As we reported in February 2010, but I completely forgot until I saw this Wall Street Journal article today...

"Stand-up comedian Pete Holmes had an audience of more than 100 million people last month. As the snarky voice of the stock-trading baby in commercials for the online trading site E*Trade, Mr. Holmes and his two recent Super Bowl spots were part of the most-watched TV event in U.S. history.

Normally, when Mr. Holmes performs, it's for audiences of hundreds--gigs at New York comedy clubs, colleges or the occasional taping of a Comedy Central special. He doesn't do finance.

"I know about as much about investing and banking as an actual baby," he says." [The Funny People Behind the Famous Ads]

Pete Holmes performed at Comix in NYC on March 11th, 2010 (and other times). Comix went out of business less than one year later.

Pete's friend Mike Birbiglia (I mean they're probably friends) has a new off-Broadway (I think that's considered off-Broadway) show opening at Barrow Street Theatre and tickets are on sale.

If Pete was in NYC tonight (2/18), maybe he would go see Pajama Men at St Ann's Warehouse, or maybe he'd prefer the less high profile comedy show going on at Union Hall (with Seth Herzog, Bridget Fitzgerald, Jon Glaser, Kristen Schaal, and Adira Amram).

A video of Pete performing at Comix in 2009 can be watched below...

Continue reading "(I forgot that) Pete Holmes is the E*Trade Baby"

by Klaus Kinski

One of the semi-necessary evils of comedy is the dreaded visit to a formal comedy club. Let's face it people; this city is overflowing with awesome comedy shows happening at all sorts of small, fun, intimate venues. Yet once in a while a comic rolls into town for three nights of gigs at a comedy club, and you have no choice but to bite the bullet and venture in. I mean, he/she might end up at one of your smaller shows to workshop material. But he/she might not either. Ugh. The hefty cover charge. The cattle herding method of corralling people into the room. The army of drink servers in your peripheral vision for the entire show. The likelihood of a bachelor/ette party treating the show like their personal (Doug) Benson Interruption (catch HIM at Gramercy on 5/21/11). The two-drink minimum. And Cod forbid someone at a neighboring table orders something from the menu that smells like the feet of someone who ran 50 miles in 100 degree weather in boots full of brie cheese. Yes... I know... these shows represent a significant amount of bread and butter for our favorite laughsmen and women. No doy. But, man, am I the only person whose hypersensitive neuroses go buck wild at a comedy club show?

And yet, Comix comedy club always seemed to do everything they could to take the sting out of all these common perils. Over the course of several years, Comix consciously evolved their business model to draw everyone from indie comedy snobs to mouth-breathing over-cologned douche bags and created an environment where we could coexist happily together. They had a superior crew of behind the scenes staff that kept the programming super diverse (FYI, Kambri Crews is one of the nicest people you will ever meet in the biz). They turned the basement area into Ochi's Lounge; a super cheap way to see up-and-coming locals perform alongside comedy veterans like Jim Gaffigan. They opened up their main upstairs bar early to anyone who wanted happy hour drinks with zero commitment to seeing the show happening in the main room or downstairs. They were the proud and clearly enthusiastic hosts of the ECNY Awards show (of which BV was nominated once), complete with red carpet and all the other accoutrements one might expect at your larger awards shows. Their support of NYC's lesser known comedians was nothing less than inspiring. They also hosted all kinds of benefits for all kinds of causes. Their cover was always about half of what you'd expect at a place like Carolines, and their menu was eclectic and very reasonably priced. I've seen so much great stuff there including Flight of the Conchords, Zach Galifianakis, Marc Maron, Brian Posehn, Paul F. Tompkins, The Marijuana-Logues, John Oliver, Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal's Hot Tub Variety Show, Maria Bamford, Andy Kindler, David Cross and a phonebooks' worth of other talent. And, yes, you can see someone like Todd Barry on any given night in NYC (like tonight at Whiplash), but to see him do an hour-plus headlining set in your own backyard is priceless.

But this is New York, where institutional lifespans are grotesquely short. Comix began to lose steam and eventually found itself sold to a couple of jerks who decided it'd be in the venue's best interest to become NYC's next Copa Cabana. Their idea was to devise a half-assed, dated and schizophrenic programming model that would cover everything from burlesque to smooth Jazz.

The new owners tried to promise all sorts of things when they spoke to me last month, but things quickly went south. How quickly? Within days, veteran stand-up comedian Bobby Slayton was telling anyone who'd read his Twitter feed that he and others had been stiffed on their paychecks by the club. Apparently, there was a million-dollar investor who the owners were relying on, but who stiffed them instead. Then comics weren't the only workers getting stiffed by the club. More employees were let go. The club stopped restocking paper. And on Saturday, performers were notified when they showed up that this was it. There will be no more. It was a beautiful space and everyone from comedians to employees loved it, but whether it was location location location, or something else, Comix never quite worked as perfectly as it should have. - The Comic's Comic

All upcoming shows are cancelled. RIP Comix.

Leo Allen benefiting Haiti @ MHOW on 1/23 (by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Aziz Ansari added an extra two shows to his previously-announced run of CD Release shows at Comix. The new total is eight shows over four days (2/3-2/6) and they all appear to be sold out. "Friends scheduled to appear throughout the weekend:" Todd Barry, Moshe Kasher, John Mulaney, Max Silvestri, Joe Mande, Kristen Schaal, Hannibal Buress, Leo Allen, Kumail Nanjiani, and Anthony Jeselnik. A fine set of openers indeed.

Don't have a ticket, but still want to see Aziz during his now-rare trip back to NYC? You can also catch him tonight (2/2) for free at the Apple Store in SOHO. Sarah Silverman will appear in the same venue one night later.

Speaking of Max Silvestri, don't forget to catch his Big Teriffic show every Wednesday night at The Cameo (free!).

Speaking of Kristen Schaal, you can catch her tonight (2/2) as part of Sara Schaefer & Kim Armstrong's new free weekly Tuesday night comedy show in the front lounge of The Bell House (which is also hosting a "TOTALLY SOLD OUT" Lost premiere party this evening as well).

Speaking of Kristen Schaal performing comedy at The Bell House, tickets are on sale for a February 27th show described as "Friends of Celebrate Brooklyn present Winter Warm-Up featuring Comedy with Eugene Mirman & Pretty Good Friends, Special guests include Kristin Schaal & Michael Showalter".

Speaking of Hannibal Buress, he hosts a comedy show every Sunday night at Knitting Factory (free!).

Todd Barry, John Mulaney and Hannibal Buress all return to Comix on the same (February 18th) night (code TBAF saves $5).

Leo Allen hosts Whiplash every Monday night at UCB

A few shows other shows coming up at UCB and other surprises below...

Continue reading "Aziz Ansari at Comix & The Apple Store, Sarah Silverman, Hannibal Buress & other upcoming comedy shows"

...with Liam McEneaney, John Oliver, Caroline Rhea, Kristen Schaal & more TBA @ Comix in NYC on December 8th.

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.

Continue reading "Catch Brent Weinbach @ Comix TONIGHT (and on tour) "

by Klaus Kinski

'Big Fan' - April 1, 2009 (AFI Dallas)

It slowly dawned on me after mentioning Patton Oswalt's participation in the upcoming New York Comedy Festival that I was neglecting a small pile of other bits of Patton Oswalt related news. To begin with, Patton is about to embark on a tour that will have him zig-zagging all over the country for the next few months. The entire schedule is below, but what you may not know is that he'll be at COMIX on August 16th. And it's only FIVE BUCKS. Yowza! He's part of a stellar line-up. Buy. Tickets. Now.

On August 25, Patton has a new live album and DVD coming out on Warner Brothers Records (no more Sub Pop?). It is entitled My Weakness is Strong! and features an hour of new material. The CD is pretty straightforward and contains the full hour long performance. The DVD, however, contains the full hour long performance as well as bonus features including some short films and more! Watch the trailer below.

I mentioned Patton's starring role in the film Big Fan a while back. Be advised that it is opening at the Angelika Film Center on August 28th. But if you're feeling antsy, you can catch the film followed by a Q&A with writer/director Robert Siegel and actor Kevin Corrigan at the 6:30pm screening on August 26th at Planet Hollywood (1540 Broadway, NYC). There's also an 8:30pm screening that night, sans Q&A.

All dates and tickets and videos below...

Continue reading "a Patton Oswalt CD, DVD, movie, $5 show, tour dates & more"

by Klaus Kinski

Max & Gabe D & friend @ MoMA - Jan 6, 2009 (by Fred Benenson) (via)

I don't get to see nearly as much comedy as I used to, but the scene is as vibrant as ever. If the mood strikes and I find myself wanting to get my yuck-on there is absolutely no shortage of one-off shows and recurring weekly shows. The Tribeca branch of the 92nd St Y has been booking some insane comedy shows recently. I caught Zach Galifianakis there a few weeks ago and was mightily impressed by the performance space and the insane, reasonably priced beer list at the bar. Sound Fix in Williamsburg has free comedy every Wednesday and Thursday. Joe Mande and Noah Garfinkle host Totally J/K every Wednesday at 9:30pm, while Max Silvestri, Gabe Liedman and Jenny Slate host Big Terriffic at 8:00pm on Thursdays. These shows fill the void left by the demise of Rififi and its staples Invite Them Up and The Greg Johnson & Larry Murphy Show by attracting big names like Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, Janeane Garofalo, Todd Barry, Eugene Mirman, and zillions more. Speaking of Greg Johnson, he's got a free show every Sunday at Pianos. And speaking of Invite Them Up, former host Bobby Tisdale now has a semi-regular, RSVP only show happening in Greenpoint called Wards of Merkin. It's usually $10 and there's usually free booze and top shelf comedians. And don't forget that the UCB Theater and The Pit have calendars bursting with options as does Comix's underground lair Ochi's. And that's just barely scratching the surface of the goings ons. Below are some shows currently on my radar...

Continue reading "NYC comedy @ 92Y, SoundFix, Comix, Pianos, UCB, places"

"I WENT TO THE AZIZ GLOW IN THE DARK TOUR AND IT WAS AMAZIIIING!!! OH AND I EVEN GOT TO MEET HIM!!!!" [Kanye West]

Opening the show from the Hilton Washington, the night's host, Sway, reminded everyone that after what was sure to be an exhausting first day, it was time to celebrate President Barack Obama's historic inauguration.

Kanye West kicked off the show with a medley of hits like "Touch the Sky," "Stronger" and "Good Life." "Let's make some noise for our new president, Obama," he told the crowd. "It feels so good to be standing here. My mama would be so proud to see her baby boy with the #1 song in the country and our new African-American president."

Later in the night, he joked, "I still can't believe it. I feel like I'm in the future -- first iPods, now this!"

All Kanye-related accolades aside, the night really belonged to President Barack Obama, who dazzled the 7,000 party goers with a heartfelt speech about how thankful he is for the work the young people put in to get him elected. [MTV]

Aziz's still-untitled new TV show with Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones premiers on NBC on Thursday, April 9th.

Kanye West is thinking about posing naked.

Dave Hill, A.C. Newman, Carl Arnheiter (elf) & Brett Gelman @ UCBNY (via)

"Exciting news for the East Village -- we've discovered that the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre has designs on the former Two Boots Pioneer Theater space at 155 East 3rd Street. Alex Sidtis, directing manager of the UCB's current location in Chelsea, revealed to [NY Magazine] that the troupe is hoping to open an East Village outpost, depending on whether it can secure a tavern wine license (the theater will plead its case at a January 12 meeting of Community Board 3's licensing committee). The location will mean more stage time for its performers...

Sidtis loves the fact that the 99-seat theater has a lobby, and says of the layout, "It's a little different [than that of the Chelsea location]. The shows will be more presentational and less theatrical in nature." Phil Hartman, who built the theater a decade ago and still owns the adjacent Two Boots pizza parlor and video store, tells us "I love the theater and I'm pleased to think that it would stay alive as a theater and not get gutted and turned into something else."..."
[NY Magazine]

Leo Allen's Monday night spot used to be held by Aziz Ansari and the Human Giant crew doing a similar type of comedy show with the same types of guests. Don't miss Aziz when he does a much bigger type of show January 9th and 10th at Comix. All dates HERE.

The above photo was taken at the UCB Theatre in NYC, on December 18th.

Eugene Mirman's new book The Will to Whatevs will be releaed on February 10, 2009. Coincedentally that is the same day he is having a party celebrating the release of the book at The Bell House in Brooklyn. Sarah Vowell is DJing, and John Oliver, John Hodgman, Kristen Schaal, Paul F. Tompkins, and "more special guests" are also performing at the $15.00 show.

Also on Eugene's calendar: four headlining shows at Comix in January. Actually:

@ COMIX in NYC
Jan 02 (early) - Todd Barry
Jan 02 (late) - Todd Barry
Jan 03 (early) - Todd Barry
Jan 09 (early) - Aziz Ansari
Jan 09 (late) - Aziz Ansari
Jan 10 (early) - Aziz Ansari
Jan 10 (late) - Aziz Ansari
Jan 03 (late) - Todd Barry
Jan 16 (early) - Eugene Mirman
Jan 16 (late) - Eugene Mirman
Jan 17 (early) - Eugene Mirman
Jan 17 (late) - Eugene Mirman

BUT/AND/ALSO, unlike Todd Barry and Paul F. Tompkins, Eugene Mirman will NOT be opening any of the Yo La Tengo shows this year. All of Eugene's dates below...

Continue reading "Eugene Mirman's new book, parties, special guests, Comix shows & other tour dates (but no Yo La Tengo)"

Brian Posehn performs four shows at Comix in NYC Friday and Saturday night.

Dave Hill leaves NYC to make a couple of rare appearances in Philly - also Friday and Saturday.

Don't worry Dave won't be gone long though. He is scheduled to appear Monday at Knitting Factory with David Cross who will also be at the Union Hall holiday comedy show on Sunday.

The above picture has nothing to do with anything else in this post. It is courtesy of VICE.

Dave Hill will also be at UCB on Decemmber 18th, and you can see him getting wasted in the video (of his trip to the New York Bar show at the Javits Center) below...

Continue reading "Brian Posehn is in NYC, Dave Hill is in Philly & other comedy "

Continue reading "Nick Kroll & John Mulaney - Comix shows & a taping"

Posehn about to go on stage @ Mess With Texas 2008

Klaus didn't go see Brian Posehn at Comix last night because he (Klaus) came down with some laryngitis or something. Ironically, that is the same reason he (Brian) couldn't tell his jokes when he performed at the Mess With Texas Festival in Austin during SXSW a couple of weeks ago. The remedy: Brian whispered his (dirty) jokes in Eugene Mirman's ear and Eugene told them instead. It was sunny and warm out and the middle of the afternoon.

Tickets are still available for Brian's 3rd & 4th shows at Comix in NYC tonight (March 29) (late and inside). More photos from Austin below....

Continue reading "BRIAN POSEHN - @ Comix tonight ++ Mess with Texas pics"

by Klaus Kinski

Leo Allen @ Occhi's Lounge,Comix, NYC - Feb 1, 2008 (Maryanne Ventrice)

I've never been a big fan of 'comedy clubs'. The two drink minimums, the sterility, the ticket prices, the middle-of-the-road risk-free comedians, the touristy crowds, the fact that people feel the need to dress nicer than usual and over-cologne themselves.... The whole vibe is pretty repellant to a slob like me. And although Comix is guilty of some of the above offenses to a certain degree, I feel that the venue makes great efforts in supporting and nurturing the local NYC comedy scene. They keep their ticket prices a fraction of what a place like Carolines would charge, they often have discount codes readily available, and they opened a downstairs lounge called Ochi's that has great indie comedy for free (with a one item minimum) six nights a week.

I am always happy when comics we're used to seeing at Rififi, Union Hall, The Pit, or UCB get the chance to shine in the main showroom of Comix. I'm comforted in the fact that they're probably making a halfway decent bit of coin and that they're reaching a more diverse audience. I think it's important (if we can afford it) to support our pals by attending these bigger shows. That said, I strongly recommend the following shows. Todd Barry's complete tour schedule also follows......

Continue reading "Comix ain't so bad, Todd Barry is touring, Brian Posehn.."

Todd Barry recently discovered that he was interviewed on Carrie Brownstein's NPR blog Monitor Mix. READ IT.

Louis CK is taping a new stand-up special called Chewed Up! It will take place in Boston on March 1, 2008. Tickets go on sale through ticketmaster on 1/25/08 and are $30. HOWEVER, a limited number of $10 tickets will be available through Louis' website so keep checking it for details!

A while back I told y'alls that Eugene Mirman's Comedy Central Presents episode will be airing on Friday February 1st at 10:00pm. Like you, I was happy to hear the episode would finally be airing. Also, like you, I wasn't really looking forward to sitting in my apartment on a Friday night watching TV. Luckily Eugene, a man of intuition and foresight, has come to our rescue and will be having a FREE little screening party at Union Hall.

The details for that, and MUCH MORE, are below....

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (01/24/08)"

A lot is going on with Eugene Mirman these days & everyone needs to know about it.

Eugene recently headed to New Hampshire to cover the primaries for 236.com. You can see video evidence of his escapades on the 236 website, or at the very end of this post. Appearances by Hillary, Huckabee, Chuck Norris, Romney, townies, and Mirman himself make this a hilarious and unforgettable video.

When you're done watching that, mark your calendars for the airing of Eugene's Comedy Central Presents episode happening on 2/1/08. I was at the taping, and was blown away by how good it was. And definitely keep your eyes on the Comedy Central Presents calendar for other upcoming episodes featuring other awesome (and not very awesome) comedians.

Eugene also has a couple high profile gigs coming up in NYC (including "Get the Laughs and Votes Out for Obama" at Knitting Factory), some in Austin, and some in a few other places. All that below....

Continue reading "Eugene Mirman @ the New Hampshire primary, on Comedy Central, in NYC, an Obama show, SXSW & other places"

Dave Hill, Stockings w/ Care benefit @ Comix, NYC - Dec 6, 2007 (CRED)

* Led Zeppelin
* Robert Pollard art
* Best of 2007 by Dave Hill
* High Places @ Death By Audio
* Yo La Tengo & The New Pornographers
* Daniel Kitson, Eugene Mirman & Human Giant @ UCB
* Justice, Mos Def & White Williams @ Bowery Ballroom

What else?

That's right - Kelly of the Rosebuds does more than sing and make you dance. Catch her doing standup in NYC this Thursday - December 6th @ 8pm @ Comix: Smiletime with Shawn and Sean: A super fun free show hosted by Sean O'Connor and Shawn Pearlman. Yeah! All dates, and news about a Pixies tribute album, below....

Continue reading "Kelly Crisp of the Rosebuds is a comedian + Pixies news"