Comedy – Regular Guy

What If

brian — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 12:43:16 +0000

I came to improv late. I didn’t act at all until 2009 and started improv in 2015. But as I delve back into my favorite improv books, I wonder what could have been.

In late 1991 and early 1992, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was laid off from my first newspaper job in the fall of 1991 and didn’t have any luck finding anything else. I spent that fall and winter coaching high school wrestling and working at a friend’s business at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, the same place I worked in high school and on breaks in college.

My parents were really understanding, but at some point I knew I had to do something. I started to consider for the first time that I might need to leave Baltimore. I had a few friends in Chicago and really started to think about moving there as the wrestling season neared an end in March 1992.

That’s about the same time all the influential improvisers coalesced in Chicago. Would I have found an outlet in comedy if I had moved there? I always had an interest, but never knew how to find a start. Would I have met someone who encouraged me to perform?

I’m not saying I would have moved to Chicago, walked into iO and ended up helping to form the UCB. I just wonder if this thing I am so passionate about now could have taken hold if I had made that move.

Instead, I got a call about a job on the next-to-last day of wrestling season in 1992. That got me up to Hanover, Pa., where I met my wife. So I have no regrets. I just wonder sometimes what that other dimension might have looked like.

Goodbye, Gulfhaven

brian — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 17:06:35 +0000

I will lose a friend tonight. Actually a bunch of friends as Cougar Town broadcasts its last episode.

Go ahead and make fun. I have heard all the jokes. The ones about the bad name. The ones about the quality of the show. The ones about pretty much anything that ignores the fact that the show lasted six seasons, an eternity in today’s television landscape.

I fell in love with the show manly because of my man crush on co-creator Bill Lawrence. He hooked me with Scrubs, so I was an easy mark when Cougar Town came along. I love the way they turned away from the original premise of an older woman dating younger guys to a show about friends who have a special bond.

I’m the kind of fan who makes sure to read the joke about the name of the show on the title card each week. I look at the episode title to see if it references a Tom Petty song I know. I was among the fools who called 1-800-PENNYCAN to talk to cast members (I chatted with Ian Gomez and Brian Van Holt).

Sure, it moved to TBS a few years ago when ABC cut bait, but that paved the way in a sense for other shows to debut on cable stations. The show has maintained a high profile on the cable network even if the total number of viewers pales in comparison to the numbers on ABC. Like it or not, they made more than 50 hours of the show. That’s pretty awesome for a show which caught so much flak for little more than its title.

At a certain point, Cougar Town ceased trying to meet the needs of a mass audience and turned into a way for the writers and actors to entertain themselves and the hardcore fans. Counting myself in that second group, I’m OK with that decision. Comedy is supposed to focus on fun. Lawrence, co-creator Kevin Biegel and the folks that followed them never lost sight of that.

That’s why the end makes me a little sad, in a different way than the end of Parks & Rec did. I can make Parks & Rec jokes, and all kinds of people will get them. March 31 jokes land. Treat Yo Self jokes kill. Apps and zerts never get old. But when I yell “Change approved,” fewer people get why that is funny. P&R meant more, but I can also share it with more people. This is kind of the end of the road for Cougar Town jokes.

I’m glad I went for the ride.

Playing it by Ear

brian — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 13:01:11 +0000

I have spent the past year or so planning for what is happening right now. The funny thing is, I was planning so I could do something spontaneous.

In 2010, I traveled to Los Angeles for a work event. On one night, the co-worker I traveled with had other plans, so I set out on my own. I had examined the many entertainment options and settled on one not too far from my hotel – the Upright Citizens Brigade.

UCB is one of the most influential improv comedy groups. Early members of the group included Amy Poehler. They started in Chicago, moved to New York and now have theatres on both coasts. I bought a ticket for one show at the LA theatre, which is across the street from a really creepy Scientology mansion.

So if you’re thinking “top-notch improv comedy theatre in LA,” you might get a vision of this fantastic space with comfortable seats and organic, vegan, gluten-free water bottles for sale. Not a chance. The UCB theatre is sparse and the chairs uncomfortable, but the show put one thought into my head.

“I need to do this.”

I had only just become comfortable with going on stage in a scripted performance and now I had designs on making things up on the fly? Sounded crazy, but the way the group – which included a woman who wrote for “Parks & Recreation” and will likely help write the upcoming all-female “Ghostbusters” move – made things happen on stage captivated me.

At that time, I had absolutely no clue of how to discover improv close to home. This was a problem. I don’t know how much I explored the possibility back then, but the idea remained in my head until a year or so ago.

That’s when I discovered a group in Baltimore that not only put on improv performances, but had an educational component on the side. I could take improv classes right after work. Just like Michael Scott from “The Office.” This was perfect.

Life, however, got in the way. I had trouble finding room for classes over seven straight weeks. They only offered them two nights, making scheduling a little tight. Then I ended up performing in a couple of Hanover Little Theatre shows, which took precedence.

At one point, I wondered if my subconscious wanted to keep me from taking the class. After all, some of the conflicts could be re-arranged, but that would just be hard. They will offer the class again, I told myself. There’s always next time.

Well, next time started last week. In December, I looked at my calendar and made the decision before anything else could fill the time. I paid the fee and crossed my fingers.

At the end of the first class, the only negative thought I had was that I would have to wait another whole week for the next session. I felt completely in my element. I had a chance to meet a bunch of new people who will help me figure this out over the next month and a half.

Who knows what will happen? I don’t have a plan after that, and that’s just the way it should be.

All in the Laughs

brian — Tue, 27 May 2014 13:33:42 +0000

I have many great memories from growing up. For better or worse, a lot of them revolve around watching television with my parents and siblings.

Back then, before everyone had their own screen, we would gather together to watch our favorite shows, especially M*A*S*H. I developed much of my sense of humor from watching these shows.

We watched some hour-long shows too, but I mostly remember the comedies. Most of my TV watching over the years has focused on sitcoms.

That’s why I felt terrible when the networks announced the TV schedule for next season. A half-dozen comedies I liked to watch will not return for 2014-15. One that does – “Parks & Recreation,” perhaps my favorite – will air just 13 episodes for its final season.

I feel like my best friend has stabbed me in the back.

Now I know that I shouldn’t get too worked up about this because of the many different ways we can experience television. I don’t even sit down and watch shows when they air that often any more.

But I would prefer having my favorite shows come back so I could watch them OnDemand on my own schedule instead of having to go hunting around for new things to watch.

I don’t just watch sitcoms because the evoke a nostalgia for growing up. Comedy gives me something to look forward to, even if I have seen so many that it’s often easy to see the joke coming,

The skill of the writers and actors makes me feel good. They have literally proven that laughter can help improve people’s health so I take my comedy very seriously. It’s not necessarily a matter of life or death, but it can certainly make your life better.

That’s why I hated seeing that not only are some of my favorite shows going away, but the networks have greatly de-emphasized comedies in general. I have a lot fewer choices for my preferred television shows.

I just don’t have the attention span for most dramas or the stomach for most reality shows. I kept up with “Hawaii Five-O” for a couple of seasons, but even the kitschy nature of the show and the physics-defying “everything is Hawaii is a 10-minute drive away) couldn’t keep my interest.

So I figure I will spend the summer trying to figure out how I can make use of my time when the TV season kicks off in the fall. I could try and sound all kinds of smart and say I will read more books, but I know that won’t happen with any great regularity.

I can find the full run of a lot of shows I never really invested time in on the various streaming services, but the irony is that most of those are dramas. I might commit myself to “Breaking Bad” now that it has ended, but that will take real commitment.

I will manage to occupy my time somehow. Hopefully a comedy or two I have never seen will call to me from a smaller network or the Internet. Or I will just watch reruns of shows I love and have seen a dozen times and can quote from memory.

If my wife complains, I’ll tell her to call the networks because it’s all their fault.

Book Review: Dad Is Fat

brian — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 12:17:06 +0000

I have been horrible at keeping up with these. I’m going to try and catch up on the last nine months or so of reading.

When I used to have satellite radio, I ended up using the function that alerted you when your favorite artist was playing mainly for comedians. Near the top of that list was Jim Gaffigan, who reeled me (and many others) in with his “Hot Pockets” routine. But as I listened to more and more of his stuff, I realized what am amazingly simple and funny out look he had on life.

That’s why I loved seeing his new book “Dad Is Fat” when I opened my Father’s Day present this year. I could see our beach trip on the horizon and knew his quips would make for the perfect beach read. In the end, I was mostly right.

The book does fit perfectly into a lazy beach attitude. You can float in and out of it or read it all in one sitting. That’s the good part. The bad part is that not only does he recycle stand-up routines for certain chapters (almost verbatim), but the entire book is very repetitive. We get it, you have a lot of kids in a small apartment, and it takes a lot of coordination and you’re wife is awesome and you wouldn’t change anything for the world.

I expected some of these two scenarios, but about half to two-thirds of the way through, I felt I could have easily stopped. When he complained about the difficult logistics associated with taking his family on tour with him on a tour bus, I kind of lost sympathy for the guy.

I would have dealt better with nothing but recycled stand-up bits than “Oh, my goodness, I have to pay for two nights of hotel rooms even when I have a tricked out tour bus during my sold-out comedy tour!”

In the end, however, I only came to these problems after reading a lot of really funny stuff and some insightful things about his family. This is good mindless entertainment – just know that it runs out at some point. And look for the book on sale.

Budweiser Steals Idea for Commercial

brian — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:10:25 +0000

I don’t have a huge problem with Budweiser like some people do. Sure, I now prefer other beers to the “King of Beers,” but I had my days of loyal Bud drinking.

I also don’t get too bothered when some art form gets a commercial use. If I hear a favorite song or artist in a commercial, well, that’s just how the world works.

But a commercial Budweiser filmed in Canada for airing during the Super Bowl up there (yes, they do special commercials in Canada for an American football game) has me at odds with both of those two sentences.

The commercial below shows how a “flash mob” turned a rec league hockey game into a time to remember for the players on both teams. The popular hockey blog Puck Daddy posted some info about the story behind the commercial shoot.

The problem is, Budweiser didn’t have “an ingenious idea” as Greg Wyshynski wrote in the blog post. They just recycled an idea which Improv Everywhere did almost four years ago, just at a Little League baseball game. And IE didn’t have to pretend they were filming a documentary to pull off the stunt – they just did it. They also didn’t have to pay actors to be in the crowd. They used their ready cadre of “agents.” Read the story behind the “mission.”

But, wait. Improv Everywhere actually stole this idea … from themselves. The idea first came alive in 2004 with the “Best Gig Ever.” That night, IE found an unknown band and filled their Sunday evening concert with rabid fans.

One friend has already called me a Grinch on this, but it’s undeniable. I know people ~~steal~~ get inspiration all the time from other creative types, but this is pretty blatant and to pass it off as something that they just came up with themselves for the biggest commercial day on television is just pretty sad. I’m glad the players on those teams got to experience it, but they were merely tools for Budweiser to sell more beer. The band and the kids in the IE missions really just benefited from people trying to have fun and make someone’s experience special. So is Bud’s attempt to profit the “ingenious idea?”

My Wish for 2011

brian — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 17:25:52 +0000

The new year came in quietly in our house as I tried to explain to my daughter what a stroke is so she might understand why Dick Clark was on TV talking that way. I don’t know why I chose that channel for the countdown. She had tuned into “F?ED: THE MOVIE” on Nickelodeon while I was in the other room so I blame the 30 minutes of that for my bad judgment.

She hit the hay mere seconds after midnight. My wife had crashed 45 minutes earlier. Left to my own devices, I headed downstairs to watch some TV before falling asleep. As I scanned the listings, I saw a Marx Brothers movie marathon listed, which meant bedtime would have to wait.

I watched “Duck Soup” and fell asleep after a few minutes of “A Night at the Opera.” When I woke up, I caught part of a soccer match, then settled in for a few hours of a Three Stooges marathon.

The movie channels schedule this kind of programming on New Year’s Day for a reason. We have all dealt with a lot of running around due to the holiday season and need something simple and funny as we prepare to get back to work and the rest of our real lives. But why limit that kind of entertainment to the first day of the year.

We have people running around claiming the end of the world is coming simply because they don’t like the opposing political party. We have television hosts urging viewers to start canning food for impending civil unrest. Oprah is “retiring” in order to run her own television network so she can tell people all day why they need to be like her.

We need Groucho, Moe, Harpo, Larry, Chico and Curly every single day more than ever. My wish for 2011 is that people stop taking everything so seriously and remember the wonderful gifts of simplicity and laughter.

Improv with The Smokes

brian — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:57:01 +0000

On my recent trip to L.A., I pretty much had only one night on my own. The other three nights either involved conference activities or plans with a co-worker. So I needed to choose wisely for my activity that night.

I looked around for some comedy since I figured I would have plenty of options. I found a couple of comedy clubs, but didn’t recognize any performers and did not want to commit to the kind of cab fare it would take to get to the places I researched. Then, I struck gold.

The Upright Citizens Brigade. The venerable comedy organization had a night of improv. The theatre was pretty close to a subway station, and the 7 p.m. show only cost $5. The scheduled group, The Smokes, included Katie Dippold, who I discovered is a writer for NBC’s Parks and Recreation. I couldn’t pass up the chance to see a writer from one of my favorite shows perform.

What a great decision. The tiny theatre created an awesome experience. The actors cracked me up. The pace moved briskly. Nothing prevented the night from perfection. Not even the creepy Scientology center across the street from UCBLA.

Well, one thing could ruin it. I didn’t sign up for the list for the second show that night and the waiting list was way too long by the time my show let out. The third show didn’t start until 9:30 p.m., and I knew I would never make it that long. So I had to sate myself with one hour of improv comedy goodness.

Vegas Trip: Entertainment

brian — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:28:38 +0000

Last time I went to Vegas, I didn’t see any shows. I wanted to make sure I at least saw something this time. As I planned my trip, I kept checking the comedy clubs to see if anyone I knew would be in town.

A few days before I left, I hit the jackpot. Bobby Collins, one of my favorites from XM, would start at the Improv at Harrah’s on my last night in town. Perfect timing.

Even though I waited until late in the afternoon on the day of the show, I got a pretty good seat. Tickets only ran 30-some bucks so I thought I made out pretty good.

When I went to head to my seat, I saw a sign which said no outside drinks allowed. That kind of confused me and pissed me off since I had just sat patiently at a slot machine, playing as little as possible until I could get a free beer from a cocktail waitress. I also had a bottle of water since it was July in Las Vegas.

The really, really old guy at the door saw me stop and told me not to worry about it and signaled me to come in any way. I thanked him and he noted my two drinks.

“You’re greedy,” he said.

“Nah, I’m just thirsty,” I said with a laugh, figuring a joke wouldn’t hurt in a comedy club.

“No, you are greedy. Come with me,” he said stone-faced. I assumed he wasn’t performing that night.

They advertised three comedians, but the first one didn’t perform for some reason. I didn’t really mind because the opener – Lowell Sanders– was pretty funny. He also came close to starting a riot.

A couple walked in about five to 10 minutes late. As they approached their seats, he greeted them.

“Hey, how you guys doing? Glad you could make it. Good to see you. Have a seat. Get comfortable. Do you need anything? (pause) Like a fucking watch?”

The guy in the couple cracked up. The woman didn’t find any humor in the joke. She turned into something out of Jerry Springer yelling up at the stage, wagging her index finger. Lowell reminded her that no one could hear her because he had the microphone … and because we were all cracking up. Then, he pointed out something which was announced to the entire audience before the show, something she obviously missed.

This was a comedy club. He was there to tell jokes so she needed to lighten up.

I had never heard of Lowell Sanders, but I will keep an eye out for him on XM in the future I also liked the fact that the other comedian wasn’t there because it gave Lowell longer and led us right into Bobby’s set.

Bobby pretty much admitted that he was there to work on new material because he said he forgot his notes, which I don’t think a guy like Bobby Collins needs unless he’s testing new material. This made his set a little uneven, but still pretty damn funny. He really swung and missed on his political stuff, but his observational bits still kill me.

That was about it for my entertainment on the trip. I didn’t even get to see the Bellagio fountains. I wasn’t over there at night and, when I thought about it, I just didn’t feel like walking over there.

I did catch them feeding the lions at the MGM Grand, which I hadn’t seen before. That was pretty cool. I also got a chuckle (again) out of the Dealertainers at Imperial Palace. They actually have one who looks a lot like the person they are impersonating – Billy Idol. And the Stevie Wonder and Billy Joel guys sang on their own. Not bad for a free show at the IP.

Last Comic Standing

brian — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:22:04 +0000

I really enjoyed the first two seasons of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Thanks to those summer shows, I found out about comics like Rich Vos, Todd Glass, Rob Cantrell, Kathleen Madigan, John Heffron and Alonzo Bodden.

Then NBC went and turned Season 3 into a fiasco as they tried to take advantage of the success of Season 2 and went right into a battle between the best comics from the first two seasons. The result was disaster so bad that they never showed the final episode on NBC. It ended up airing on Comedy Central at some point.

That whole experience kind of soured me on the show. I watched some of the tryouts for Season 4, but couldn’t stick with it. I barely even noticed when Season 5 took place last year and looked headed for the same result this summer until I just happened to turn on the final tryout episode a few weeks ago.

I was hooked again. They have finished the tryouts and the semifinals. The first two comics were eliminated last night, thankfully both comics I really didn’t like too much. Esther Ku just didn’t have much to offer and God’s Pottery finally ran the same schtick into the ground.

I haven’t developed a true favorite yet, but that will eventually happen. I’m actually just happy I might be able to hear some fresh voices on XM’s comedy channels thanks to this.