Recent Posts in comedy
November 5, 2009
NY Comedy Festival now underway - kicked off last night w/ Bruce Springsteen, Colbert, Louis CK & friends @ Town Hall
Bruce Springsteen & Lisa Lampanelli backstage @ Town Hall (Caroline's)
The New York Comedy Festival runs through Sunday. It kicked off last night at Town Hall with the "Stand up For Heroes" benefit...
[Host Brian] Williams walked onstage with a laptop and opened his monologue with the words: "Yankees 2, Phillies nothing." There was loud applause from the New York crowd missing Game 6 of the World Series.Assuming Mariska uses those MSG tickets herself, she'll get to see one of two Bruce albums performed in full for the first time. Louis C.K. performs again during the festival at Caroline's on Sunday. Ricky Gervais was there and plays again at Carnegie Hall tonight (11/5). Andy Samberg was probably not there due to watching the Yankees game, but he will be at Town Hall as part of the festival on Sunday. More shows are listed in our original post and at the fest's website.He quipped that he wanted to be a full-service provider onstage and offer sports and weather updates in addition to covering the news. Williams also shared jokes about military food and being from New Jersey.
[Bruce] Springsteen threw in a few jokes, including one about Pepsi having created a drink that includes Viagra and that is called "MountAndDo."
One of his guitars and four Madison Square Garden tickets were then auctioned off by auctioneer Jamie Niven, the son of actor David Niven, for $50,000. "Law & Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay walked away with the goods to much applause.
Louis C.K. had the audience in stitches with edgy material about divorced life and his kids.
Colbert offered some topical humor, talking about his experience visiting the troops in Iraq, which he described as hot and dangerous, "like Texas with fewer guns." He also described a former Saddam Hussein palace as mindful of a house decorated by "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." [Hollywood Reporter]
Posted by brooklynvegan at 2:17 PM | Comments (18)
Jeremy Jay on tour ++ other upcoming shows @ Union Hall
Jeremy Jay
Speaking of Union Hall, the small Park Slope venue doesn't get as much attention since its bigger sister The Bell House opened in the same neighborhood, but there are a bunch of shows coming up there in the next few days that I want to highlight real quick.
LA's Jeremy Jay (K Records) is there tonight (11/5). LA's Black Umbrella is on tour with Jeremy and the pair also play Cake Shop on Friday (11/6). Michael Leviton is also on the Union Hall bill. All dates below.
Friday night (11/6) at Union Hall is a solo show by Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze who plays Maxwell's tonight (11/5).
"Do you really want to hear the answer to the question "What if Glenn Tilbrook started singing like Freddy Mercury?" Do you think that jumping from the awkwardly stomping prog of late Led Zeppelin to ultra-compressed contemporary beats 'n' coos or McCartney-esque cute-pop is inherently interesting? If you answer yes, you might love this record. But if you're left shaking your head like me, it's probably because [Dave] Longstreth's music begs the question. Why did he make Bitte Orca? The only answer proffered is, because he could. " [Dusted]The Union Hall show is an early show.Dave Longstreth: Who's Glenn Tilbrook?
AV Club: The guy from Squeeze.
Dave Longstreth: From Squeeze? Really? Is this guy British too? Well, whatever. I don't give a fuck.
The late show at the same venue is your 2nd NYC chance to catch The Hidden Cameras and Gentleman Reg on their current tour. The Canadian artists played Le Poisson Rouge last night while the Yankees were winning the World Series. How was it (the show I mean)?
Glorytellers and Ida play Union Hall on Saturday (11/7). Tickets are still on sale.
Finally, end the weekend laughing. Eugene Mirman and Michael Showalter's comedy show, Tearing the Veil of Maya, is happening at Union Hall on Sunday (11/8).
Continue reading "Jeremy Jay on tour ++ other upcoming shows @ Union Hall "
Posted by brooklynvegan at 9:55 AM | Comments (36)
November 2, 2009
Yeasayer, Tanlines & Max Silvestri came from Brooklyn @ the Guggenheim - pics
photos by Chris La Putt
"[Friday] night the Guggenheim hosted another event for their It Came From Brooklyn series, which brings talented Brooklynites all the way to the Upper East Side. The evening was hosted by Max Silvestri, and featured a (bit too maudlin) reading from Rachel Sherman, and live sets from Tanlines and Yeasayer. A 3-D light show was also advertised, but as the evening went on we were told the glasses were merely for "enhancement" purposes.Yeasayer's new and free single is out now. More pictures from the Guggenheim below...The $45 ticket price is a bit high, but those in attendance were also able to check out the Kandinsky retrospective while there... just so long as they didn't have their 3-D enhancement glasses on. The guards were unusually strict about this.
There was a bar set up, with a ticket system in place (one wine was 3 tickets, aka $6); and the museum served as a gorgeous venue, with plenty of great sightlines. Frank Lloyd Wright, however, didn't design it to be acoustically perfect for future indie bands -- leaving Yeasayer sounding more like Mehsayer (sorry). That said, we sort of prefer these museum rock shows over the status quo -- so we hope there are many more to come!" [Gothamist]
Continue reading "Yeasayer, Tanlines & Max Silvestri came from Brooklyn @ the Guggenheim - pics "
Posted by brooklynvegan at 8:52 AM | Comments (3)
October 28, 2009
Max Silvestri (at Guggenheim Friday) & friends host Aziz, Reggie Watts & lots of funny people in Brooklyn tonight
Natasha Leggero & Morgan Murphy
1. On Wednesday night Gabe Liedman, Jenny Slate [SNL] and I [Max Silvestri] have an especially spectacular Big Terrific for you all. It's almost too famous? We've got some special Halloween shenanigans planned (poisoned candy, knives, etc) as well as comedy appearances from Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation, Funny People), Natasha Leggero (Tonight Show), Joe Mande (Best Week Ever), John Mulaney (Conan O'Brien, writer for Saturday Night Live), Andrea Rosen (Stella, Flight of the Conchords) and Reggie Watts (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon). Are you kidding me? That is so crazy fun. Be there at 8pm at Cameo Gallery, located at 93 North 6th Street between Berry & Wythe in Williamsburg. It's free. The after-party will be something special too.That Cameo lineup is giving the UCB show (which also starts at 8:00 and has many of the same comedians performing) a run for its money!2. What is funnier or more rocking than a museum? Literally nothing. I am very proud to be emceeing It Came From Brooklyn at the Guggenheim on Friday night
Posted by brooklynvegan at 4:40 PM | Comments (2)
Aziz Ansari, Reggie Watts & Morgan Murphy @ UCB today
Totally J/K (Joe Mande & Noah Garfinkle) are hosting a dream lineup @ UCB tonight.
Many of the same comedians are also performing in Brooklyn tonight at the same time!
Dave Hill's Big in Japan returns to UCB on Thursday.
Posted by brooklynvegan at 3:56 PM | Comments (2)
October 15, 2009
in addition to being funny, and playing for Walter Schreifels (and hosting BV CMJ), Dave Hill is big in Japan! (@ UCB)
Attention People of New York City:That "Big in Japan" show is TONIGHT (10/15). The next "Dave Hill Explosion" is at the same venue on October 22nd and features special guests Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes and the RETURN of Dick Cavett (not to be missed). Tickets are on sale.Hello. This is your man Dave Hill writing to let you know that Thursday, October 15 at 8:00pm, I will performing my brand new one-man show "Dave Hill: Big in Japan" like a motherf@#ker for the very third time over there at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in historic Chelsea. Attendance is mandatory unless you hate having a really, really nice time that might also lead to sex. Anyway, I realize there has been a lot of confusion- especially in the Scandinavian press- about my new one-man show. And while there is some truth to the rumor that my new one-man show is a coming-of-stage tale based on my early years as a young Austrian girl who wanted nothing more than to express herself through dance even if her pimp Danny had different plans for her, it is mostly about one man's (me, silly!) undying will to rock the f@#k out of people and also this one time I went to Japan and rocked the f@#k out of people with my rocking rock Valley Lodge. Also- and I cannot stress this enough- it is NOT the same show as the Dave Hill Explosion so stop thinking that, dammit. However, my new one-man show is explosive in nature and possesses similar heatbringing properties and an almost identical bang quotient (sin(ax)sin(bx) - k cos(ax)cos(bx) = number of chicks who totally want to bang me). Anyway, I really hope you can make it. Aside from all the heat I will be bringing to the show, it is directed by the great Jeff Tomsic and assistant directed by the super dupes Nicole Brodeur. It also features the winsome Chris Chuang and the fiery Zachary Danziger in the roles of a lifetime. And as if all of that is not enough, my show is immediately followed by Pangaea 3000 Sucks, a great show that you totally don't have to pay extra for. So come, you know, if you want. I'm tired of fighting about it. You can get tickets right here.
Love,
Dave Hill
In between those two UCB events you can catch Dave Hill playing two roles in one night. I'm talking about the official BrooklynVegan CMJ showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 20th where Dave is both playing guitar in the Walter Schreifels Band (expect Quicksand, Gorilla Biscuits, Rival Schools and more), AND telling some jokes and hosting the night. Tickets are still on sale.
"Big In Japan" happens again on October 29th at UCB. The flyer along with a very recent video of Walter performing solo in a store... IN JAPAN, below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 2:41 PM | Comments (4)
October 9, 2009
Saturday afternoon w/ Tunde Adebimpe & Kumail Nanjiani
Music and comedy @ Le Poisson Rouge Saturday @ 1:00pm
Continue reading "Saturday afternoon w/ Tunde Adebimpe & Kumail Nanjiani"
Posted by brooklynvegan at 6:22 PM | Comments (2)
October 7, 2009
Catch Brent Weinbach @ Comix TONIGHT (and on tour)
by Klaus Kinski
I am seriously kicking myself inside and out right now for forgetting to mention that one of my favorite west coast comedians is doing a one-off NYC-area headlining show at Comix TONIGHT(!!) (10/7). San Francisco based comedian Brent Weinbach is one of the most brilliant and unique comedians I have ever seen... and I've only seen him live once. To quote my earlier self (with words I lifted from his website),
Brent Weinbach's stand-up comedy is weird. He does a lot of characters, he's physical, and his humor is absurd. Here are some other words to describe Weinbach: deadpan, silly, obscure, unconventional, smart, stupid, post-modern, grass roots, Berlin, 1980's, tennis, bike riding, Virgo, Rygar, etc.The word 'scary' should be in there too....
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Posted by brooklynvegan at 6:42 PM | Comments (2)
October 5, 2009
Monty Python reunion almost here, on IFC... & at Town Hall?
by Klaus Kinski
A few nights ago I had a dream that my personal favorite Monty Python cast member Michael Palin approached me after I had finished a speaking engagement and asked me to join a reunited Python cast for a world tour. I declined the offer because I was apparently about to head out on tour with Radiohead as their new drummer. Alas, that was only a dream and my, our, only opportunity to see the entire reunited Python cast in the flesh will be Thursday October 15th at the Ziegfeld Theater (full details below). Limited tickets for this Monty Python 40 Anniversary Reunion and presentation of a BAFTA Special Award went on sale and cost $150. If you would like to purchase tickets, shoot an e-mail to Screening@baftaeastcoast.com. If successful, you'll be e-mailed a link to a ticket registration site and you can proceed from there. Good luck!
There will almost certainly be squabbling at the reunion. "They love getting angry and shouting at each other," Ben Timlett, a director and producer of the documentary, said recently. There were (and are) genuine differences among the Pythons, which they sometimes exaggerate for comic effect now, and there have been so many books, articles and previous documentaries that there is no truly reliable account of practically anything associated with the group. Partly for this reason, a number of the Pythons were initially reluctant to take part in the documentary.On October 18th, a few days after the BAFTA event, you can catch the premiere of the 6-party documentary series Monty Python: Almost The Truth: The Lawyer's Cut on IFC. With rare archival footage, new interviews with all living cast members, wonderful archival interview footage of the late Graham Chapman, as well as insights by comedy 'experts', the series, which runs from October 18th - October 23rd, is as thorough as can be. I've seen the first three episodes so far and am amazed at how truly engaging and informative the documentary is. If you can't see it when it airs on IFC, keep in mind that you can get it on DVD and BluRay on October 27th."I was very dubious about it," Mr. Cleese said. "I thought we had flogged this horse to death -- way past death, in fact." [NY Times]
And if that's not enough, in addition to the documentary, showings of Python film classics Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python's Life of Brian, and Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl, IFC will also be showing episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Monty Python's Flying Circus will air @ 11:30 PM ET/PT throughout the Network's Python-A-Thon beginning Sunday, October 18, and Every Monday at 7:30 p.m. and Friday at 11:00 p.m. thereafter
In other somewhat Monty Python related news, there's a show happening at Town Hall from October 6th - October 10th called An Evening Without Monty Python. Directed by original Python cast member Eric Idle, these shows consist of contemporary comedians and actors performing classic Python skits. I've read many positive reviews of the LA shows, but as a fan I don't think I'm alone in being a LITTLE skeptical about this. I feel like it'd be like seeing a cover band. Though, the Australian Pink Floyd is a cover band and they consistently sell out gigantic theaters all over the world. Maybe people don't mind a decent forgery? Anyhow, if you're feeling adventurous tickets are currently on sale. Video below.
Continue reading "Monty Python reunion almost here, on IFC... & at Town Hall?"
Posted by brooklynvegan at 1:41 PM | Comments (8)
September 30, 2009
Eugene Mirman releasing new comedy album on Sub Pop who are also releasing new Flight of the Conchords - TWO MP3s
DOWNLOAD: Eugene Mirman - Vancouver, Detroit, and Bears! (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Flight of the Concords - Sugalumps (MP3)
Eugene Mirman @ ATP NY (more by Ryan Muir)
On October 6th, we at Sub Pop will once again celebrate the lonely art of stand-up comedy with the release of Eugene Mirman's new album God Is a Twelve-Year-Old Boy with Asperger's. This will mark only the 5th comedy record we've released in our entire history. With our catalog numbers soaring impressively skyward, numbering in the 800s now, that's a fact worth noting. 5 out of 800+? That means just about one half of one percent of our releases are from stand-up comedians. What I'm driving at here, people, is that we're really choosey about our comedy. God Is a Twelve-Year-Old Boy with Asperger's is Eugene Mirman's second record on Sub Pop and we couldn't be more proud.Check out the premiere of a new track off Mirman's record above. We're also running a contest where you can win a copy of the record, and more importantly a Eugene Mirman tote bag. Details below.
Nerve: What's the best way to pick up a comedian?Some of Eugene's recent accomplishments include performing at ATP NY (see above), holding his own comedy festival (Sept 17-19) (for the second year in a row), and appearing at the Julian Plenti show at the Gugg on September 25th. He also often appears on the TV program Flight of the Concords, and Sub Pop is releasing that new album too. I Told You I Was Freaky is out October 20th. And we have an exclusive musical track, "Sugalumps," from Season 2 of the show, which can also be found on that record, above.Eugene: It depends where they are in their career. If they're just at the beginning, you can offer to buy them socks. That would probably cover it. And in the middle, you could either recognize them or pretend to recognize them, and they would be delighted. And then at the highest echelons, you would ignore them or be mean, say you've never heard of their movies, something like that.
We see you girls checkin' out our trunksComing up, Eugene can be found at the Highline Ballroom on November 17th with "Rumpus editor Stephen Elliott, Todd Barry, Rick Moody, David Rees, Jonathan Ames, Starlee Kine, Care Bears on Fire and more Special Guests tba."
We see you girls checkin' out the front of our trunks
We see you girls lookin' at our junk
Then checkin' out our rumps
Then back to our sugalumps
Contest details, and album art and tracklist for both discs are below...
Posted by brooklynvegan at 10:49 AM | Comments (5)