What's going to happen to comedy/sports radio extravaganza Visitors Locker Room after the loss of co-host Pat Brice? Sean Flannery let us know. "After much deliberation, CJ Sullivan and I have decided to start broadcasting the Visitors Locker Room again this week. We weren't sure what to do about the show, until Adam Kroshus provided five straight days worth of vintage quotes on the shortcomings of his hosts, random facts about the White House lawn, and plans for his next relationship- all unsolicited. At that point, we finally knew the answer to the question every one asked all week - 'what would Pat want me to do?' The answer is - start the show back up by making fun of Kro with fresh stories. We hope to make Pat proud by continuing the show. As you know, CJ and I loved him very much and were so proud to work with a person of his talent."

Chicago comedy did us proud last week by showing up to Pat's services in huge, huge numbers. The line of people waiting to visit with Pat's family wound around the block, and the service began about an hour and a half late to accommodate all of people who showed up to pay their respects. Nativity of Our Lord pastor Father Dan Brandt read Pat's Blerds comedy essay "It's All in the Name," and may have created Chicago Catholic history and/or shocked God himself by saying the word "peckerhead" aloud in the 138-year old church, which was a beautiful, beautiful moment.

Also this week, Pat's dad Bernie reached out to us again, and asked us to pass along these sentiments: "I hope you'll allow me to thank all the people from the comedy community who attended Pat's visitation and funeral mass and burial ceremony. I cannot tell you how much my family was overwhelmed by the love and support shown to Pat and our family. I would like to thank every single member of your community who gave us strength at this time, from comics, writers, bookers, website editors, and all those who posted on the various blogs. We are also grateful to all the people at Fearless Radio, VLR, Chicago Underground Comedy, and The Bastion. Without your help, we wouldn't be able to reach out to the comedy community. My family will be eternally grateful. Pat loved his fellow comics, and we do also. We wish all of you success in your chosen field but, more important, we wish all of you good health and happiness. -The Brice Family."

Edit: also today, Pat's brother Dan Brice e-mailed us: "I first would like to thank you all for the kind words and support that you've shared over the past week for Pat and my family. I can't tell you how much it's meant to us and how therapeutic it's been to read your comments. It's making the loss of Pat a bit easier knowing that he touched so many of you in the same way he has moved us over the past 29 years. Your love has been overwhelming and I thank you.

"Pat was my best friend, as he was to many of you on this forum. I was lucky enough to have spent 29 incredible years of sharing in his laughter, joy, pain and love. He was passionate about everything he did in life, accomplishing whatever he wanted to. That's why there are no regrets about his passing. He lived a full life and he already made it a long time ago in our eyes.

"My mom, dad and I consider ourselves so fortunate to have spent the last moments of Pat's life together with him as a family. We danced, we drank, we laughed, we took photos, we hugged, we laughed more all the way until the end. And that's what I want to leave everyone with...that Pat was genuinely happy with his life and you all are a big part of his inner peace. I hugged him goodbye at 3:30AM on Sunday morning. It's a hug that I'm sure many of you have experienced. Hang on to that feeling forever...I am.

"Thanks for keeping Pat's laughter and spirit alive. Continue to share stories and remember to live your lives to the fullest. Take a leap of faith, be relentless, pursue your dreams, call a friend in need, tell your family you love them, travel and make someone laugh, because Pat will be right there with you.

I love you Pat. You were just too good for us."

Pat Brice's re-mastered "Lunar Measurements" Blerds video:

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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.

Continue reading "How To Write a Screenplay in 76 Easy Steps (Just Ask Schadenfreude)" »

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Lundquist Entertainment (with roots in Chicago) is crossing the border for some shows in Toronto this week. Catch Caleb Hodgekiss before he gets superfamous and and starts dating Lindsay Lohan.

Chicago-based comic Matt Wayne recently shared his thoughts with Shecky Magazine about How Not To Talk To a Comic. Among his tips? Don't assume everything that comes out of a comic's mouth is intended to be funny. Sometimes he is actually just asking for you to pass the salt.

The New Q101 Morning Show has kicked off. Check out the interview with Chicago comedy alum Stephen Colbert (MP3 here).

Chicago stand-up Brady Novak finally stopped dragging his feet on this whole "internet fad" and got a damned MySpace page. Yeah, MySpace...well, it's better than nothing.

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The Bastion went to visit Red Bar Radio Monday night, to sit in on the two-hour Internet radio show along with featured guests (and local comedy faves) Prescott Tolk and Mike Bridenstine, and talk a little about the Chicago comedy scene. There was also much discussion about the Fantasia Barrino Lifetime movie, Dane Cook's outstandingly bad hosting job at Sunday night's Teen Choice Awards, the recent arrest of John Mark Carr, and a slew of other topics suited to the 14- to 18-year-old listenership.

Red Bar is quickly becoming a champion of Chicago comedy, and has been inviting comedians to co-host the three-day-a-week program, and will soon be selecting ten regular co-hosts, with a rotating schedule of guest hosts.

Red Bar currently boasts a 6000+ strong fanbase nationally, and is in exploratory talks with the local radio market. We'll be chatting with show creator Mike D. about his plans for the program and his thoughts on Chicago comedy in the very near future.

Posted by The Bastion at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Bastion is constantly astounded at how hard-working Chicago comedians are, both onstage and in the rest of their lives. We decided to begin highlighting the busiest people on the scene with this new series, "A Day in the Life of..."

Last Wednesday, the Bastion's senior reporter, Kristy Mangel, spent an exhausting day keeping up with stand-up comedian Pat Brice , from his day job as a live cattle options trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, to his Internet radio show hosting duties with Visitors Locker Room, to his club gig at Zanies, then on to the ensuing party for the Elevated's 10 Year Anniversary, followed by an impromptu afterparty.

After all that, Kristy is convinced that Pat and many other Chicago comedians are blessed with superhuman endurance, as well as dogged determination, although she's still not quite sure exactly what live cattle options are, or how they relate to the price of her last steak sandwich. Her full report is below.

Continue reading "A Day in the Life of...Pat Brice" »

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In about a half an hour (3 p.m. CDT), the Visitors Locker Room will be celebrating its one year anniversary on-air at Fearless Radio. Their anniversary was actually yesterday, but only two of the four VLR members (and Chicago stand-up comedians) were in studio for a demure little tete-a-tete.

The Bastion is anticipating a rollicking conversation today about late night shenanigans, chasing tail, yelling at taxi drivers, whether Adam Kroshus is or is not "back on the team," rebuffering stream technicalities, and, oh yeah, some sports stuff, too.

VLR is the perfect afternoon break for those of us who need a daily dose of comedy to get through the rest of the afternoon in the office while we mindlessly enter data into a computer. No, we LIKE our jobs. Just don't bother us weekdays from 3 to 4 p.m.

Posted by The Bastion at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)