The February issue of Chicago Magazine has named The Bastion one of Chicago's best web sites.
"Seekers of a good laugh should know TheBastion.org, the news site that covers Chicago comedy with posts, news, and videos, as well as a long list of links to Chicago comics, venues, and groups."
Click here for a full-sized scan of the mention, which has your editor blushing.
If you haven't left your dignity behind and wallowed in the mud with the rest of us pigs, there is a wonderfully inane comment thread war developing here at the Bastion, and if you're interested in Chicago comedy in the least, please do stop by and drop your calling card. 45 inflamed comments and counting! What a delight.
This seems like as good a time as any to make another loud and plaintive plea for contributing writers. We do have a few, and we appreciate them very much, but even the willing are busy people like you and me.
Yes, there's lots of good stuff that goes on in Chicago comedy that we can't cover, because we are human beings unable to manipulate time and space in such a way as to be present at six physical locations at the same temporal destination, and we don't have a Pulitzer Prize-winning staff culled from the top ranks of the Washington Post and the New York Times.
We'd like for the Bastion to be on hand for more Chicago comedy happenings, and that only way that's going to be possible is if we wrangle more scrappy writers into the fold. As we said in a passionate response in the comments thread, "We're a small creative community here, brothers and sisters. And we're all in this together." (We also said something about a bottle of "Chill the F*ck Out" pills, so it's not all sunshine and lollipops.)
Want to make this a better, fuller, more well-rounded site? Send writers our way. We promise not to bite, scratch, or smack them. Send us an e-mail with a writing sample, a little info on your comedy background, and an explanation of what kind of stuff you might be interested in writing about, and we'll give you a try.
Okay, we lied. We're back already. We wanted to put up a snazzy and conversation-starting "Best of 2006" dealie like our Big Poppa the Apiary did. So here we go!
Think about the shows, the performers, and the moments that impacted you the most in 2006 and leave them in the comments below. Feel free to add categories, if you feel so inspired.
Best Stand-Up Comedian
Best Performer
Best Newcomer
Best Open Mic
Best Comedy Duo
Best Celebrity Sighting
Best Use of Burlesque
Best Sketch Troupe
Best Improv Show
Best Video
Best TV (Comedy)
Best Film (Comedy)
Best Source for Comedic Material
Best Chicago Comedian Blog or Website
Best Unsubstantiated Rumor Just added: Best Internet Radio Show
Also, we're still abuzz after rubbing elbows with Zach Galifianakis at Weeds on Tuesday night. Everyone we know who was there is sure they made a sloppy, drunky fool of themselves while chatting with ZG. One of our correspondents managed to snag a great interview with him, and we'll be putting that MP3 up shortly. Until then, enjoy Schadenfreude's hilarious Choose Your Own Adventure Holiday Card (two months in the making), and some Zach videos.
Apiary and Bastion Fail To Spit Water, Succeed in Drinking Beer
Last Saturday night worlds collided when the Apiary and the Bastion sat together in the audience at the Playground Theater and watched Sasha and the Noob (with assistance from Tony Sam, Jared Logan, and Erica Reid) prod laughs and Aquafina from the mouths of three good-spirited contestants at Don't Spit the Water.Lauren Bishop also provided some bee-colored, Italian-flavored comedy in the form of knock-knock jokes. A bee doing jokes for the Apiary? Coincidence? Hmm... (A ton of photos from the show here.)
Sasha and the Noob entertained with their awkward, indeterminately Eastern European charm, and were kind enough to host a small horde of Apiary and Bastion-related folks, and the show was hilarious.
Our Big Poppa was in town for one night only, so we were sure to treat him to some of Chicago's best (or at least, most geographically convenient). We started with dinner at Clarke's, moving on to a drink at the L and L, followed by a delightful Don't Spit the Water, and then piled into several cabs (along with Tony Sam and Jared Logan) to Bill Cruz's birthday party at Seven Ten (where we bumped into dozens of Chicago stand-ups, including Pat Brice, David Angelo, Allison Leber, and Bradley Fojas, as well as Jordan Vogt-Roberts and Mike D.), and wrapped up with more fraternizing right nearby at CJ Sullivan's notorious garden apartment.
There was quaffing of cheap beer, snacking on suspiciously decorated birthday cupcakes, in-depth discussions of comedy bloggery, a comparison and contrast of life and creativity between Chicago and New York, speculation on future comedy projects, and much more.
Thanks, Sasha and the Noob! Happy Birthday, Billy! And see ya later, Apiary. Big smooches all around.
(Take a peek at a selection from the YouTube archive of Talkin' Funny, in which Sasha and the Noob fill the airwaves with Chicago comedy chat, crunchy foods, charisma and...slide whistles.)
We at The Bastion are thinking it would be a good idea to host an easy, accessible calendar listing all of the comedy events being offered across the city. There is so much going on, and so much we want to see, but it's hard to keep track of all the crossover of "this troupe performs with that troupe, but only on Wednesdays, and then on Fridays they are at this theater," etc.
We're testing out a Google version that would let us add and edit entries and let all of you view it, and offer suggestions for inclusion. We know there are some tech-heads in our readership out there. Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations?
And you thought the gyros at St. Andrew's Greek Festival were the hottest things going in Chicago this week.
Yes, kids, New York City's The Apiary had a baby in Chicago, and it's called the Bastion.
The Bastion will explore and promote the underground comedy scene in Chicago with listings, reviews, photos, and video clips, as well as interviews with notable and interesting comedy figures on the scene.
It's your source for comedy info in the Windy City. Standup, improv, sketch, and more. Got a tip? Want to suggest a link? Give us a shout. We're here for you.
The February issue of Chicago Magazine has named The Bastion one of Chicago's best web sites. 
If you haven't left your dignity behind and wallowed in the mud with the rest of us pigs, there is a wonderfully inane comment thread war developing 
