Rob Cantrell (NBC, CBS, HBO, writer for "High Times Magazine") will be headlining this months edition of 3 Chord Comedy at The Velvet Lounge.
Also, DC super-studs Mike Eltringham, Ahmed Huidobro and Eli Sairs will be performing.
This here's the info:
December 4th / 7 pm / $4 / The Velvet Lounge (915 U St.)
From Eli:
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For an overload of LA comics and some local favorites, check out The Bentzen Ball, which kicks off tonight, and runs through Sunday's finale at the 9:30 club with Sarah Silverman.
For a list of shows and comics, check out the website.
The hootinany kicks off this evening with Patton Oswalt and former DC comic Rory Scovel at the Lincoln Theater.
Brent Weinbach will be headlining two nights in Arlington (Washington, DC area) as part of his Night Shift Tour, promoting the release the of his brand new album, "The Night Shift," out on Talent Moat Records. Here's all the show info:
SHOWDATE: Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3, 2009
Didn't get in the 48 Hour Film Contest in DC or Baltimore? Or didn't get enough? Maybe you needed an extra day? Well, the 72 Hour Film Fest in Frederick, Maryland is perfect for you. Great place to start if you are just getting started with film and video and an excellent way to meet people that can help you produce future projects.
Third show! The first two were better than a hundred Christmases! This one will be better than a hundred Christmases plus a million birthdays MINUS the holocaust. September 25th-- DC's top comics in a top rock venue.
Sharing the creative fun of improv on stage is only half of WIT's mission. Just as important as our shows are our classes, where we've shared the craft of improv with over a thousand students over the last decade. WIT's managing director, Topher Bellavia, leads the training program. Below he tackles the frequently asked question: "Why should I take an improv class?"
"It's not a simple question to answer because everyone gets something different out it. If you're considering it, take a look at the student quotes to the left here.
Half of why it's so great is the awesome group of people who are brave, fun, and creative enough to take a chance on having the experience of a lifetime.
The other half is transformation you'll see in yourself. Better communication skills, lower stress levels, a heightened understanding of the world around you, increased confidence and renewed creativity at home, work and play.
The early registration discount has been extended to Monday; now is the time.
If you know someone else that could use a little improv in their life, click on the 'forward' button below."
Topher Bellavia
Managing Director
topher@
(w) 202-204-7772
FAQ, Browse Classes, Teacher Bios, Registration, Schedule
The Details |
Washington Improv Theater is a creative atmosphere to learn the art of improv. And it’s just plain fun. WIT classes are for everyone from the acting student to the business professional. · Classes meet for 2 ½ hours once a week for 8 weeks. · Training focuses on communications and teamwork. · Small classes mean more personal attention. · Enthusiastic instructors create a fun and trusting atmosphere. Former students said: “F-ing Awesome” “I loved this class” “Great opportunity for expression, meet cool people and build confidence.” WIT’s Spring Classes begin September 21 Classes are located at the Children’s Studio School at 1301 V St NW.* Tuition is $240, with a $20 discount for early registration. Foundations of Improv Classes: Monday September 21 7:00 9:30pm Tuesday September 22 7:00-9:30pm Wednesday September 23 7:00 – 9:30pm Thursday September 24 7:00 – 9:30pm Sunday September 27 5:00 – 8:00pm Level I Music Improv: Sunday September 27 12:00 – 3:00pm * School is located at the corner of 13th and V Sts, NW - one block north of U Street-Cardozo Metro Station (13th Street exit). |
JINX, Caveat, and Season Six are looking for new players and will be holding open call auditions on Saturday 9.19 between 11AM and 5PM.*Click here to reserve your audition slot now!
Sign-up deadline is midnight on Thursday 9.17. Auditions and callbacks will be held at the Children's Studio School at 1301 V St NW (on the corner of 13th and V Street NW). JINX and Season Six callbacks will take place Monday 9.21 from 7-10PM. Caveat hold their callbacks on Wednesday 9.23 from 7-10PM.
If 9.19 is a conflict for you, especially for religious reasons, contact Mark at mark@washingtonimprovtheater.com to explore alternate scheduling.
How often does WIT conduct auditions?
As often as necessary: whenever an existing ensemble requires new players, or a new project or troupe seeks new talent.
How many people are you looking for?
There is no pre-set number. Each ensemble has room for more people if we find the right folks.
There’s no sex, race, or gender quota. We’re looking for the best improvisers in Washington. People who enjoy playing, support their scene partners, commit to authentic and interesting characters. Players in all of our ensembles strive to listen to and support one another, to be positive and to make one another look good. We value strong relationships and engaging storytelling. Players strive for spontaneity without self-censorship and work to maintain a playful atmosphere of artistic collaboration. If you have fun and play to the top of your intelligence you’ll show yourself in the best light.
What show is this for?
These auditions are seeking permanent ensemble members, not for a single show run. We’re looking for players to join us for the long-term and become members of our family.
First you audition at the open call. Players and directors from auditioning groups will be there to see your work and cheer you on. At open call you'll do mostly 2-person scenes. A bunch of them, all improvised. No need to have anything prepared (no monolog, no singing, no dancing). If selected for call-backs, you’ll receive a phone call by 2pm Sunday to notify you of your callback time. Callbacks will also involve a healthy amount of two-person scenework, and may also include some group games and truthful monologs, to name a few possibilities. In any case, there's nothing to prepare and the goals of the callbacks will be explained to you at the time. If a troupe selects you after call-backs, that means they want you and will invite you for a trial rehearsal period, to give you a chance to try the group on and to see how you fit in. After the trial period, the ensemble and artistic director determine whether to invite you to become a member.
Why such a drawn out process?
WIT troupes are on-going collaborative ensembles, with no set “end-date” for a production. So once you join you’re part of the family. We want to be as sure as we can that we’ve made the right match, to avoid heartache on both sides.
What’s the schedule, and the time/energy commitment?
Rehearsals are weekly, typically on a weeknight between 7pm and 10pm. JINX and Season Six rehearse on Monday evenings. Caveat rehearses Wednesday evenings. Special rehearsals and additional playing opportunities come up occasionally, including some mandatory rehearsals. Each ensemble usually conducts a weekend retreat once a year, and there is occasional travel to other cities for improv festivals. Performance runs are usually for 4-7 weeks, with between one and three shows per week. You don’t have to be available for every single event, but the greater majority.
Playing in an ensemble is currently a labor of love. Opportunities to earn money arise in private performances, corporate training, and teaching in WIT's classes program.
If I get accepted into a troupe should I continue taking classes?
If at all possible, yes. We believe progressing through the WIT curriculum will make you the strongest improviser you can be. But as a troupe-member you’ll receive a steep discount.
Do I just rehearse and play?
No. Ensemble members also help out behind the scenes in activity areas such as marketing, operations, classes, corporate training.
What if I don’t get in?
Maybe you would benefit from further training before joining a performance troupe. Or maybe you just had a bad audition. In any case, you'll have had the experience of auditioning and can approach it with that much more knowledge next time.
Where can I ask more questions?
If you don’t find the answer here feel free to ask us at auditions@washingtonimprovtheater.com.
See you at auditions!
Read more!
August 14th -- the second happy hour comedy show at
indie rock club "The Velvet Lounge" on U st. The first one
was orgasmic.
Top comics at a top rock club.
Just $2!
This time we've got:
Keith Irvine
Marcus Brown
Hampton Yount (Again?!! He has alota material...)
Eli Sairs
Crucial Element
(Crucial Element: Ryan Conner and Quincy Ledbetter)
Come have happy hour and comedy at the same time! Kick off your friday night hilariously.
$2 Natty, $4 rail
This Friday, come check out Justin Schlegel, Seaton Smith, Aparna Nancherla, Eli Sairs, Jake Young, and Hampton Yount at the Velvet Lounge. The musical guest is Matt Hemmerlein. It may be one of the best moments of your life (at the Velvet Lounge).
WHEN: SATURDAY JUNE 27
Entertainment from 8 PM-9:30 PM
Two 35-minute sets with Intermission. Cash Bar.
WHERE: Fireplace Room in the
The Westin DC City Center
1400 M Street, NW 20005
TICKETS: Show Tickets $20
Click This Box
PayPal
Or buy them at the door, if available,
recent shows have been Sold Out!
Ticket Information: 202 360 5056
DINNER OPTION: Come Early! Good Eats!
Three Course Pre-Show Dinner
Seatings from 6pm - 7 pm
The 1400 North Restaurant
In The Westin - Just Steps from the Show
Dinner: $35
Please RSVP for dinner directly to the
Restaurant. Call 202 429 9156 or 429 1700
Show and Dinner Sold Separately
Laugh. Chill. Repeat.
Wicked funny song parodies and yuks including:
What Happens In Vegas (Sen. Ensign)
Barack Obama Superstar! The Drama of Bo Obama
My Nominee Has A Last Name It's S-O-T-O-M-A Y-O-R
Nancy Pelosi Sings to CIA "Your Lyin Eyes"
Starbucks (I'm a Barista) Still Cheney After All These Years
Yes Sir, That's My Baby (Sen Edwards) Breaking News Means "Be Afraid"
Deficit Tomorrow! Stimulus Tonight! Warren & Jimmy Buffett in Margaritaville
Someone to Watch Over Me (Madoff & The SEC ) The United States of Walmart
T. Boone Pickin n Grinin Aide Misbehavin' (Scooter's Lament)
California OctoMom New Reality TV: Ask Mr. President
Love Client No. 9 (D-NY) The Toe Tappin' Senator in Terminal B (R-ID)
We are Family (Adamses, Clintons, Bushes) The Decider
Limbaugh Rock Charlie on the Metrorail
I'm a Lobbyist DC Think Tanks
and
whatever is in the day's news.
Spoof Everyone. Burn No One. 90 minutes of post-partisan fun!
Now Every Saturday...If It's Saturday, It's Planet Washington!!!
But No Show 7/4. AFTER JUNE 27, NEXT SHOW ISN'T Until JULY 11!
SHOW 9pm
There will be talent scouts there...and by talent scouts I mean people who scout talent and then decide whether they should seek out this sort of entertainment in the future, synonymous with: customers, audience members, dudes and chics.
COME TO OUR NEXT DC SHOW! (Special Guest Mark Russell!) ************************** JUNE 20 (Saturday) in DC at The Westin JUNE 27 (Saturday) in DC at The Westin Westin DC City Center 1400 M Street NW in The Fireplace Lounge. GROUP RATES AVAILABLE $20 Tix Call 202 333 3599 to guarantee your seat (Last 4 shows SOLD OUT! Thank You DC!) "Great Show! Potent, Pithy, & Funny. And you have a better piano player than I do." - Mark Russell "Political Comedy's New Kid on the Block." - Rachel Ray Comedy Central's The Daily Show - with music! A musical political satirical view of news from your nation's capital hosted by Ken Rynne of Planet Washington, a former Capitol Step and Hill staffer and piano accompanist and co-conspirator Sean Collins. An open site for friends, fans, and contributors to comment, send pics, or ideas for parodies to help us remain up-to-the-tweet bipartisan and equal opportunity roasters. We'll gladly take your ideas and make them our own. Planet Washington, When News Breaks We Fix It. |
| Email: |  |
| Website: | |
| Location: |
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Bronchitis + New Job + Travel = No blogging. However, I was able to go out to Los Angeles for a couple of auditions plus to have a look around to see if its the kind of place that I could move to for a few years. Verdict= Maybe. Not dying to be out there and in fact, it made Chicago more attractive.
Highlights of Trip:
1.) Flew Delta out to Salt Lake City and then connected on a flight to Los Angeles. I don't know what it is, because I can't remember the last airline I flew out to Salt Lake City, but each time on the back of the seat in front of me was a small Television, where I had my choice of Cable and Network TV Channels along with a good assortment of Movies at $2 a pop. Last time I was this excited about an amenity was when I was 8 and flew for the first time out to Chicago. Tha'ts when I discovered salted almonds. If they would had this TV layout when I was 8, I'd be a pilot right now. Other than that, I hate flying and it seems as if my fear is chronic. Turbulence scares the shit out of me and all I can think of is the 7:49 minute mark into the movie, "Alive". John Madden has the right idea.
2.) My car rental...E-Z Rent-A-Car in LA was pretty solid. I decided to "Go Green" and rent a Prius but when they said they were all out, I decided to go with the Isuzu Axiom SUV. Good choice. A Prius is foo-fooey anway. The only thing that sucks about this E-Z--is trying to find it. You fly in, you'll have to take another shuttle to a place nearby, ask someone when you stop where it is and then, they'll drop you off...maybe close to it. Other than that...strong reccommend. And yes, the previous description is how I found the place.
3.) First celebrity sighting, Reddman , at LAX. It didn't hit me who he was until about 2 or 3 minutes later standing next to him...we were both waiting for cabs or shuttles or a ride or something, but nothing was like coming you know, for real, it took like bowf of us like, you know 10 minutes before we could even sniff a ride, you know what I'm say'n?! I finally just said, "Fuck it", and hopped on a Hertz Shuttle.
4.) Stayed with my friend Joe who works for Current TV ...heard a couple of good stories from him. He helps produce a lot of interviews with actors, musicians and comedians. 1.) After they finished interviewing Jared Leto, the entire crew surmised that his actual age must be really around 13 or 14, 2.) Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant, were some of nicest, most professional and not mention funniest guys he's ever met. 3.) If you are backstage at a Tool concert or anywhere close to Tool, within an earshot, do not look at them. I repeat. Do not look at them. HEY! DID YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!?! DO NOT FUCKING LOOK AT TOOL.
5.) First morning that I had some time to myself, I checked Wilford Brimley's blood pressure. 120/80, remarkable.
6.) Auditioned for "The Groundlings" class conservatory. If you are in LA, it might be something fun to do if its going on that day. Go to their website and where they post a schedule. If you move to LA and plan to take classes with them you have to audition. If you pass, its good for a year before you have to re-audition. If you don't pass, you have to wait 6 months. The audition consists of about 45-50 minutes doing a quick warm-up and then two person scenes round-robin style so everyone goes twice. Basically, you have to show up and formulate audible and coherent sentences in order to pass. The one person who did not pass basically failed because when he was called upon to come up, his response was, "No, I don't think so".
7.) Learned that Troy Duffy, writer and director of "Boondock Saints" and star of "Overnight" has not been really humbled by his rise and fantastic fall.
8.) L.A. has the same layout as Ocean City, Maryland. For example, in O.C., every block is Salt Water Taffy, Jolly Roger, Surf Shop, Tattoo Parlor and Big Pecker T-Shirts...in L.A., its Nail Salon, Dry Cleaning, Movie Ad, Tattoo Parlor, and Thai-Restaurant.
9.) Auditioned for "Boom Chicago" (out of Amsterdam, Holland), main reason I went out there. Auditions were at Improv Oylmpic West on Hollywood Boulevard. Walked in, very early, waited with 6 other people for our time-slot to be announced. Everyone was very nice and very chatty. And pierced. It was a lot of nervous, empty talk about nothing. Like two hours of the Today Show, jammed into 20 minutes.
I consider myself friendly but not really talk-for-the-sake-of-talking-because-its-an-audition-and-by-God-we-are-all-in-this-together-and-pulling-for-each-other-and-its-no-big-deal-anyway!
Long-story short, audition went great. I heard back from nobody.
10.) Saw Dasariski at IO West on my last night. I thought the show was improvised, it was not. Which is good because the "improvisation" was so good that I became depressed half-way through the show. Somewhere in the beginning, as the show was being introduced, I missed the part where they explained at the end of each month they take the best of their improvised shows from the previous month, script and present it.
I left early for the airport and since it was a rental and I had a GPS, I drove to LAX via "Florence and Normandy", through Crenshaw and Compton , and stopped for some Brass Monkey next to Randy's Donuts. I dropped the keys back off at E-Z and exclaimed to the guy behind the counter that, "Today was a good day".
Recently I responded to an ad for an MC gig at an unspecified conference which I would later find out would be for prospective Au pairs. I applied with my headshot and resume and I received the following immediate response below (I would like to give the scam artist credit for originality on this one):
Dear applicant,
Thank you for replying back to the posting on craigslist. I'm Mr. Nicholas Morgan the director of Global Au Pair Agency 22 The Ridings Norwich United Kingdom. We are specialized in Bringing good and friendly Au pair / Nanny / Care Giver / Tutor and Families together. Au pairs from Germany, France, Spain, Great Britain and Ireland. Families from Central Europe, North / South America and also from Asia and other parts of the Au pair world. View our website for more details http//www.globalaupairagency.
We are relocating to the state to hold an exhibitions / lecture for both adult and youth in the states with World Christian Ministries Association (W C M A). This is based on bringing Au pair and Families and also lectures on how to donate for the orphans.
So We are seeking a MC / A very good speaker to help us coordinate this upcoming Exhibitions which is dated on 23rd of May 2009, Time : 10am till 2pm, Theme: Blue and Purple.
This Job is now offered to you and i hope you should know your duties.
Kindly get back to us with your charges for this hours, so that we can finalize and get the payment to you. Get back to us with the below details:
Are you available on that date ?
FULL NAME:
PHYSICAL ADDRESS
CELL PHONE:
HOME PHONE:
Kindly get back to us in time as to know if this offer is okay with you?
We will look forward to your e mail with the required information. Call me anytime on my phone number +44 703.190.3983 please dial as presented for international calls.
Nicholas Morgan
DCComedy4Now was invited by Starz to attend the taping of the 4th Series for Martin Lawrence Presents: 1st Amendment Stand-Up at the Lincoln Theater inside the U Street corridor next to Ben's Chile Bowl last Friday. On the line-up was Guy Torry, a comic who's career I have followed since his role (very underrated) in American History X. I asked if I could grab an interview with Mr. Torry. Starz was kind enough to oblige and I was granted a few minutes of time back stage to ask the performer a little more about his experience with American History X, his background in stand-up and his future plans.
The taping at the Lincoln Theater was a first of its kind for me. The theater has a lot of volume to it and where I was sitting in the front row of the balcony it must have gone back at least 15-20 rows. The sound was the only hinderence to enjoying the show sometimes as the comedians, who were all high-energy, often had a hard time being understood off the acoustics of the theater. I had never been to a taping of a live performance and I found the experience different but not distracting. The entire stage design was for the look on camera not for the live audience. If you were sitting in the audience you could make out "1st Amendment Stand-Up" out of the backdrop that resembled somewhat of a large Lite-Brite. And the big screen TV's image down stage right looked pixilated but would translate crisply to the home-audience. There were aspects of the process, from a performer's perspective, that I found could be an interesting challenge.
The event had 3 MC's.
There was the MC/warm-up who made announcements, got the energy going, did some material then there was the MC for the series, Doug Williams who took over to get the energy rolling for what people were going to see on cable. However, the man controlling the entire flow of the show was the stage-manager. The entire show's flow was start and stop. Both of the hosts had to deal with this "3rd host" who was walking back and forth and even standing right next to them at times while they were doing material. The stage-manager even cut off the MC/Warm-up right at a punch line to give him a message. The comedians were all professional but it had to have been difficult on the timing and in the end, any comic wants to do well in front of what is still a live audience.
Then there was Guy Torry's intro, who came back out immediately after his set when they said they had to redo his introduction. So after he finished his set, they welcomed him back on stage, to which he handled quite professionally with an impromptu "Knock-Knock" joke that ended with "Michael Jackson". It worked well in a pinch.
"Professionalism" was a reoccurring theme that kept popping into my head after seeing Torry's set and speaking with him. He's a pro. He takes his craft seriously, he has had some success but he was incredibly open and gracious.
I caught up with Torry backstage who was still talking to a couple of other guys about his last joke in regards to Fantasia from American Idol. Torry was not gentle with her lack of literary skills and apparently, or at least in the bit, she chased him through an airport to which Torry "tripped" her up with a Scrabble board. Torry seemed to have missed a segue that he wanted to use. He wasn't upset but more like a batter coming off of an at-bat that had just missed the perfect pitch. It was the first thing I asked him about:
"I just used an old segue. I'm all about smooth segues and transitions. I wanna make it flow. In regards to the Fantasia joke, I used an old-set up that flows directly from the Obama material that I have been doing".
Alot of that seemed improvised, were there some improvised moments?
"Some. I've got a skeleton. But you have at least that if you are going to change lanes. And you have to keep it loose so it doesn't sound scripted. I'm all about the moment, being in the moment. You have to know where you are and know where you are going, sort of like what they do in Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Is that a show you would like to do?
"Oh yeah, sure! You know people know me from American History X, I got cred from the dramatic side of things after that role, but as a comedian and as an actor I'm always about being in the moment and that's what that [improvisation] is all about."
Your role in American History X, I don't think you got enough credit. Your character was pivotal in the transformation of Edward Norton's character. You had to walk the fine line of being someone that was going to be real with him but also bring in that comedic element. You really did a lot of work.
"Thank-you, I appreciate that. You know at the time I was a very green actor. Tony K the director gave me and Edward Norton a lot freedom. And this was after some scenes were not hitting right. And Norton cared a lot about the story and talked to Tony and he eventually let us go and said 'You have the green light'.
You mean those scenes were improvised between you and Norton?
"Yeah! The majority of the work. Ed Norton is very passionate about what he does, about the scene, the project. He cares about the story. And there were some things that were not working. So they [Norton and Tony K] talked about it and he was like, 'Ok, go to it. And again it was about the moment and playing across from Edward Norton, I mean man, he's incredible to play off of".
So the part with the bedsheet...
"Yeah, that was--"
And the other scene as well, where you guys were talking about Lakers vs. Celtics? That was one moment that I really thought was scripted because it seemed so "white (Celtics) vs. black (Lakers)", in fact I even thought it was a little bit, "Do the Right Thing".
"Yeah, I know but really it just turned out that way. But also, what can two men make-up the best? Sex and sports. The Lakers were my team and the Celtics were Norton's team so it just flowed. We just went at it. And then the scene about not letting your girl leave you when shes angry, that is just true for anybody. The arguing, the make-up sex, that is stuff that anyone can relate to".
How did you get the role?
"Well, whenever I talk about 'American History X' and that experience, I just always use the word, 'Karma'. It was total karma man. I used to run this show in L.A. called 'Phat Tuesdays' and it was a chance to do my thing and other guys would come and perform. Well there was this comic that was funny as all get out. And these producers for this movie were coming to check me out for this role. Well this other comic was hot. He took the stage and man he brought the whole place down. And the producers were there that night and chose him, the movie was '5th Element' and the comic was Chris Tucker.
Wow. That must of been tough.
"You know though that role was his [Tucker], I would have hurt it. And I was cool, I was happy that the producers were just coming to check out my show. But again, karma, it came back for me. Because a little while later they were looking to Tommy Davidson to play the part that I played in American History X. And they saw me at my show and I ended up getting the role".
I wish I had the time to talk to you more about this. Alot of the material you did tonight was current?
"Yeah, well, we have a black president, so you have to talk about it. But doing it here tonight for television, once I put a bit on TV, I put it to bed".
I liked your joke about DC, being a city where as you're driving, it goes from "Good-to-Ghetto-to-Gay".
"(Laughs) Yeah, but that joke can work pretty much for any cit you are in, that joke isn't just for DC, you can use that all over the place. But its true, go to any major city and it has all of those parts in it and you can be driving and before you know it, you're in the 'good' then the 'ghetto' and then 'gay' ".
So you were in college in Missouri, was college just something that you felt like you had to do and then you were going to get into comedy full-time?
"You know, I never had any interest in doing stand-up comedy. I used to joke around at the jobs I had but I just liked cheering people up. I worked at department and grocery stores and I would crack on people and co-workers. But I went to LA to finish my marketing degree".
What changed?
Well there was my brother (stand-up comedian Joe Torry) and there was the Russell Simmons Def Comedy Jam generation. I was influenced by all those guys. I also was Production Assitant on the set for Martin Lawrence's show, "Martin", and I was influenced by that. I would be doing little things around the set, getting things for people, all the while saying to Martin when I saw him, 'Hey man check this out, I'm funny too'. I wrote an episode too".
But eventually you were doing it full-time or as much as you could...
"Yeah, I just started studying the great ones, Pryor, Bruce, Berle, Cosby, you name it, Whoopie Goldberg, Dicky Gregory, Redd Foxx, and just tried to asorb as much as I could. And then I got booked for Def Jam by Bob Sumner who was a scout for Russell Simmons."
You do sets regularly while you are out on tour?
"I do sets all the time. All the time. Open-mics, regular shows, coffee houses, I'm always working on new material. And especially now, I'm trying to change or explore where I am at right now in my life. Its whole new period for me".
What are some of the new angles?
"Well, I'm married now, and where I'm at in my life, I'm a little older, so I'm looking a lot now at relationships".
What advice would you have for a young comic?
"Study your craft. Be in it for the show, be it for the love and not anything else."
I have sent Guy Torry's PR rep some follow-up questions, so I hope to have them posted soon.
Every time I pass by the movie "Groundhog Day" on cable, if I can, I wait for this part: (9:15 minute mark) Bill Murry well into the monotony of his curse and about to move out of denial and into anger, has been boozing down with two Puxtawney bowling-alley regulars and laments, "What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same and nothing that you did mattered?" To which Rick Overton's character gives the lone reply of, "That about sums it up for me". Overton's reply resonates, especially for comedians, who have ventured out onto the stage in search of validation and the approbation that their voice is relevant and what they do matters.
I have needed to inject this blog with some life and recently the idea of getting back to the interveiws with people who make comedy their living has seemed like one of the most interesting ways. Overton came to mind because his first HBO Special came on around the time I was growing up and starting to follow comedy. It was the late 80's and early 90's, back when Rosie O'Donnell was actually kind of cool for hosting one of the few stand-up shows on television, "A&E's Evening at the Improv". Guys like the late Dennis Wolfburg, Richard Lewis, Bill Hicks, Eddie Griffinm, Norm McDonald, and Overton were just starting to get recognized and getting their own HBO One-Night Stand. Before any of his existential ranting, I rememeber Bill Hicks first because of his joke about "New Kids on the Block", it was one of the clips HBO would always play when they advertised the One-Night Stand series. It was the only material I could comprehend from Hicks at the time.
So I reached out to Overton, who graciously obliged, because he has been a favorite of mine from early on and I always enjoyed seeing him on his multiple roles on TV and Film. His credits include: Willow (alongside Kevin Pollack, they are the "smallest" characters actually in the film), Groundhog Day and an Emmy for writing on the Dennis Miller Show. I would have liked to have talked to him more about his film credits and experiences on the Dennis Miller Show and hope to follow-up with him sometime down the road.
You grew up in Queens, New York and both of your parents were involved with music it looks like, is music something that you were involved in as well? Did you grow up around performers? If so, what kind of influence do remember that having on you?
I Grew up in Forest Hills until 1966, at which point we moved to Englewood NJ because Dizzy Gillespie found us a house near him! Music has always played a role in my creativity, whether it's an actual song, or a joke or a script. Everything should have a pulse, like a heartbeat. Music breathes life into anything it is applied to. I did grow up around jazz musicians. My Dad was a closet comic and would play Bob Newhart and Jonathan Winters albums for me all the time. Got me hooked on Peter Sellers. Characters. I began comedy in high school, in a team with Tonn Pastore - OVERTON AND PASTORE. He went into a day job scene and stayed. We talk every other day. I'm his son's Godfather.
Your friend, Pastore took to the day-job scene, what kept you from doing the same? The thing that kept me going was just passion. Passion makes the hard parts more like the way you re tired after playing a sport that you love, or the kind of tired you get from doing something you hate to do. There's a good and a bad tired. Following your dream is the good tired at the end of the day.
Could you describe a little about your act with Roger Sullivan? Overton and Sullivan was a team that did abstract sketches and characters. Little scenes like: A car with buzzers that go off until the driver zips up his fly (1973). Two cops trying to talk a jumper off of a ledge with impressions, and get caught up in their own schtick, forgetting the jumper (1975). Strange bits with lots of high speed timing and characters - sound effects too.
So then you were off to LA...
You started to comedy in the 70's and 80's? What are the major differences between doing comedy now and then?
What always seems to stay the same or what can you yourself always depend on doing live comedy? Do you still get the same feeling that you did when you were just starting out?I don't get the same feeling on stage as when I started out, but it's close enough for me to come back rain or shine. I'm more of an actor these days, but my act is seeing a new resurgence of appreciation in this era of tightened belts. Suddenly, what I've been saying all along is getting heard.
How did you learn about the business side of comedy? What advice would you give folks starting out about the business side?
COMEDY PREVIEW
Dane Cook
When: 8 p.m. Thursday, May 14.
Where: The Q, East Sixth Street and Huron Road, Cleveland.
Tickets: $33-$103, call 216-241-5555 or 330-945-9400.
Don't think his lofty status high above most stand-ups makes the air too thin for him to hear. Don't think he just covers his ears with his double-platinum records, or stuffs them full of the cash he pulls in for all manner of entertainment, from arena acts to TV specials to starring movie roles.
He hears it.
"I stay very close to the word on the street, so it does hurt. It definitely affects your veneer from time to time," he says, musing aloud about how jealousy and frustration play a role, but some people just aren't ever going to like you, two gazillion MySpace friends be damned.
It hurts more when it hurts those around you, said Cook: "The stuff on the bathroom wall that needs a good scrub down, that's the tricky part. When you see it hurting your fans and your family, that's when it hurts me. . . . There's more good than bad at the end of the day, sometimes the bad is really bad."
Cook, the gel-haired frat boy who stalks the stage, has been feeling very introspective lately. His parents died. His half-brother faces charges of embezzling loads of cash from him. He's not the college kid anymore. He's taken the pain and the maturity and boiled it down to a new, more personal act. He performed it in front of a handful of people -- fewer than are usually in the bathroom at any given time during one of his arena shows -- and taped it for a Comedy Central special, "Isolated Incident," premiering Sunday, May 17. He's bringing the material to his usual humongous audiences now, including a gig at The Q on Thursday, May 14.
"It was cathartic for me to share some of this material of what I've lived through over the last few years, the good and the bad. And now that I've brought that smaller, more intimate show to an even larger venue, it's an incredible feeling," he said. The response, said the most fan-connected comic in history, has been "overwhelmingly positive."
He even spends a good chunk of time talking about all the haters.
"I get goose bumps sometimes performing this material about dealing with those tough moments, and the reason I get so emotional about it when that wave of laughter finally comes is because now I own it, now I am giving that to other people and not in an egotistical, narcissistic way, but in a very . . . healing way," said Cook. "I speak about it. People laugh. It makes me feel not so bad, and it doesn't have the same pain and impact as the person who tried to deliver that blow."
Cook says he was shy and insecure when he was young and "had nowhere to share these strange and fantastical ideas." The comedy club stage was safe for that and feels safe again.
"To come full circle and to lose both of my parents and deal with the white-hot spotlight and the negativity that goes with that . . . I found myself feeling like I did in 1990 again where [the stage was] the one place I could share everything, kind of hang it out to dry. By the end of the day it was just a healing for me," he said.
Heavy as it all sounds, Cook assures his singular goal is to make people laugh, to "bring a little bit of lightness" to someone else's bad day.
And maybe even his own.
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| Host: | |
| Type: | |
| Network: | Global |
| Start Time: | Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 8:00pm |
| End Time: | Saturday, May 9, 2009 at 4:00am |
| Location: | Betts Theater, Marvin Center |
| City/Town: | Washington, DC |
| Email: |
The biggest joke in Washington DC is anything driving related. If its not the traffic or asshole diplomats, when you get out of the car you have to deal with the parking meters. They either:
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Eddie Murphy was really starting to explode around "Delirious", I could see rolling deep with some peeps.
Ego is fascinating. By taking the stage to do comedy, you have said to the room, "I'm funny". I used to think I was special for taking the stage to do any sort of comedy or acting but it takes the same nerve to start and excel at any endeavor. Egos exist in all walks of life. Doctor's are known to be egotistical. It has to take an extreme amount of ego and confidence to be a neurosurgeon.
You are cutting into someone's head.
However, have you ever seen a neurosurgeon rolling deep? Swinging his stethoscope around, an arm wrapped around a Candy-Striper, 3 of his best friends from his neighborhood who aren't even doctors all on their cell-phones, a couple of nurses, and some orderlies hauling his golf bag?
Chris Rock talked about always being asked if Lorne Michaels had a big ego or was Michael's arrogant and he responded maybe he was; but arrogance was all around him. Rock said he could find an arrogant cab driver on daily basis. So when does ego warrant a posse? It doesn't. The posse' is just symptomatic of an ego that has gone awry.
Its silly for a comedian to have an entourage. Eddie Murphy or Jerry Seinfeld, I can understand. These guys have surpassed comedian and performer and have become media moguls. But for comics?
I was standing outside the DC Improv a little over a month ago and while a few of us were waiting to do our showcase in the Lounge, the headliner came through with her entourage dragging her stuff ala the desert scene with John Candy and Bill Pullman in Spaceballs (5:30 mark). The small space outside the Improv doors was already small with the 5 of us hanging outside of it, it became smaller when we were joined by a train of "handlers" and luggage. It inspired a couple of awkward moments. The first one was when one of us lowly local comics tried to make light of the dense silence that came over the small outside by saying, "Hey man, that looks heavy for one person, she should help you out" the guy replied, (out of breath) "Nah, man, this is nothing". I respect that. Why would you say anything else in front of your boss. But the second part that I found the most humorous was after that as the fog of silence grew thicker and the mood more awkward, the headliner stood nose to the face of the back door waiting for it to open like it was the front entrance of Safeway. And it did not open. She did not move. And they waited. No one said a word. It was weird too. I felt like she felt she had to get in before one of us asked her for an autograph or picture. I started to feel bad for her. Like maybe I should just do something nice and validate her for the moment. Its probably the same awkwardness that James Belushi brings to any social moment. Finally, her second guy said something like, "Man, they said the back door was going to be opened!" which his boss replied, "They did" without moving any part of her body as if she was still trying to open the door with telekinesis. Second guy started angrily banging on the door. Until finally it was opened and all the awkwardness escaped into the main show room.
