alternate headline: GetHard with Tasteful Nudes

by Klaus Kinski

Back in January, I briefly mentioned the profoundly hilarious book A Bad Idea I Am About to Do by one of NYC's most brilliant performers Chris Gethard. I was so focused on all the other bullshit I was writing about in that article that my short, simple, brief mention of this masterpiece of a book was a profane oversight. Gethard is a phenomenal comedian and storyteller who also happens to have his own Manhattan cable access show every Wednesday night at 11:00pm. The show is absolutely crazy, insane, funny, irresistible, addictive and totally viewable LIVE online. Each week the show manages to feel somehow crazier and funnier. Sometimes Chris is in a great mood and the show is brilliant. Sometimes he's in a crummy mood and the show is brilliant. He's got a lot of help, care of his fabulous in-studio audience, but the dude carries that sucker to an unprecedented plateau of brilliance. But, the book... the book is one of the funniest, most well articulated canons of short (true) stories I've ever read. Even if you knew nothing about Chris, what he does, where he's coming from... if you read this book with absolutely no precedent or preconceptions about the author, you'd still laugh your eyebrows off. The stories are funny and even touching, but it's Gethard's agilities as an author that is most remarkable. I've said it before and I will say it again; I am nobody's shill. But when something is this good, this under-appreciated, this remarkably-not-in-the-hands-of-people-who-read-on-the-subway, I feel that it is my duty to make things right. Buy it. Unless you hate laughing. And good writing. Then f-off outta here.

In keeping with the concept of a bad idea someone (Chris) is about to do, Chris recently announced that he would be making his way from Los Angeles, California all the way to the 2012 Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee on foot. By June 7th. Without any money. Or places to stay. Or a phone. Or anything. This is a fan-propelled mission. It sets out to determine whether a person can get from point A to point B with just the help of his admirers and fans. Murder, starvation, molestation, exploitation, dehydration, masturbation(?) are all perils of a project this stupidly brilliant. The entire journey will be documented for your viewing pleasure. Want to help out? Check out the video below and allow Gethard do the 'splaining for me. There's tweetables and hashtags and cyberwhatnots for you to know about.

Oh, hey! Speaking of comedians I love who are also now published authors and are into Bonnaroo, I am sure you have by now done the right thing and pre-ordered Dave Hill's new tome Tasteful Nudes, right? Another absolutely hilarious and well executed book from another absolutely hilarious and well executed NYC based comedian. At the end of May, Dave will embark on a completely non-pretentious book tour that will make its way to The Bell House on Thursday May 24th (one night after Dave has a public conversation with Ira Glass in SoHo). This no holds barred event will have Mr. Dave Hill pulling out all the stops with appearances by John Hodgman, Janeane Garofalo, David Rakoff and music by Doug Gillard (Guided By Voices, Nada Surf) and TAB the Band. There may even be an appearance by Little Michael Jackson, a bunch of lowrider cars, live animals, and maybe even a dunking machine. All tour dates, which were too difficult for me to cut and paste into this article because my hands hurt, can be found here. Tickets for the Brooklyn show, which are a measly $10, are available now. Oh, and buy the book if you haven't already because maybe he'll sign it or throw it out a window at one of his apperances, depending on the vibes. Check Dave's awesome book related rock and roll video, as well as a video featuring him, Dick Cavett, and Malcolm Gladwell, below.

Continue reading "Chris Gethard walking to Bonnaroo; Dave Hill touring with book"

DOWNLOAD: The Spits - "My Life Sucks" (MP3)

The Spits at Chaos in Tejas (more by Harriet Roberts)

The Spits begin their two night reign of punk goodness TONIGHT at Cake Shop (3/1) with tourmates TV Ghost and NYC punk MVPs Night Birds. The party continues tomorrow night at Knitting Factory (3/2, tickets) when The Spits/TV Ghost hit the Brooklyn venue with DJ Tony Lo-Fi. The tour continues on and eventually terminates with a show at Emo's East on 3/16 during SXSW with The Gories and more "special guests TBA". RSVP to get into that In the Red showcase for free.

In related news, Night Birds spent last night on The Chris Gethard Show with Julie Klausner. Did you catch it? if you missed it, watch the video below. Also down there is the previous episode with special guests Grizz Chapman (from 30 Rock), Tina Fey, Ted Leo and more.

Chris Gethard will be in Austin for SXSW too. Pick up a copy of his new book.

All Spits tour dates and tons of other stuff, below...

Continue reading "The Spits are on tour, in NYC, playing SXSW with the Gories; Night Birds played the Chris Gethard show (video)"

"there are certain emotions in your body that not even your best friend can sympathize with , but you will find the right film or the right book , and it will understand you . "- Bjork

today in NYC
* stuff @ Barbes
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Jay-Z @ Carnegie Hall
* Howlin Rain @ Living Room
* Cate Le Bon @ Other Music
* Bjork @ New York Hall Of Science
* Nikolista, Lovebomb 69 @ Europa
* Commercial Interruption @ UCB
* Ted Leo hosts Hot Tub @ Littlefield
* Gotye, Sea of Bees @ Bowery Ballroom
* Jacques Labouchere @ Knitting Factory
* The Darkness, Foxy Shazam @ Irving Plaza
* Summer Camp, Field Mouse @ Mercury Lounge
* Thieving Irons, Bandana Splits @ The Rock Shop
* Comedy Central Corporate Retreat @ UCB East
* The Warsaw Village Band @ Le Poisson Rouge
* An Evening with Tom Kalin & Doveman @ MoMA
* Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir @ Union Pool
* Mirah, blair, Wrest, DJ Emoticon @ Glasslands Gallery
* Steve Earle, Allison Moorer, The Dust Busters @ City Winery
* "Harsh Realm", The Babies, Punks on Mars @ Cake Shop
* Dan Neustadt plays Radiohead's "OK Computer" @ Knitting Factory
* The Lighthouse and The Whaler, Ravens & Chimes @ Mercury Lounge
* Reptar, Fort Lean, Tiny Victories, Casual Curious @ Shea Stadium
* Behold... The Arctopus, Seabrook Power Plant, Normal Love @ Death By Audio
* Tony Scherr Trio, Anton Fier, Rob Jost, Jim Campilongo Electric Trio, Stephan Crump, Tony Mason @ Living Room

Thieving Irons (ex Pela) plays The Rock Shop every Monday in February, including tonight with Bandana Splits (featuring Dawn Landes).

Doveman speaks about film at MoMA tonight, plays with Hannah Cohen at Rockwood Music Hall on Tuesday.

Jay-Z's super expensive Carnegie Hall shows are not sold out.

Colin Quinn, Chris Gethard, Myq Kaplan, Dan St Germain, Joe Mande & Hari Kondabolu will all be at Whiplash tonight.

Who knew the Darkness would become a trending topic between their first Irving Plaza show and their second which is tonight. Check iut

Dominick Fernow of Cold Cave (and other projects) curated Feb 1-15 at The Stone.

Be our friend on Facebook.

Be BV Chicago's friend on Facebook too.

Follow @BrooklynVegan on Twitter.

Also follow @bvAustin for just Austin stuff.

SXSW is coming. Follow @bvSXSW on twitter too.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

by BBG

Mike of Night Birds gets a bug's eye view at ABC No Rio (more by Keith Marlowe)

Let's get down to it... Mike's last live show with Night Birds will be January 12th in Brooklyn, NY. The band has become a fairly time-consuming commitment, and with the other three of us really pushing and wanting to do even more, Mike just wasn't able to divert enough time from his new record store and his more recent writing projects. With the best intentions of both the band and himself in mind, he has made the decision to part ways with Night Birds. After three years, we are obviously bummed to see him go, but we are all still on perfectly good terms and there is no bad blood. In fact, Mike will remain in the band, along side our new guitar player, to write our second full length LP this Winter, with hopes of recording in early Spring.

Mike was a huge part of Night Birds. If we didn't have the perfect replacement and it just didn't feel right, we would call it a day. We're very critical of ourselves, always have been, and would not do this band half-assed. We are very excited to welcome PJ Russo to the Night Birds lineup on guitar. He plays in a great band called PHIBES, and the second we started playing together, it really just clicked. He's a brilliant guitar player, and honestly fits the band perfectly. He will begin playing with us in February and you can come see for yourself.

If you can't make it to Lulu's to see off Mike, then make sure and head to see Night Birds with PJ on guitar supporting World Inferno Friendship Society on February 18th at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets are still available.

All tour dates (including a 2/29 Chris Gethard show?), as well as some streams and video are below.

Continue reading "Night Birds will wave goodbye to guitarist with a FREE show this week (tour dates)"

by Klaus Kinski

"I bought hummus at Costco. Now I have an intimidating amount of hummus. Every time I open the fridge, it eyeballs me. - Kurt Braunohler

The great Ted Leo closed out 2011 with a bang with sold-out full-band shows at the Bell House on December 30th and then on December 31st at Maxwells in Jersey. The comedically great Kurt Braunohler opened both of those shows, which is why I simply could not resist posting the troll-baiting tweet you see above.

Anyhow, it seems like Ted, aside from the benefit he's playing in Austin, is starting off the new year with a whimper because the Ted Leo calendar has absolutely nothing on it. Blankness. Bupkis. However, your man Klaus knows better. For example, it's a little known fact that Ted Leo will participate in the Rejection Show Music Series at Littlefield on Thursday January 19th at 8:00pm:

The Rejection Show Music Series gives musicians the chance to let loose, take risks, and perform songs that have yet to be heard, have gotten them through a time of rejection, or to simply cover their favorite songs of love, loss, and heartbreak. Featuring TED LEO performing excerpts from a musical that he penned, but has yet to be seen. The musical centers around the United Fruit Company, US corporate and military imperialism, bananas, and of course a love story! CORN MO performing songs based on the theme of Rejection, and more! Hosted by JON FRIEDMAN and featuring the REJECTION SHOW BAND.

I just read Gethard's book A Bad Idea I'm About to Do: True Tales of Seriously Poor Judgment and Stunningly Awkward Adventure (pictured above) and it was truly one of the funniest, most brilliant comedian-penned books I've ever read... more on that someday soon, but let me get back on track here...

Back to Ted... Your second opportunity to see Ted is at How Was Your Week? LIVE! on Thursday February 2nd at 8pm at the Bell House. How Was Your Week? is a podcast hosted by the unbearably funny and so f-ing on her game Julie Klausner (love that last name prefix!). This live Klausner experience will feature the absolutely brilliant Best Show on WFMU host Tom Scharpling, the incomparable Sandra Bernhard, as well as house band Ted Leo! There will be surprise guests too, trust me. This show gets Klaus Kinski's This WILL Sell Out guarantee, so buy tickets NOW.

Chris Gethard, who also plays Whiplash tonight (1/9), takes on fellow author Stephen King in the video below...

Continue reading "upcoming comedy shows w/ Ted Leo; Chris Gethard's book"

Steve Earle (more by Tim Griffin)

today in NYC
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Liam Finn @ The Rock Shop
* New Music Observatory @ The Stone
* Herculaneum, Tomas Fujiwara @ Zebulon
* Steve Earle, Allison Moorer @ City Winery
* Big Bad Voodoo Daddy @ B.B. King Blues Club
* Jessica Pomerantz, Daniel Wayne @ Mercury Lounge
* Hot Tub w/ Kurt Braunohler & friends @ Littlefield
* Diehard, Saturday Night Duets, Pre War @ Cake Shop
* Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir @ Union Pool
* David Wax Museum, Parkington Sisters, Bhi Bhiman @ Joe's Pub
* The Klezmatics, Lunasa, Les Chauds Lapins @ Highline Ballroom
* Dan Neustadt performs The Lemonhead's "Its a Shame About Ray" @ Knitting Factory
* Byron Westbrook, Phill Niblock, Michael Vincent Waller, Elizabeth Hoffman @ Pianos
* Opponents, Yellow Crystal Star, Rust Worship, Long Distance Poison @ Death By Audio

Steve Earle is in residency at City Winery.

Daniel Kitson is at Whiplash tonight and returns to St. Ann's tomorrow.

Chris Gethard, who has a book coming out tomorrow, plays Hot Tub and Whiplash tonight. Watch him talk shit about Anne Rice in a video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

Last week Littlefield wasn't listing any more editions of "Hot Tub" on their schedule, but it is in fact back tonight (2/7). Corn Mo, Brent Sullivan, Adam Cayton-Holland, and Free Love Forum will all join Kurt Braunohler (but maybe not Kristen) at the Brooklyn venue this evening. There's also a lineup listed for 2/14 - "Found Footage Festival, Sandra Bauleo, Surprise Guests, + more!" (and Kristen's name is on that bill).

Tonight is also another edition of Kevin Allison's Risk! Storyslam at the Pit, and of course Whiplash at UCB (with Jay Pharoah, Adam Cayton-Holland, Brooke Van Poppelen & Roger Hailes).

Speaking of UCB, the Chris Gethard Show returns to the venue on February 19th. Chris recently returned from a tour that kicked off with some help from Diddy.

Speaking of Diddy (not actually), the great Reggie Watts has announced another big headlining show. Having already sold out Manhattan's Highline Ballroom, his next big NYC conquest will be Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 30th. Tickets for the "partially seated show" go on sale Friday at noon.

Reggie will also join Eugene Mirman (and Kumail Nanjiani) for a special Boston edition of "Pretty Good Friends" on March 1st. Meanwhile catch the next edition of Mirman's "Pretty Good Friends" at its usual home of Union Hall in Park Slope this Sunday (2/13), and don't miss the extra-large Brooklyn edition coming to the Bell House on 2/27 in honor of Michael Showalter's new book.

And speaking of The Bell House and new books...

TUE 2/8: 8pm / FREE
JON GLASER BOOK RELEASE PARTY
Please join us for an evening of readings and music from Jon Glaser's new book "My Dead Dad Was In ZZ Top" (Harper Perennial), followed by general hanging out good times. Paul Rudd, Scott Adsit, John Hodgman, Zoe Lister-Jones, Ira Kaplan, Jon Hamm, and other special guests are scheduled to appear. Books will be on sale, plus the first 25 people to purchase books receive a special free un-named gift!

Last but not least, Tuesday night live comedy series "Tell Your Friends" (who are advertisng a secret musical guest for this Tuesday's show) are releasing a movie! Trailer (starring Reggie Watts, Kurt Braunohler, Kristen Schaal and many others) and more details below...

Continue reading "Hot Tub, Reggie Watts, Whiplash, Jon Glaser's book, Tell Your Friends the movie, Chris Gethard & more shiat"

"I can never thank @iamdiddy enough. And everyone who helped make that happen on any level. Never give up. #diddygethard" - Chris Gethard

Puff Daddy & Chris Get Hard @ UCB (photo by Ari Scott)

"At about 11:30 p.m. [on Friday], Mr. Gethard (pronounced GETH-erd) could be found in his mended glasses, pacing the pea-green dressing room of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Chelsea. He had been told Diddy would be arriving soon, but then, that rapper had broken promises to him in the past, and he was trying to keep his expectations in check.

"He just lives on a different planet from me," said Mr. Gethard, who was drinking from a 16-ounce can of Red Bull and repeatedly applying ChapStick to his lips. "I have no idea why he's doing this."

Then, through a back door, Diddy arrived, as unassumingly as one could enter a room with a hulking bodyguard (as well as an assistant and his teenage son, Justin). Dressed casually in a thermal shirt and jeans, Diddy (whose given name is Sean Combs) introduced himself to Mr. Gethard and the other comedians he'd soon be performing with. They chatted about the night's routine and Mr. Gethard warned Diddy not to take personal offense at anything in the show.

"That's good," Diddy replied, "because I'll talk about everything.""
[NY Times]

I don't know when the next edition of The Chris Gethard Show hits UCB in NYC, but you can catch Chris and the gang on tour across the country now, and with some effort you can figure out (or influence) exactly where. All I know (and they know) is that the tour ends at UCB n LA on 1/27. A video with some more info on the tour is below too.

Meanwhile, head to UCB in NYC on Monday night (1/17) to catch the next edition of Whiplash with special guests John Mulaney (SNL), Moshe Kasher, Mike Drucker, Jim Marsdale, and... Daniel Kitson who has that night off from his current St Ann's Warehouse run.

Video of Chris Gethard reaching out to Diddy, Diddy at UCB, videos of Gethard and friends on the road, and more below...

Continue reading "Chris Gethard (on tour now) landed Diddy as his guest @ UCB (where Daniel Kitson will be Monday night)"