This week's Sound of Young America broadcast bears the theme "(Un)Clean." My guests are comedian Jim Gaffigan (who doesn't swear on stage) and the creators of Wonder Showzen (who dress children up in Hitler costumes).
Jim Gaffigan is one of the country's most popular stand-up comics, and an accomplished actor, as well. His observational humor is peppered with audience commentary - that he provides himself, in a creepy high pitched voice. We talk about his long standup career, and his acting career, which features both comic and dramatic credits. He's currently on tour (including a show in San Francisco April 7th), and his new CD and DVD are in stores now.
Vernon Chatman and John Lee are the creators of the brilliant MTV2 series Wonder Showzen. The series could be broadly described as a parody of children's television, but it's really more of a satire of the banality of American culture. One recurring segment, "Beat Kids," sends children dressed as reporters to ask pointed questions of the man on the street. In one, a 7-year-old (or so) black girl is dispatched to Wall Street, asking "Who have you exploited today?" and "Where will you be when the revolution comes?" John & Vernon are also members of the rock band PFFR (pronounced P-F-R), and the former writers of the MTV series "Doggy Fizzle Televizzle." Wonder Showzen returned to MTV2 yesterday, and airs Fridays at 9:30PM. Their first season DVD was just released. Download this week's show (MP3 Audio)
Tonight, half-hour specials from two of the best comics in the business, Arj Barker and Todd Barry, will be premiering. Arj is the most magnetic performer I've ever seen on the standup stage, and he uses that magnetism to draw you into a weird alternate world. Todd is a master joke writer whose sly, dry delivery makes every punchline pop.
Two stories:
Last time I saw Arj Barker perform, I talked to him after the show, and told him how much I'd love to have him on The Sound of Young America. Turns out, he had already been on The Sound of Young America, and I'd forgotten. Moral of the story: I am a jackass.
Last time I saw Todd Barry, I was driving him to his hotel for SF Sketchfest. At the time, I drove a 65 Dart, which had no seatbelts in the back, where he was sitting. He was absolutely horrified, and expressed his horror by berating me and my "deathtrap" car for the next 20 minutes. Moral of the story: just let Todd Barry take a cab.
You can see some clips of them performing here on the CC Presents page. Arj has been blogging on behalf of the Comedy Central Insider from Australia or something. The shows air at 9 and 9:30 tonight.
For some of you, this may be old hat, as it's been circulating in bootleg form for some years. But for those of you who have not seen it, it will be a revelation. This pilot, for a show called "Heat Vision & Jack," stars a pre-fame Owen Wilson & Jack Black, and was directed by a pre-annoying Ben Stiller.
Jack Black plays a super-smart astronaut on the run from Ron Silver (who plays himself), riding his talking motorcycle (played by Wilson). One of the most conceptually audacious comedy shows I've ever seen, and effectively executed, too. FOX passed (understandably, I'd say, given how ridiculous the whole thing is), but it lives on to entertain us all.
I'm going to start off-topic here, but did you know that you can buy magazine subscriptions on Ebay? And if you're looking for a mass-market magazine (The New Yorker, Cosmo, Spin, whatever), they're really, really cheap.
Anyway, I bought a year subscription to Wired for $3, and it ain't much of a magazine. Once in a while there's something interesting, but not too often. That said, though, there's a fascinating piece by Will Wright, the designer of SimCity, the Sims and many other games, about the future of gaming.
Games are evolving to entertain, educate, and engage us individually. These personalized games will reflect who we are and what we enjoy, much as our choice of cooks and music does now. They will allow us to express ourselves, meet others, and create things that we can only dimly imagine. They will enable us to share and combine these creations, to build vast playgrounds. And more than ever, games will be a visible, external amplification of the human imagination.
Pitchfork reports that alt-rock legends The Replacements are reconvening (well, to the extent they can, only three are alive) to record new material for an upcoming best-of on Rhino:
Color us fucking impressed: Original flannel gods the Replacements have recorded their first new material since 1990. According to a press release from Rhino Records, 3/4 of the original lineup (and the only surviving ones), Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars, reconvened last December in Minneapolis to record two new Westerberg-penned tunes, "Message to the Boys" and "Pool & Dive," for the upcoming Replacements compilation Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?: The Best of the Replacements.
It was much warmer than I had imagined. It was colder in NY the week before the festival. The altitude warnings are for real. I felt dizzy for a couple of days and held off on getting drunk until Thursday (I arrived on Monday). I delighted to discover how walkable the town is and how the whole festival was easy to manage.
What was the audience like for your shows?
I had two shows, both at the "Belly Up" venue. It's a rock club, but because it's in Aspen it's a real classy joint. No stickers on the bathroom walls. I don't really know how many were in attendance at the shows, but it was very full. 200 people maybe? I found it to be a warm, responsive audience, which was great. I guess it was a mix of locals and industry types. In addition to my stage shows, I did a few pranks around town which was a total blast. I documented the whole experience on my site, complete with photos and video.
What was the best social event you attended? Why?
The Upright Citizens Brigade rented a three-story condo with College Humor and 3 Arts. There were parties there every night, but the Friday night party was the best. Dave Chapelle made a cameo for literally thirty seconds. I guess that's how long it took him to decide it wasn't his scene. Anyway, the condo was awesome-- pool table, hot tub, steam room, ridiculous fan from the 70's. Oh, and a fridge full of beer and a freezer full of liquor. Besser himself was staying there and personally welcoming everyone into the house. Anthony King (Artistic Director of UCB NY) and Alex Sidtis (UCB NY Theatre Manager) were also staying there. Alex's job for the entire week at Aspen was to plan awesome parties at the UCB house and to generally promote all of the shows with UCB people in them (four stage shows + Aziz's standup).
What was the best show you saw that wasn't your own?
I fucking love Brian Finklestein's show. I'd seen it before in NY, and I was only able to see the last ten minutes of it in Aspen (running to it after one of my shows), but he managed to make me cry in those ten minutes. Such a beautiful, sad, and very hilarious show.
What was the strangest social interaction you had while there?
There was a local guy who showed up at all of the social events with his dog. He had trained the dog to stand on his arm. No one really knew what his deal was, but everyone called him "Dog Dude". I guess he's there every year. Anyway, at the UCB party his dog was walking around the kitchen and I figured out how to get it to stand on my arm. The dude saw me doing it and just said, "Go for it, man." So I walked around the party very drunk with this dog standing on my arm.
Would you reccomend it to others?
Absolutely. As a performer it was an amazing experience. They put you up in great hotel rooms and they take care of you the whole week. Tons of free food. Free transportation. Free parties with free drinks. Free access to shows. I'm not sure if I would reccomend it to someone not performing. Unless of course you're rich. If you're rich, definitely go!
I know what you're thinking... I listen to The Sound of Young America, but I lose sleep ever night wondering if the Portland Press-Herald of Portland, Maine thinks my favorite show is "Worth Checking Out."
Thanks to the readers of the Metro Santa Cruz, who voted me the Bronze award for "Best Radio Personality" in Santa Cruz in their annual readers' poll. This is the fourth Goldie we (that is, me or me & Jordan) have won in the past five years -- two gold and two bronze. Thanks, Santa Cruzians!
Henry Rollins will be chatting at 3PM Eastern today on the Washington Post website about his new IFC series. Looks like a pretty wonderful guest lineup he has for the show, too. Can you imagine if Henry Rollins and Chuck D became friends? Or Henry Rollins and Oliver Stone? The universe might fold in on itself.
Comic Demetri Martin (who recently became the Daily Show's "Trend Spotting" correspondent) is continuing his string of successes. He just sold a pitch to Dreamworks... per Variety:
DreamWorks has found its way with "Will," acquiring the pitch from comic/scribe Demetri Martin. Comedic story centers on an ordinary guy who has settled into a typical life with a job and family. After waking up one day and resolving to no longer live an average life, he sets out on a journey to fulfill his hidden potential. Martin will take a key supporting role. Scot Armstrong, who penned "Old School" and "Road Trip" for DreamWorks, is closing a deal to be executive producer on the project. Martin pitched the idea to both Steven Spielberg and studio head Adam Goodman; latter took it off the market right away.
23-year-old Ryan Stout is a rising star in the comedy scene, having already whipped through San Francisco on the way to Hollywood Celebrity. His style is quite fairly compared to Sarah Silverman, contrasting shocking transgressions with a calm, confident exterior. He also kind of looks like he should host an entertainment news show. Here's his take on his Aspen Comedy Festival experience. (By the way, a fair portion take seems to be a response to Brent Weinbach's take earlier this week), so if you haven't read that, do so now.
Had you been before?
I think I was there briefly when I was a kid—We, my parents and I, just stopped through town to ride the gondola, or something, and continued our road trip on to ‘Elsewhere.’
What did you expect it to be like?
Cold, expensive, and stressful.
My biggest worry was the altitude. I don’t exercise much… Well, not at all, really. So, my cardio-vascular system isn’t quite up to par. On top of that, I hold a pretty steady diet of alcohol and diner food. Overall, I doubt I’m in the best shape to be trekking around the mountains. I was sure that I would be getting dizzy and blacking-out, or I would be onstage and the severe tunnel vision would kick in. Turns out, I didn’t have a problem. Maybe I’m in better shape than I thought. Thank you, Genetics.
What surprised you about it when you got there?
That I could breathe and that I wasn’t freezing.
My buddy Brent Weinbach and I flew out there together and when we landed in Denver we were both surprised by a woman from the festival waiting with a sign that said “RyanStout / Brent Weinbach.” Her whole job that day was to make sure that performers made it to our connecting flights on time. So, Weinbach and I loaded up on one of those carts that are normally reserved for the disabled and elderly. The driver hit the gas and we were on our way. We thought we might be going all the way to another terminal. Nope. Six gates. They had someone drive us, two young, healthy looking lads, five hundred feet. I was surprised that no one gave us nasty looks as we got off the little electric cart.
Once we got to Aspen, I couldn’t believe my ears when Weinbach described his hotel room. From his description I thought it was a suite on the top floor. But, on Friday I actually got to see the place: It was just a hotel room.
His “Jacuzzi with a skylight over it” was just a normal size bathtub with a few water jets, and, yes, fine, a skylight. But, really, how impressed are you by the wonderment of a skylight? I still don’t understand how he could be so thrilled about having a refrigerator and microwave—You can have that at any Best Western. I was really disappointed that, for me, at least, his room didn’t live up to the hype.
I’d like to present my hotel room through the eyes of Brent Weinbach:
“Right when I walked in, on the right, there were these double doors that opened up to a huge closet with these really nice hangers. They were plastic, but nice plastic. And, then, I had two beds. Two queen-size beds, just for me. Then, I also had a 27-inch color TV, that had a bunch of movie channels, and stuff, and it was stored in this really nice wooden cabinet. Oh, I had a refrigerator, too. And that was also in a matching wooden cabinet with free chocolates sitting on top of it. They were actually Nestle Turtles, which is my favorite, one of my favorite, chocolates. My bathroom had the special lamp to heat the tiles so your feet don’t get cold. The water pressure was strong, too; I like that. I had wireless internet access… It was a nice room.”
I should also note that the rooms, though not brilliant and extravagant, were nice. And, because of the festival and ski season, they would probably run about $500 per night.
What was the audience like for your shows?
I thought they were fine. Not ever much more, not usually much less. Even though the only set that I felt like a rock star was on the last night of the festival, people were approaching me throughout the week and being very congratulatory. Some people, normal audience members, intentionally came out to see me three or four times. So, at the very least, I was killing ahandful of people.
What was the best social event you attended? Why?
Friday night at the UCB house I ran into Chelsea Peretti, a funny friend of mine from New York. She was lying on this ottoman and I lied down next to her. So, we’re both horizontal, talking, looking up at people as they walk past. It was so, I guess, quirky, that people kept coming over wanting to talk to us. They all opened with similar lines about, “You two look comfortable.” There is a strange amount of power and charisma when you are lying down because everything seems like it takes massive amounts of effort, almost as though nothing is more important than being relaxed. If people talk to you, you know it’s because they want to—They sought you out and they are the ones hovering over you getting cramps in their necks from looking down. People even started offering to bring us stuff so we wouldn’t have to get up. We got beer, and chewing gum, and jackets… Someone brought me a beer, walked away, and came back because they realized I needed a bottle opener, took the beer, opened it, and brought it back to me.
It was the best party maneuver I’ve ever made. From now on, I’m going to spend every party on my back.
What was the best show you saw that wasn't your own?
The Whitest Kids You Know made me laugh the hardest. All of their sketches have such a fun energy to them. I wish I could elaborate, but you’ll just have to check them out live. Or online.
Brian Finkelstein’s show was probably the best-crafted work I saw at the festival. His stories had so many crisp images and layers of meaning. The whole thing had such a great arch to it. I was sad when he finished because I could have sat and listened for a lot longer. I was really impressed.
What was the strangest social interaction you had while there?
A thousand apologies to Kara Welker. I hadn’t met her until the festival and I must’ve introduced myself to her seventeen times. “Hi, I’m Ryan.”
“Yeah. Kara. We’ve met.” Over and over I introduced myself. To make things worse, every time I did it, I was sober, so I have no excuses.
I learned that anytime you don’t recognize a person and you re-introduce yourself, the amount that you look like a self-centered prick goes up exponentially. By day five I looked like a google-prick, I’m sure of it.
Sorry.
She was the only one I did that to. In my mind she’s a chameleon.
Again, sorry.
Would you recommend it to others?
I certainly don’t recommend turning it down. If you’re invited to go, go. I had the best time of my life. And I’m not exaggerating. I can’t remember six consecutive days that were so much fun. But, I guess, to have fun, you really have to love comedy, love seeing comedy, and love hanging out with people who make comedy.
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Noz of the hip-hop blog Cocaine Blunts & Hip-Hop Tapes has been blogging over at XXL's cool new website. He checks in with the first three of his top ten underappreciated rappers list... and it's great so far. See what he has to say about WC, MC Lyte, and Suga-Free. WC and Suga-Free are known for their New Sincerity flows, and Suga-Free in particular is NS. The LA-based rapper and frequent DJ Quik collaborator tends to wear suits, perms, and manicures to support his pimp image. Noz is also hosting a few early Suga Free tracks on Cocaine Blunts.
Also, J-Smooth from WBAI-FM in New York (and the excellent hiphopmusic.com) points us to a fascinating profile of producer Just Blaze, best known for his work with the Roc-a-Fella camp (Jay-Z's "Song Cry," Cam'ron's "Oh Boy," etc). Just talks about how he's trying to find his own way through the hip-hop world, while still representing what he loves about New York rap:
"That raw grittiness, the essence of it, is totally down here. I've done uptempo club records with no samples and keyboards; I'm not mad at that. But the more I notice things getting screwed up, the more I'm like I gotta play my part in balancing the scale a little more. And if I fail, cool. I just gotta do what my heart tells me, and right now my heart is telling me that somebody's got to be at the front of people bringing it back. There's not too many people from the boom-bap East Coast era who are even in a position to make a difference in hip-hop. I'm one of the few who anybody even has half of an eye on. A lot of my heroes wouldn't even have the opportunity to do it. It's almost like I have to do it."
Listener Tom points us to this fantastic thread on the forums of Soul-Strut.com, a website for record collectors. It's a treasure-trove of amazing stories about the emma-emma-zuh-aye arruh-arruh-zuh-kay to the i-e, aka Biz Markie. Best one I've read so far is Biz talking about why he recorded his classic record "Pickin' Boogers:"
"I wanted to do a record like that becuase I knew a lot of people that used to pick boogers. I used to know a kid named anthony hussey and he used to pick his boogers back in the day."
A couple months ago, I tried very, very hard to get Larry the Cable Guy to come on The Sound of Young America to talk with David Cross. Cross was good to go, Larry, not so much.
Reviews for his new film, "Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector" are starting to come in, and I thought I'd start a post here to chronicle them, starting with the New York Times review:
"Unpleasant, uncouth and painfully unfunny, "Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector" attempts lowbrow humor with neither the wit of the Farrelly brothers nor the raunchy inventiveness of Keenen Ivory Wayans. Aiming at audiences for whom no comedy is complete without lower-intestinal distress and projectile vomiting, the movie pursues its unsanitary goals with a relentlessness that makes "Dumb and Dumber" seem the epitome of sophistication. Prepare to be overcome with an irresistible urge to wash your hands afterward. "
Dumped into theaters without critics' screenings after it was abandoned by its original distributor, this is a virtually unwatchable and laugh-free vehicle for the stand-up redneck comedian Daniel Whitney , who calls himself Larry the Cable Guy.
It'd be tempting to call Larry the Ernest of his generation, but that'd be a grave insult to Jim Varney's enduring legacy. Compared to Larry—a grating, baby-faced butterball with all the magnetism and charisma of an Applebee's night manager—Varney was the second coming of Jimmy Stewart
Rufus Thomas was a legendary Memphis DJ, who became even more legendary through his novelty-soul recordings for Stax Records. His daughter, Carla Thomas, recorded Stax first hit side, and he contributed many of his own. He often performed in short pants, and sang comic dance numbers which were both funny and truly danceable. He passed a few years ago, but he remains a great hero of The New Sincerity.
Anthony Jeselnik hits the stage with an arrogance that's almost unfathomable, but hey, it works. It turns out that the LA-based comic is a pretty good guy, though, once you get him off the stage. We debriefed him about his experience performing at the HBO Aspen Comedy Arts Festival:
Had you been before? What did you expect it to be like? What surprised ! you about it when you got there?
No, I’d never been to Aspen before. In fact, this was my first festival. I really didn’t know what to expect, but I drew from the experiences of friends who have been in the past. They all told me to just treat the whole thing like a vacation, interrupted by a few shows. People wh! o go into Aspen hoping to get the big deal just make themselves miserable. I was surprised by how much fun I had, to the point that having to perform almost every night was annoying. Also, I was caught off guard by the sheer number of times I heard everyone, and I mean everyone, using the word “buzz” in casual conversation.
What was the audience like for your shows?
My group kept talking about how we were very lucky with the audiences for our shows. For the most part, I experienced wonde! rful crowds. One show, in which we saw our worst crowd by far, was a late night show in a big auditorium. One guy was sleeping in the front row, occasionally waking up to come to the stage and interrupt whoever was performing to show off a pen. In his defense, though, it was one of those pens with a pretty lady with disappearing clothes when turned upside down. I heard horror stories of some groups getting heckled or, even worse, ignored. Aspen audiences, for the most part, were terrible. There aren’t a lot of comedy fans who make the trip out there. It’s mostly industry and wealthy friends of industry. Lots of drunk wives. People like that go to four comedy shows a day and things are going to get rough.
What was the best social event you attended? Why?
There were some fantastic “social events” in Aspen. The “Best Week Ever” party was great, but anything with an open bar qualifies as great for me. I’d have to say the UCB/3 Arts/Collegehumor.com House was the greatest. They had this huge place and hosted parties throughout t! he week. One night all the local girls showed up and the fucking place went nuts. Amazing night.
What was the best show you saw that wasn't your own?
Brian Finklestein’s one man show, First Day Off in a Long Time, was amazing. It was his account of working the overnight shift at a suicide hotline. Not a lot of jokes, but fucking powerful. I felt terrible for the show following! him all week. The whole audience is practically in tears, taking personal stock of their lives and, suddenly, two guys come running out, energy coming out of their pores, yelling about true love and personal choice. Jarring. Also, The Whitest Kids U Know had fantastic shows. They ran away with the Best Sketch award. Very cool guys. Lots of buzz.
What was the strangest social interaction you had while there?
There were a lot of those. I’ll run down the three most memorable, in no particular order: 1. I introduced myself to one of the founders of collegehumor.com and his started doing a character or something, saying “Oh YEAH!” and dancing in response to everything. That went on for five minutes and was incredibly uncomfortable. 2, An older woman working with the festival came up to me after one of my shows and said “I loved all your jokes, except for the one about cancer”. But I thought she said “I loved all your jokes, ESPECIALLY the one about cancer”. I laughed and thanked her, saying only stupid people get of! fended by that joke. Then she clasped her hands to her chest and, on the verge of crying, said “I said EXCEPT the cancer joke! Except! I just lost my mom!” and walked away. 3. Finally, on the last night (when I was crippled by what I later discovered was the flu) a man came up to me out of nowhere and said “You’d be so much funnier if you did everything deadpan.” I said, thanks for the unsolicited advice and tried to leave. The man then took my arm and said “You should listen to me, because I know a thing or two about comedy. If you did your whole act deadpan, people would shit their pants.” I said “Well, what brings you out to the festival?” He said “I’m here with some friends for the skiing. I’m a proctologist.”
Todd over at Dead-Frog has a fascinating interview with the unpredictable creators of Wonder Showzen. Vernon and John will be on The Sound this weekend.
Children are the magical glue that keeps our society hurtling towards guaranteed destruction. Every morning we force feverish miscreants (selves) to huff that glue, before we translate their death spasms into morse code, and then into English. We lay it out into script format and shoot. Children’s assholes have almost nothing to do with it. What Matt and Trey were probably trying to say was that they are so rich, they can afford to shit from children.
Mitch Hurwitz, Arrested Development's creator and showrunner, has decided to quit, despite a deal on the table from Showtime. That's pretty much the death-knell for the series. Star Jason Bateman's comments:
"I'm so proud of it and so like it as a TV fan that I'm happy we're not going to get a chance to screw it up," he said, in the deadpan style of his character, Michael Bluth, about the only sane member of the dysfunctional Bluth clan. "Our luck wouldn't have held. There would have been cast fighting. We would have messed it up."
The inimitable Dame Edna, Australia's spectacular Housewife-Megastar, is hitting LA for two weeks of shows at the Ahmanson Theater. The show opens tonight and runs until April ninth, so get your tickets now, if you're in LA.
One of my guests on this week's Sound of Young America broadcast will be Jim Gaffigan, who is one of America's most popular standup comics. We talked for about half an hour, and I'm only going to use about half of that, but I know Jim has a lot of fans out there, so I thought I'd share it with you uncut.
The Naked Trucker & T-Bone Coming to Comedy Central
The Naked Trucker & T-Bones show was given the go-ahead for six episodes by Comedy Central. Dave "Gruber" Allen (The Naked Trucker) and Dave Koechner (T-Bones) have been performing this show on stages in LA and elswhere for quite a long time, now, and it's a hilarious show. I guess the idea here is that they can tap into both the "Comedians of Comedy" hipster audience and the Blue Collar Comedy audience, and I have no reason to believe they won't succeed, especially with Koechner's increased profile in film. Here's the release:
NEW YORK, March 27, 2006 -- Dave Koechner as Gerald “T-Bones” Tibbons and Dave “Gruber” Allen as the “Naked Trucker” are hitting America’s highways and collecting stories from the road. COMEDY CENTRAL has given a series pick-up to the "Naked Trucker and T-Bones," a half-hour variety show, it was announced today by Lauren Corrao, executive vice president, original programming and development, COMEDY CENTRAL. The network has ordered six episodes of the series and is set to premiere in late summer.
Developed at the COMEDY CENTRAL Stage in Los Angeles, “Naked Trucker” takes place at a truck stop featuring a naked trucker and his ne’er-do-well sidekick, Gerald “T-Bones” Tibbons, who are backed by a hell-raising band. Each week they will join viewers from a truck stop in middle America to re-fuel and tell their story of being on the road in pursuit of the American dream. The pilot was executive produced by Allen (“Freaks and Geeks”), Koechner (“Anchorman”), Norm Hiscock (“King of the Hill”) and J.P. Williams (“The Blue Collar Comedy Tour”).
"’The Naked Trucker’ has been a favorite stage show for comedy lovers in Los Angeles for years,” said Corrao. "I’m so pleased to be able to introduce these two iconic characters to the television viewing audience. Koechner and Allen are a force to be reckoned with and we look forward to hearing their outrageous stories from the road.”
“We are happy to feed COMEDY CENTRAL’s and, indeed, America’s insatiable appetite for hobos, hillbillies, intellectuals, political non-conformists, free thinkers, free ballers and truckers,” said Koechner and Allen.
Since late last year, NPR has been curating a library of live concerts on NPR.org. They must hav eput some interns in charge of booking, because it's full of acts like The New Pornographers, Colin Meloy, the White Stripes, and the like. Also, inexplicably, James Brown. Well, I guess the explanation is that James Brown requires no explanation. My favorite part of the whole thing is probably the explanation on the NPR site: "Hear a mix of smart pop, new folk, country-rock, ambient dream pop and more."
No kiddin', NPR? I've been looking for a place to hear live concert streams of ambient dream pop, but I'd been having a really tought time. And you're telling me you offer MORE than just ambient dream pop? I mean, I would have been happy with just ambient dream pop, but I can expect maybe some Agro-Dreamcore or Slumber-gaze in addition? DELIGHTFUL.
Comedienne Sherry Sirof is one half of San Francisco's Sirof Comedy Family, often performing in clubs with her husband, fellow up-and-comer Jacob Sirof. Her sweet stage manner is betrayed by cutting humor, and her hipster persona is occaisionally undercut by mentions of her baby, which, with two pro-comic parents, is sure to become some sort of uber-comedian.
Had you been before? What did you expect it to be like? What surprised you about it when you got there?
I had never been to Aspen before. I expected it would be expensive, it was. I was surprised how mild the weather was, that would soon change however. I wore the wrong shoes!
What was the audience like for your shows?
It seemed like everyone was blaming the audience. I didn't think they were that bad, they were just white, well not so much white, as leather. The audience was a mixture of rich locals, rich tourist, and rich industry folks.
What was the best social event you attended? Why?
The UCB house was cool, I felt like I was at a high school party, but there were famous people there.
What was the best show you saw that wasn't your own?
The ONLY show I got to see was the Jim Norton, Louis CK show, I loved it, Ryan Stout hosted. I couldn't take in any of the shows (I really wanted to see some sketch: Walsh Bros.Whitest Kids U Know etc.) 'cuz I brought my baby. I also got kicked out of the HBO hospitality lounge on account of my baby. The industry doesn't like babies all up in their business, I don't blame them, but I can't help but resent them.
What was the strangest social interaction you had while there?
Getting kicked out of the HBO FREE smorgasbord the first day, that sucked. I went to the hotel room, I was to pick up my free gift and lunch, on HBO. Jacob (my husband and fellow comic), Emilee (the nanny), Wynter (the baby) and I got the OK at the front to come in. We spent a good amount of time soaking up the atmosphere and dining on the gourmet spread. The baby started to crack about an hour in to our stay, so I went to the bathroom to breastfeed, I figured I was fine because the hotel room had two potties. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, a lot of folks had to pee. While Jacob was outside the door telling everyone I was breastfeeding, our nanny was getting the boot for not having credentials. HBO's story: I was only allowed one guest. Babyists, filthy babyist, I hope their kids marry babies. And yes, I got kicked out of the HBO hospitality twice, I'm t! enacious.
Would you recommend it to others?
I would highly recommend the festival to everyone. It's great exposure, and you get to meet a lot of great comics from all over the country, and they blog about you, and that ups you googleability tenfold.
Two weeks ago, the HBO's Aspen Comedy Festival brought comedians and comedy industry insiders from all over the nation to a little resort town in Colorado. Several Sound of Young America pals were among the attendees, so we thought we'd debrief them on their experience.
First up: Brent Weinbach. Brent is one of San Francisco's most unique and succesful comics. His delivery veers between pitch-perfect impressions and a soothing monotone. His passionate Bay Area fans are known for attending his "Advanced Weinbach" shows, which feature his most bizarre routines, and wearing his trademark Weinbach t-shirts. Recently, he's spent more time in Los Angeles, with a TV development deal and a growing fan base in the Southland.
This week's Sound of Young America broadcast bears the theme "(Un)Clean." My guests are comedian Jim Gaffigan (who doesn't swear on stage) and the creators of Wonder Showzen (who dress children up in Hitler costumes).
television, but it's really more of a satire of the banality of American culture. One recurring segment, "Beat Kids," sends children dressed as reporters to ask pointed questions of the man on the street. In one, a 7-year-old (or so) black girl is dispatched to Wall Street, asking "Who have you exploited today?" and "Where will you be when the revolution comes?" John & Vernon are also members of the rock band PFFR (pronounced P-F-R), and the former writers of the MTV series "Doggy Fizzle Televizzle." Wonder Showzen returned to MTV2 yesterday, and airs Fridays at 9:30PM. Their first season DVD was just released.
