Catch a cab to the Hideout at 7:30 tonight for another People Under the Stares show, this one featuring Paul F. Tompkins. The Bastion recently spoke with Rian Murphy, emcee and funny dude in his own right, about the mission statement of the shows and the interesting things that happen when you mix local talent with bigger names.

How did the People Under The Stares series start? Whose idea was it, and what was the overall plan?

The series started when a brag-fest between Pete at the Empty Bottle and Dan K of Drag City escalated into a business model - same way most things start. So, they came up with it. The plan was to mine the local comedy territory while at the same time bringing in nationally-known wild-cards to mix it up a little. In this heady brew, I play a character called the MC - occasionally singing a song, sometimes throwing a spanner in the works, but mainly just pushing show night forward with a mixture of apathy and rage.

Did the crowd change at all with the venue switch (from Weeds to the Hideout)?

Yeah, the crowd did change a little. We lost a few greybeards, but in getting younger, we gained a few more people still new and optimistic about the world of habitual, excessive drinking.

How have you managed to nab such cool "bigger" names like Zach Galifianakis and Morgan Murphy? Any hot news on similar upcoming special guests?

We've got people, it's that simple. And they know people. And then those people directed us to "myspace" and "Google" and next thing we knew, we were emailing these people! Aside from Paul F. Tompkins this month, and Brent Weinbach next month, we're looking at some alarmingly heavy hitters for June and July, but nothing we can confirm yet....

Local comics like Kumail have gotten some cool opportunities to open for people like Galifianakis after meeting at People Under The Stares shows. Can you tell us a little about that?

Well, it hasn't worked quite as I'd planned - I thought those opportunities would be coming to me! But seriously, when comics get together, it makes sense for them to work together, in whatever capacity. Everyone's always looking for some talent to glom onto, you know? I know we sure are. In that sense, by mixing seasoned locals with exotic out-of-towners, we're fulfilling our potential of presenting the same thing is such a subtly different context that it appears as an entirely new thing!

What are some of the notable moments onstage that you've particularly enjoyed or that the crowd really seemed to like?

Among the locals, they've loved Hannibal, David Angelo, Brady Novak, Vanessa Fraction, Dwayne Kennedy. They dig AZITA and her group, the Ass Shivers. Let's see...they really enjoyed being called hipsters by Mike Bridenstine. And what else? Fred Armisen, Zach Galifianakis, Morgan Murphy, Neil Hamburger all made noticeable indentations of the collective skull, definitely.

Have any of the visiting comics shared their impressions of Chicago comedy with you?

No - they're always glad to be here, but good manners, you know? Most are unaware of it, and for many it was actually their first club appearance in the city ever....

The April 30 show sounds like a good lineup - how did it work out that Paul F. Tompkins will be there?

Hopefully he doesn't ask that same question himself at the end of the night. Ah, the price was right, I guess? That price, of course, being the price of HOPE.

What are your hopes or goals for the shows over the next year or so?

For the run to come to a blazing end and be remembered well by everyone in the new comedy scene it helped bring together back in the day. Chicago will always be what you make of it, the only things it will ever really offer its citizens are affordable housing and the apathy that may induce!

- Elizabeth McQuern