name a few) who can actually sing, and is directed by Rich Prouty. It is running Thursdays at 8 through December 21 at the Del Close Theater at i.O.
Band Geeks: A Halftime Musical features the impressive geometric choreography of the 1989 Elyria Pioneer Marching Band. The book was written by Amy Petersen and Becky Eldridge, two "band fags" who happened to march together in real life for their high school band, also called the Elyria Pioneer Marching Band, also circa 1989. Andy Eninger, of GayCo productions, directs the show.
After a successful run at the New York Fringe Festival in August, the band has returned to Chicago. Thank god, because these characters are worth seeing. Particularly a goth girl and her Ouija Board...and a Mennonite flautist...and a knocked up majorette. Basically everyone whom, in retrospect, you wish you could have been friends with in high school.
Time Out Chicago described Band Geeks as "convulsively funny" and the Chicago Tribune noted "it's no wonder this show has become a late-night hit." Go see it! And be ready to convulse at the funny.
Band Geeks runs Fridays and Saturdays at 11:30 pm through November 4 at Theatre Building Chicago.
The day began dark. Cold. Raining. The day began at 6:30 a.m.
Handing out parking passes, courtesy of [Insert Giant Department Store Here].
This was the worst of the assignments for the morning. People just don’t want parking passes, you know? Free candies, sure. But there was no moving these passes. The job went right until 9 a.m. Of course, she did it with a big smile, the whole time.
That she is Lauren Bishop, Stand-Up Comedian, Actress, Singer, Voice Artist, Dancer, All-Around Good Girl.
This particular day, Lauren was doing some work through Comedy Sportz, who contract with different businesses in Chicago when talent is needed for various functions. Her gigs on this day would be three different stints to greet passersby with goodies and free treats, courtesy of the new department store downtown. Unfortunately, it was cold and rainy, but the smiles never stopped.
After the first round of “newsies” work, Lauren and crew headed to Ada’s Famous Deli for breakfast. After finishing up, she had to battle the now-pouring rain, grab a taxi, and head over to a voice audition for a 10:30 a.m. call time. After touching base with the casting agent, discussing recent union issues with him, she was put up first for the audition because she had to be back to the department store in a half hour – at 11 a.m., for the second stint.
By 11:30 a.m., it’s back to the streets, this time with candy and umbrellas, which go decidedly quicker than the parking passes earlier. Stand-up comedian Nate Craig was on-duty for this stint, too, so there was a lot of chatting with him about some upcoming projects, in between making people smile with handfuls of free chocolate.
By 12:50 p.m., Lauren finally got a chance to eat some lunch, touching base with her agent and sorting out her planner over tomato bisque. She also caught us up on a new venture she’s now working on -- the host of Prep Channel. The creators knew Lauren prior, and asked her to get on board with the endeavor, ensuring her that they wanted her to be Lauren Bishop, Comedian, and not worry about adhering to some kind of clean-cut Midwestern image for the high school student audience. The Internet channel recently partnered with NBC to produce the series.
Lauren also expounded on what stand-up means to her in terms of her art and her mode of expression. In a written statement where she breaks it down for us, she discusses the following:
"I have been playing characters all my life. The wacky murdering neighbor. Crazy people doing crazy improv things. Angry black woman upset about her vagina. Dancing upper-class woman in tight French corset. Cheerleading tap
dancing 8th grader. Lost and troubled misfit tomboy who cries on cue. A singing Shakespearean boy in overalls.
"But until stand-up, I had never played myself.
"I hear a lot of people say, 'Egad! I would never do stand-up in a million years,' because it terrifies people to actually be themselves. With stand-up you can't hide behind, 'well that's just what this character would have said, that's not my opinion.' Oh really - well then what IS your opinion? *sound of terrified person running away and door slamming* That was totally me, until I forced myself to finally start doing stand-up. Best decision I ever made. On stage it's just you, the microphone, and your opinions. You have the floor. It's very much like when you dream about walking into school naked on the first day of class. Completely exposed. Except you're not naked. Or dreaming. Maybe I should try doing standup naked? I will think about it.
"The point is, standup is a place where I can finally use my own voice instead of Andrew Lloyd Webber's. Thank God, that man has said enough. I actually feel more comfortable on stage than anywhere else. Up there I don't have to pretend to like anyone because they might cast me in something, or pretend I'm not nervous at a dance call because my triple pirouette is not exactly my forte. Everything I learned from improv, or doing musicals, I can bring on stage with me. The cadence of a well crafted joke is not unlike Shakespearean verse; a story on stage can have the same ebb and flow of a Jason Robert Brown song. But I get to talk about it all with my voice. Every time I do a set I feel like I take charge of my life a little bit more. Want to hear my opinions? Tough shit if you don't, I have the mic. Whew! I feel good just typing that.
"Since starting this ridiculously addicting new addition to my performance schedule, my writing habits have changed tremendously. Thankfully now I write ALL the time. Everywhere. I'm the annoying girl writing down an idea for a joke while you're talking with me on the train. Sorry about that. I wake up every morning and get excited that someone is going to hear what I have to say, MY opinion on something, and they're going to laugh about it. Oh. They'll laugh. Don't you doubt me on that, America. And I get to choose the material I talk about, everyday. If I want to talk to people about the UAE ports deal or encourage Mark Foley to run for Santa in 2006, because those things are important to me, stand-up is a place that says, 'Do it. Do it tonight. Just be funny about it.'
"Stand-up forces me to think and to have an opinion on things when it would be easier to just to throw the paper away and pretend North Korea is just like Disneyland. Don't get me wrong, I still absolutely love the joy of playing
other people. I just didn't know how interesting and challenging it would be to play myself."
At 2 p.m., Lauren had to run to Staples to check her email and print something out for her gig later that night at Zanies. By 2:30 p.m., Lauren was finally sitting down with her material, at one of the only remaining tables in Borders' bustling café area. She grabbed this half hour of downtime before her third and final stint at 4 p.m. – more candies, and some water bottles, too, for the afternoon downtown crowd leaving their offices for the day.
At 5 p.m. it was time to head to Old Town and grab dinner before the Zanies showcase. Comedian Renee Gauthier met Lauren out at Las Pinatas for some tasty tacos, and then it was up and out to the club next door for the Rising Stars showcase.
She finished the night at the Mix open mic, in a decidedly more natural state with a somewhat-blue set, during which you could finally see her visibly relax. The first day of the week was over.
Photos, from the top:
Film still from the Art of Pain, to be released in 2007.
Lauren and Nate in the rain.
Working out material at Borders.
Closing the night up at the Mix, approximately 11 p.m.
Lauren Bishop will be making her Lincoln Lodge debut tonight, at 8:30 p.m.
Due to editorial confusion, this week's installment of Monday Mutterings is posted on a Wednesday, and is called something else entirely. Thanks for holding the tomatoes.
The weekend began with VIP passes to the Completely Jam Packed Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter show at the Metro. We caught them on this stop in Chicago on their very first straight stand-up tour; we were thankful for the passes which afforded us a spot in the slightly-more-comfortable balcony area set aside for press and other very important people. We here at Bastion have been to a lot of rock concerts at the Metro, but can't remember a time when the place was THAT full. Anyone else go to the show? What are your thoughts?
Saturday afternoon Allison Leber, Becky Garcia, and Fay Canale, a.k.a. 3/8ths of SpitFire, joined the folks at Soothe Your Senses to entertain at breast cancer benefit Pink Fling. It was a beautiful afternoon to laugh for a good cause, which is kind of lucky, considering this IS Chicago and it could have been 10 below. Everyone had a great time eating Peruvian food and wearing fuzzy pink boas.
After a very successful, hilarious special Saturday stand-up showcase at the Bird's Nest (featuring Chuck Roth, Victor Marinier, Mike Bobbitt from Detroit, and Mike Stanley, with host Bradley Fojas), we headed over to Wrigleyville to catch up with our prodigal son, TJ Miller, who was fin-al-ly back in Chicago after some time in NYC and on the road with the Second City Touring Company. We got to meet the new Grill. Yes, we mean Grill, not Girl. We heard about it on Wednesday's Red Bar episode, but didn't fully believe it until we saw it for ourselves.
Saturday night was also Dave Odd's Birthday Bash at Pressure Cafe, and Sunday night we overheard that David Letterman's booker's girlfriend was in attendance at the show, headlined by Dave himself. Hmm!
Out with the crew was none other than Mr. Thomas Middleditch, who got word of a party over on Sheffield Ave. Little did we know that we would be entering the private Lakeview Baseball Club, for an intimate gathering of people we didn't know and free draft beers which we helped ourselves to from behind the bar. It was pretty surreal, but made total sense, given the ridiculous nature of the people we had met up with, heh. Making our acquaintance with the host and proprietor of the establishment, we found out he is a sketch comedy writer in addition to running Chicago's only private rooftop club. Of course.
Sunday night was the very special benefit show in support of "Ming Mong" at Wise Fool's Pub in Lincoln Park. Ming Mong being the fictional child of sketch group Mogo Doesn't Socialize, and the benefit being to raise funds to cover their booth at Wizard World Texas this November. The group walked away with some gas and beer money for their comic book convention, and stand-up comedians Brendan McGowan, Bradley Fojas, and Lauren Bishop ensured everyone had a great time.
The scheduled Amy Sedaris book signing at Borders this Wednesday has been cancelled. Darn! We were so excited at the possibility of touching Jerri Blank. (Not inappropriately, of course.) There had better be a really important bunny benefit she had to go to instead.
In happier news, Very Bad Porn is throwing their Chicago launch party tonight at i.O. (3541 N. Clark) at 10 PM. Do the words "open bar" mean anything to you? Does the idea of horribly staged and awkwardly performed porn peak your interest? Join cast members TJ Miller, Thomas Middleditch, Mark Raterman, Allison Bills, Megan Grano, Seth Weitberg, Brenden Jennings, and other i.O. and Second City performers as they delight with staged readings of bad porn, answer your hot questions, and offer commentary on screenings of, well, very bad porn.
NBC will have access to all shows, talent, and archive materials of Chicago's legendary comedy theater, and The Second City will also beef up its Los Angeles training center, in hopes of establishing a creative exchange that will result in the development of new television comedy projects.
In other Second City news, on November 2 the e.t.c. theater will launch its newest show, Disposable Nation, which explores the material goods, ideas, (and people) we treat like so many snotty kleenex.
The Clapkees (AKA the Blewt fellas, who produce Don't Spit the Water, among other things) are featured in today's Red Eye, in a special story about YouTube's apparent power to turn unknown creative types into NBC sitcom deal-landing stars. (No, the Clapkees don't have a deal with NBC. But you never know.)
Also, in Sunday's Tribune, flip through the Arts and Entertainment section for a little sumpin' sumpin' about the Blerds and their online video exploits.
It's like we keep saying to the Chicago comedy community - get your stuff online! People who write big checks are watching. And yeah, there's lots of junk and fakery, but the cream will rise to the top, and you're a fool to ignore this channel for your expressions.
Bastion Senior Reporter Kristy Mangel will be acting the part in this week's Friday Free-for-All, with a round-up of the past weekend, told fan-blog style.
Whew! The Bastion is finally recovering from this past week/end, just in time for the Friday Free-for-All round-up this week.
After helping a comic move boxes from his second floor condo to the moving truck parked in the alley below (he's off to the great wilds of Madison, Wis., only to be hanging in Chicago every weekend for the next year, we're sure) Saturday morning, it was off to Vittum Theater to take in Skepsis, the latest production of Same Planet Different World dance company.
The production included short films by P3 Mediaworks, one of which starred Chicago comedian Brady Novak, in a touching film about a boy's dream to welcome aliens to Earth. We were especially pleased to watch the production with the star himself, Mr. Novak, and comedian/F.O.B. Mark Vana. P3 Mediaworks are also involved with the Lincoln Lodge, and have shot some promotional videos for them, which you can view on P3's website under "Video Production". Cool.
Afterward, we hopped over to the midnight monthly comedy revue, A Demon Who Never Appeared! at Playground Theater. Hilarity and another late night ensued, as it is wont to do after such travails into the midnight show realm.
The next day, Sunday, saw us awake and ready to see the Buffalo Bills CRUSH the Chicago Bears (oh, did we forget to mention we're Bills fans? We are). Crush, they, uhh, didn't. To satiate some of the bad blood we were instigating during the game via text message to every Bears fan we had in our phonebook, we decided to stop by Seven Ten Lounge after the game screening at Delilah's had concluded. It was here we ran into three-fourths of the Visitor's Locker Room, taking in several games at once on the flat screen televisions, talking smack (which they can be heard doing every weekday at 3 p.m. CST on Fearless Radio), and generally being sports dudes. They are our favorite party crew in the comedy scene, it has to be said.
Somehow after that, we made it over to the Mix for Adam Kroshus's and John Springsteen's show, and from there headed to the Bad Dog stand-up showcase. Suffice to say, it was a looonng Sunday.
Monday night was another night at the Mix for the Pants Off open mic, the biggest in the city. It was a relatively demure night, until Josh Cheney had to strongarm an unwieldy and drunken comedian from the venue. It was pretty magical, his handling of the situation and the priceless recovery of the audience. One of those, you-had-to-be-there moments. There were also a few media peoples out, to take in the show and energy of the room. And this is to host Mike Bridenstine: Jon Benet Cougar Mellencamp? Tooo sooon.
Also scene out at the open mic was Second City Mainstage player Brian Gallivan. What a treat! His stand-up is just as great as his improv and sketch work.
This same night we heard the Las Vegas Comedy Festival was holding their call-back auditions at Zanies. Scene out were Bradley Fojas, Robert Buscemi, Pat Brice, Jeb Cadwell, Summer Neville, Eric Pennell, Mike Stanley, and 2004 festival contestant, Andy Woodhull. Good luck to everyone who went out; call-backs will begin again in November. The Bastion is strongly considering a trip to Vega$ in January...
This week we've been catching up on past episodes of Red Bar, and it seems as though there have been some monetary issues with the station. However, after a week of prerecorded shows, they're back on air live every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday night at 9 p.m. CST, and we overheard mention that it MIGHT go to five days a week, and Chicago comedian Brendan McGowan MIGHT be made permanent co-host.
To celebrate his 40th birthday, Armando Diaz is staging his eponymous show in New York City at the Magnet Theater through the end of October. Diaz' comedy colleague and former roommate Adam McKay (director of Anchorman and Talladega Nights) christened the original version of the improv show, which has been a staple on the i.O. schedule in Chicago for ten years.
From the Metro article: "Diaz, who performed the show in Chicago with the likes of Chris Farley, Mike Myers and Amy Poehler, expects to be joined by cast members and writers from 'Conan O’Brien,' 'The Daily Show,' 'The Colbert Report' and other series every Friday through the end of October — and hopes for the same success he enjoyed in the Midwest."
How To Write a Screenplay in 76 Easy Steps (Just Ask Schadenfreude)
In this Bastion exclusive, members of Schadenfreude describe the trials and tribulations of knocking out their first screenplay, a Chicago-centric story of a hapless Alderman and his equally hapless constituents. Schadenfreude have been together for almost ten years, played at Lollapalooza earlier this year, throw some of the best rent parties in Chicago, blog like a bunch of fiends, and had their own show on NPR for several years.) Their medialicious web site is here. Their Flickr album is here. Their screenplay may soon be coming to a smooth, projection-worthy surface near you.
What is the group writing process like, and how has it evolved?
Kate James:
Schadenfreude has approached all of our projects (stage, radio, screenplay etc.) by writing as a group. We have never been an ensemble that submits individual ideas and then takes a vote to see what stays. Instead, we write everything sitting around a table (and sometimes over email), each person building off the last person's ideas. We collaborate every step of the way. One person is tasked with transcribing the notes and putting them into script form before the next writing session. Then the whole process starts all over. Each section of the screenplay was read and re-read, changed, edited and then added to. As the screenplay grew, so did the edit and rewrite sessions. Every couple of weeks, we would block off a weekend to work uninterrupted, so it was usually during these sessions that we'd see the most progress.
While writing, everyone's ideas are valid, but the idea that has the "best legs" is the one that is built upon. After writing together for 8+ years we have a pretty fierce short hand about what works and what doesn't, but we also have a huge amount of trust in one another. There isn't a lot of time for being "polite" if the idea on the table isn't working -- you have to scrap it and move on. The strongest idea wins and in the end it's hugely rewarding because it has everyone's seal of approval. It is a loooooong process, but much more fun than sitting by yourself in front of a computer.
When it comes down to it, we believe that the five of us will produce a much stronger, funnier product that any of us could individually. We also believe that that R. Kelly will never receive the fair trial he deserves, but that's a story for another time.
Justin Kaufmann:
The group writing system? You mean a bunch of under-employed writers getting together to throw ideas at each other’s heads? Yes, we write in a very unique style that essentially is a jam session. For the screenplay, we actually went away to a house in Berwyn, IL to conceive the story. So it was 3 days straight of just going over the story of Alderman. We brought the detailed outline back, wrote a couple stage sketches and rough dialogue and then went away again (back to Berwyn) to write the backbone. It is very intensive, but at least we take full advantage of the jam session.
How and when did the idea of a Schadenfreude screenplay get kicked off?
Stephen Schmidt:
We all love the city of Chicago, and have always felt there are plenty of stories that are never really explored. That's where the idea of 53rd Ward Alderman Bus came from. It came from the love of the city, the hypocrisy of the politicians and the fun that can be had at poking fun of mundane politics at the local level.
Justin Kaufmann:
Alderman Ed Bus embodies the Chicago politician. Gruff, unpolished and off the cuff. Alderman are largely real people shoved into surreal situations. News conferences, public appearances and live debates are all scary propositions for Chicago-types that just want to make sure the streets are clean and the garbage is picked up.
Stephen Schmidt:
Back in 2000, we brought Alderman Ed Bus, his Campaign Manager Jason Challenger, and his son Joey Bus to the Gay Pride Parade to do a short film. It was a candidate stumping for votes, but not realizing what the parade was for. We did a bunch of shots, captured some dialogue, and realized soon after that Alderman Bus had a greater story to tell.
We've been wanting to write that story for quite some time. Unfortunately (or fortunately) other projects kept coming our way - the Chicago Public Radio show, festivals, touring dates and showcases on the coasts. Eventually, we were able to get a good portion of this story done with the multitude of sketches written for the stage, as well as two episodes of the radio show, which kept the story line alive, and fresh in our minds.
Justin Kaufmann:
We wrote a full one hour radio episode telling a fragment of the Ed Bus story. We really jammed out on the entire story and were excited to tell the entire story through the radio. Then we got cancelled. But we did a ton of the work already on the story so we used that Ed Bus storyline as the building blocks.
Stephen Schmidt:
The good thing is, now that we've put a script to paper, this is another process we can add to our toolbox, and are already excited about the next story we're burning to tell!
Was Alderman Bus always the thing you knew you'd want to write about? (And now that I'm asking that, are there other recurring characters that are being folded into the narrative? What is the basic premise?)
Justin Kaufmann:
We’ve always loved the idea of writing a comedy about an old-school Chicago Alderman. We have written 2 other treatments for other characters in the Schadenfreude world, but several recurring characters show up in Alderman. Dinerbanski & Ross is our fake mega-corporation and they have a major part in Alderman. Lincoln Park Meathead Todd Voorhies also gets killed in this movie.
The basic premise of Alderman is that an old-school, old-fashioned, old-man (Alderman Ed Bus) is having to run for reelection for the first time in 40 years. He has always stuck to the tenants of good Chicago government. Keep the streets clean, pick up the garbage on time and make sure Daley gets re-elected. But this year, he is challenged by a yuppie upstart woman (Gretchen Ross-Stevenson). She wears business suits, sips her iced latte’s and has a gazillion dollars at her disposal. It’s an old vs. new dogfight for the 53rd Ward.
What's the timeline for something like this (start to finish), and have you mapped out a schedule to be able to focus and really work on this?
Justin Kaufmann:
Yes, we mapped out a system to work on this project. When you have to produce 60 radio episodes in under 2 years, you learn that the dry erase board and on-line calendar is your friend. We are very good producers. We know how important time management is. That being said, we worked on this screenplay off and on for about 8 months. It got really heated towards the end where we pulled some all-nighters to make it happen. We did a ton of Saturdays and Sundays and worked nights. We took off work from our day jobs to make it happen. It was hard but in a very cool I wish I were doing this all the time kind of way.
What are some things you learned along the way/enjoyed/struggled with?
Sandy Marshall:
For the screenplay, we were editing on paper -- more often than not table reading scenes, then going back and making notes. This method allowed one person to take away the bits, form them into a cohesive, formatted piece of text. But the downside? Because we're editing written lines as a group for long stretches of time, we often found ourselves debating grammar and focusing deeply on single words, when, in the end, those words may change once an actor gets on his feet.
The most challenging stumbling blocks arrived when editing problematic scenes that had more to do with plot than anything else -- and finding ways to navigate through those scenes, while still retaining an element of "What happens next?" When caught in the depths of the Edit Chasm, we started to stand-up and physically act out the scenes -- which was very useful, because we realized how long and plotty some of them read. Write a screenplay and then read it out loud -- not for other people, but to yourself or with a few friends. When you start to space out and hear yourself just reading words, that's a good indication that issues of plot or overwriting are staring you in the face.
All in all, the process worked, because we walked away with a screenplay that looks like other screenplays -- and, we think, doesn't run out of gas after the first 45 minutes. And, after reading the dang thing over 50 times, there are still moments that make us laugh.
And, like all highbrow and respectable films, there are loads of poop jokes.
Where does it go from here? What's the ultimate goal and dream - selling it, producing it, performing in it and what are the steps you're taking to achieve that?
Justin Kaufmann:
We would like to have a hand in producing it. We realize that is tough to do, but we have some very strong ideas and vision. So we hope to find a production partner who could help us get there. This would be a great life project to produce, film and release Alderman. We’ve talked a lot about whether we’d be in it or not, and right now we are leaning towards casting it externally. It’s about a 60+ year old Alderman. It might get too campy if a 32 year old is playing it.
If anything, we learned how to write a screenplay and that process will help us write the next project and the next. We are looking to the near future to create a staged-reading to introduce Alderman to Chicago. Of course, we’ll do it in a bar and offer free food and cheap beer. Some things will never change.
Rock Comedy wants to make you wiggle your jiggle. While we're somehow not shocked to see Tony Sam strumming a ukelele, we are surprised to discover that Ken Barnard has such a talent for smacking his own ass. Head to Gunther Murphy's at 9 on Saturday, November 4 to catch live gravity-defying Van Halen jump-splits. Split-jumps. Whatever those things are called.
Charna Halpern Tells the Truth, Caleb Hodgekiss Dateless, The Clapkees
We poked around the story, but those big shots at the New Yorker got to the bottom of the mystery of the skull of Second City and i.O. improv guru Del Close. Was it really bequeathed to the Goodman Theater? Has it starred in Hamlet? Charna Halpern finally spilled the beans.
Speaking of New York, Chicago/NYC comedian Mike Burns (oh, sorry, Caleb Hodgekiss) failed to auction a dinner date with himself and The Colonel on eBay. Don't take it personally, Caleb, maybe it's more a matter of cole slaw than charisma.
Better than the Monkees. The Clapkees. Do they play their own instruments? Who cares! They clap like nobody's business.
This past Friday, October 6, the Lincoln Lodge invited members of the "press" and civilian fans to their press conference-and-meatballs soiree in the back of the Lincoln Restaurant, prior to the first Friday show of Season Seven. It was here attendees were regaled with a slideshow of the Lodge past and present, half-price Big Ass Steins of Beer, the introduction of new cast members Monte, Brady Novak, and Allison Leber, and hilarious cameo appearances by Robert Buscemi and Mike Bridenstine (who was better known as Steve Garvey, Newsman, among other "Press People Personas").
