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 The new issue of Time Out Chicago, on newsstands now, includes a story, "Painful Punchlines: When it comes to sexist humor, 'jk' isn’t cutting it anymore."
Local comedians Carrie Callahan, Victor Marinier, Dave Odd, (and yours truly, Bastion editor and Chicago Underground Comedy producer) are quoted, and some hot topics are touched on.
"It’s no secret that sexist and misogynistic jokes run rampant in the Chicago stand-up scene: Blow jobs and bitchy girlfriends seem to be topics of choice among male comics...Yet eradicating such quips requires navigating the blurry line between artistic freedom and social sensitivity—which might be an impossible thing to pull off."
"...the recent influx of up-and-coming, male-run stand-up nights—Comedy House and CYSK among them—has swung the spotlight onto the boys’-club vibe, and most comedians admit that the open-mike circuit is a breeding ground for the worst offenders: rape jokes, the casual use of derogatory terms and antifeminist rants."
"Among the small but vocal group of women comics speaking out against sexist jokes, Carrie Callahan was shocked when a performer she introduced while hosting a show said he 'would fuck' her."
So far, no comments have been published on the TOC post itself, though several people have entered some thoughts (perhaps comments are being reviewed before publication), and so far the Chicahahago board is mum on the article, meanwhile lots of private emails and IM's are flying, so we thought we'd open up a conversation here.
Dropping the editorial "we" for a second, I have some thoughts. I'm sure you do, too. The original context of the story, as presented to those of us who were interviewed for is, was a more general "women in stand-up, why are there so few, and how could that be changed?" and the focus of the final story is very different.
What do you think? An unfair generalization about the scene? A lack of opinions and quotes from other female comics on the scene? Too obvious a topic for a story? Let's talk.
 Inside this week's Reader is a ballot where you can vote for your favorite things about Chicago. Comedy is one of the categories, which are broken down thusly:
1. Best stand-up
2. Best improviser
3. Best improv group
4. Best sketch group
5. Best place to see improv/sketch that isn't iO or Second City
Results will be published in the June 26 issue of the Reader. You can also vote online right here.
 Are you heading to the movie theaters this weekend to catch giant angry robots smashing puny humans and their puny infrastructure? Tribune Media Services humor columnist Mark Bazer, a friend of the Bastion via Schadenfreude, probably is not. He never got the hype the first time around, but then again, he admits he was a little distracted in the early 80's with some other, less-than-cool plaything obsessions.
"...to my ears, the name 'Optimus Prime' sounds like a character a third-grader might create for a fiction-writing assignment that he'll years later dig out of the closet and laugh with slight embarrassment. Unlike, say, the name Boba Fett, which clearly sprung from the mind of a fully grown genius.
"When the Transformers first hit it big, my friends and I were too busy playing with those troll dolls known as Norfins, even going so far as to dress them in clothes we ripped off stuffed Garfields and stole from Spencer's Gifts. But that's a story for another time. Suffice to say, if you're a boy playing dress-up with dolls, one way to save face is to shoplift the outfits.
- Elizabeth McQuern
 --NewCity Chicago writer Mike Schramm delved into the seedy underworld of stand-up comedy in Chicago and came out alive. In his article "The Depths of Humor," Schramm talks to Tony Sam, Robert Buscemi, Josh Cheney, and yes, the Bastion herself. He also includes a top ten list of "Ten Rising Comics To Look For," and "Five Places To Go See Them," which are sure to sure to be the object of finger-pointing and start many more spirited debates across the stand-up scene.
 --The Bastion sat in on night two (of eight) of Dave Odd's Comedy Boot Camp last night at the Chicago Center For the Performing Arts. There were about a dozen students in attendance, plus a guest comedian, John Bolger, who answered questions and offered advice to those who aim to succeed as a working road comic.
This week's lesson? "Anatomy of a Set." A breakdown of the place and function of the opener, the first few jokes, how to test the waters and read the audience, working in smooth segues, and more. A few tips from host Dave Odd: "Jokes are never finished, and you should be constantly rewriting." Also, how do you get your foot in the door with a club booker? "90% of success in this business is persistence. What might feel like bugging the shit out of people is actually barely getting their attention." Also, don't approach a club until you have a solid twenty minutes, and wait until you're really ready, because first impressions last.
Toward the end, we participated in a writing exercise involving wringing jokes out of a randomly-assigned page from the Sun-Times, which we then delivered to the class from behind the mic, squinting into the blinding spotlights. Our attempts at inspiring laughter included a snappy zinger about the "Midwest Fishing Report" and its "Fish of the Week" photo. Class was concluded with an open mic, which the Bastion had to forgo, due to the prospect of a long bike ride home in the cold rain, which was made up for by the cookies we swiped off the snack table on our way out.
- Elizabeth McQuern
 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.
 Heeb Magazine ("The New Jew Review") is making a stop at Second City's e.t.c. theater in Chicago tonight with their storytelling series Streit's Presents: Heeb Storytelling.
Be there at 8:00 to see Chicago's Triplette, author Kevin Coval, humorist and journalist Ray Hanania, Idris Goodwin, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Rebecca Wiener (Heeb Magazine editor) and NPR and Huffington Post humorist Aaron Freeman.
 The Bastion is young, but ambitious. We hope to someday say that we know everything going on in Chicago comedy. Every show, every party, every review, every media mention. Imagine our humble surprise, then, when an undiscovered nugget of fun almost slipped through our very own inbox.
It was a Saturday night. Chicago was teeming with energy and shows and parties and excitement. The Bastion was at home on the internet. Right.
Anyhow, moving on. We were tidying up e-mails, including the weekly subscription to Chicago Magazine's Marquee. It's interesting and useful, but unfortunately, we often get behind on it, and thus it gets relegated to the "delete without reading" folder.
 That night, however, we opened it, for a lark, hoping to stave off sleepy time. The first thing we noticed was the name "Nick Vattesot". The Bastion said to itself, "Boy howdy, that sure is similar to 'Nick Vatterott.' Who's this very similarly named individual?" We quickly scrolled.
And lo, five of Chicago's top alternative stand-up comedians were quoted, and the article wrapped up with recommendations of the top three places to see alternative comedy in Chicago. Read the full article here. Select jokes after the jump.
(Now, if we could just warn Nick Vatterott about this imposter who's out on the scene.)
Continue reading "Chicago Stand-Ups Mentioned on ChicagoMag.com" »
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