Mary Hicks and Dave Letterman

Thanks Jake for the link to the Letterman show this past Friday night.
Hicks' mother was pitch perfect with her appearance. She was gracious, forgiving, honest and even a bit funny at times.

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Bill Hicks Tribute on Letterman

This was passed along to me from Andy Kline about a Bill Hicks' tribute that will be on Letterman tonight. So if you're out at a bar somewhere at around 11:30 or midnight, have the bartender turn the TV to Late Night and tell everyone to shut-up for second. Or Tivo.

From tvsquad.com:

Bill Hicks was only 32 years old when he died of cancer in 1994. If you've never heard of him, or heard of him but didn't get a chance to see any of his work, tune into The Late Show with David Letterman this Friday night.

One of Letterman's guests will be Hicks' mom (the show was taped earlier this week). She'll be there to mark the 15th anniversary of Hicks' death. Now, this may seem like an odd thing for a talk show to do, have the mom of a deceased comic on, but there's special meaning behind this appearance. Just five months before his death, Hicks appeared on The Late Show and did a scathing stand-up routine (the kind he usually did) which attacked everything from religion to politics. Unfortunately, it was too hot for the show and the performance was never shown, and this really hurt Hicks. On Friday, Letterman is finally going to show the performance.

Hicks wasn't for everyone, but you have to admire how much he threw himself into his role as a stand-up comic. A lot of people say that Denis Leary borrowed a lot of his act from Hicks, and I don't know if that's true or fair, but I think it is fair to say that a lot of comics were heavily influenced by him. Russell Crowe might play Hicks in a movie.

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Truth, Justice and the American Comedic Way

I tried a little "truth" experiment the other night at Chief Ike's and it went over like a lead-turd wearing ankle weights. Sorry about that. However, in the spirit of the Holiday weekend and this country's fervor for the truth and justice, I'd like to leave you with a thought from the late Richard Jeni talking about the late Bill Hicks,

"You know when you watched him, you'd kind of feel bad...I should be doing more of this kind of thing, I should be telling the truth more often". (If you follow the link its at 1:23)

To Carlin, Hicks, Pryor and all those that have used their voice not only for humor but as an instrument of reason and an execution of freedom--Happy Fourth.

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Chicago's TJ Jagodowski

I thought this blog was about the DC comedy scene?

It is...but sometimes enthusiasm trumps logic.

At the bottom of the page is the link to the article the Chicago Reader did about Jagodowski last week during their coverage of the Chicago Improv Festival. Its not DC related and that is sort of what this blog needs right now but this is a good comedy/human story; it's got perseverance, overcoming adversity, the character finding his way, loss, failure, success and so far a happy ending--from what I can remember it’s been a week since I've really read the article. But Jagodowski is someone you should know.

[Hit the Jump!]

In the same way a stand-up comic would want to wax poetic about Bill Hicks to the normie on the street all the while getting the same confused look that Andy Rooney would give a Nintendo Wii ; Jagodowski is that guy to people in improvisation—even to others in comedy. And if you are as much of a fan of Hick's philosophy, Jagodowski embodies it--he does what he truly loves and finds a way to make it work as his livelihood despite what life as thrown at him.

If you are ever in Chicago and stroll around the area of the Improv Oylmpic, you'll probably see him, usually hanging out, having a few drinks, a smoke and a round or two of Golden Tee in one of the many pubs on North Clark Street. He is unassuming and approachable but prefers to blend into the background. I had one comic tell me once that seeing Jagodowski on the subway set off his own internal alarm bell--being that the road to stardom or a decent income wasn't via improvisation.

"There I was sitting on the subway and right across from me is the best improviser in Chicago, in the country, in the world for that matter, and he was riding the subway just like me--and nobody knew or cared who the fuck he was".

I saw Jagodowski perform last week in Chicago, I went out early to the Chicago Improv Festival to see him specifically. He performed with his troupe, "Carl and the Passions" but the real experience started with his two man show, TJ and Dave. However, Dave Pasquesi wasn't there that night and taking Pasquesi's place that night was “30 Rock's” John Lutz, who synced perfectly into place.

As I get older, more and more I lament that nothing is ever “as advertised”. This show was--Jagodowski was and is that good. I've seen other comedians come close in the past; but even when I was 17 and I saw George Carlin on my birthday, it was "eh"--I'd heard most of it already. (No disrespect to Don Carlin but I was still a kid and it was the equivalent of getting to see Santa Clause).

Go see TJ and Dave either in Chicago or New York. Anyone who performs can respect a good show, a good performance, and can learn from a dedicated artist.
Well, anyway, read the article here. I think I just came up for air off Jagodowski's existential cock; though if you think I’m parched with sore knees, check out the quote from New City Chicago on Jagodowski’s Wikipedia entry.

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