Today’s column will be my last. I’m bowing out of The SetList.

The reasons? Those of you who read last week’s column know them: I’d like to start concentrating on my comedic efforts instead of focusing on others’. And, as all of you know, that takes work. And time. And effort. Lots of it.

Yeah, it’s as simple as that.

A couple people to thank: First, Big Head Rob for giving me this opportunity. I was initially hesitant, but Rob persisted, indicating that it was something DC needed. Thanks, Rob. Once again, your instincts were correct.

I’d also like to thank Jimmy Merritt. Certainly the exchanges we had here and over on his blog were opinionated and at times filled with a little ginger. But I never got the sense that Mr. Merritt was being mean-spirited or writing out of malevolence, and I certainly hope he didn’t get that from me. In fact, I was glad to demur with a reader as insightful and intelligent as Mr. Merritt clearly is. And whatever disagreements we had, I still maintain that Mr. Merritt is one of the funniest people in DC – and that’s not even really opinion, but a measurable fact.

Finally, I’d like to thank the DC Comedy scene in general. You guys are some of most talented people on the East Coast. You work hard, you support each other, and you’re all damned talented. Let me illustrate by way of an anecdote:

Last night I was in a bar in Old Town (yeah, I know) and ended up talking to a guy who used to live in NYC, and who now lives in Old Town. A mutual friend had introduced us and told the guy of my connection to the local comedy scene, and we ended up discussing the scene in general. He told me that about four months ago he was in Laughing Lizard just hanging out, when LL’s monthly comedy show began. He and a friend decided to watch with the idea of seeing precisely how “bad” the show would be, and to laugh and sneer at what they assumed would be no-talents.

“I was blown away,” my acquaintance said. Almost to a person, he said, every comedian was hilarious. He said he was floored by the number of talented, funny people who would show up to some dive bar in what isn’t really even the “good part” of Old Town. He’d never seen anything comparable to this in NYC. If a place like this is this chock full of talent, he said, imagine what other more upscale venues are like?

Of course, you and I already knew that. But it’s nice to have a civilian verify it every now and then.

Keep breaking legs, guys and gals. May every new joke you write kill, no matter where it’s at in your set, and may Comedy Central offer you all your own stand-up spotlight special.

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (5) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

The Am-I-A-Shill-For-The-dccomedyfest-Department?

Well, yes.

As the festival hits next weekend, here’s some cool stuff to keep in mind in between grumbling about the lack of stage time or how come the stand-ups are getting short-shrift. After every night of the fest, there’s a party for both pass holders and performers at Bar Rouge located at 1315 16th Street NW, in DC. Sure, it’s a few blocks away from two of the venues (it’s only two blocks away from HR-57, however). But in between shows over on 7th street you can pop into the back bar of RFD to get your drink on. That Blaire Postman. She thinks of everything.

The Just-What-The-Title-Says Department

This will be my second to last column for Big Head DC. Next week I’ll sign off for good. Why? Well, personal reasons, to be sure. Ironically enough, one of my favorite blog columnists, Margot over at The Apiary who pens the “From Behind the Bar at UCB” column, is calling it quits this week as well. Her reasons? Her day job is catching up to her night job. “As I embraced my day job (or night job in this case) and began writing about it, all these wonderful things started happening in my ‘real’ career.”

I’m having similar concerns. Or at least, I want my ‘real” career to replace my ‘night job.’ If that makes any sense. So I’m going to try to make it so. And as we all know, in this business that takes a lot of work.

So next week will be my final “SetList” column.

That Margot’s hot, isn’t she?

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (1) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

Callback: Local Talent Shouts-Out, Beeyotches…

Thought I’d devote the entire column to the local talent that made the cut as feature acts in the upcoming dccomedyfest.

Stand-ups at the top. Improv at the bottom (kinda like real life, eh?)

JL Cauvin

Born and raised in New York City, J-L Cauvin has a few unique things about him. Most noticeable is that he is six-foot-seven. Less noticeable, but more unique is that he is half-Irish and half-Haitian. Since his victory in 2004, J-L has gone on to make the semi-finals of the 2005 Boston Comedy Festival, was named the runner up for the 2006 Belly Laughs Competition in NYC and was made a 2006 DC Comedy Fest participant. J-L also recorded his debut CD “Racial Chameleon” in April of 2006.

Ryan Conner

Based in Washington, DC and New York City, Ryan Conner is a regular at The DC Improv, The Comedy Cellar (NYC), and Caroline’s on Broadway (NYC) and has performed at theatres, clubs, colleges and corporate shows all over the country. Ryan has also worked with some of the top comedians of this generation, including Dave Chappelle, Colin Quinn and Mitch Hedberg. He can be heard regularly on XM Radio and seen on the Discovery Channel’s Pop Nation. All this has led On-Tap Magazine, Washington DC’s leading entertainment guide, to label him a “stand-up comedy phenom,” while Punchline Magazine has labeled Ryan as “unique and extremely funny.”

Sean Gabbert

Sean Gabbert loves being a comic and has also found it the most difficult thing he’s ever embarked on, making it the most rewarding as well. While unsure about labels, Sean has earned the respect of local comics, who have called his material, ‘Smart, unique, edgy, attitude-driven, and funny (most important.)’

Jay Hastings

Jay Hastings is a very funny guy. He is ‘connected’. I’ve never seen him wait for a table in a restaurant. Mr. Hastings could be the next big thing…way too soon to tell though.

Brandon Ivey

Brandon Ivey lives in Chevy Chase (the Maryland town). He is an editor for a company that publishes newsletters on the mortgage industry. Boring.

Kojo Mante

At a very young age, Kojo Mante quickly realized that he was terrible at writing bios. So he stopped writing bios and started writing jokes instead. Today he is a stand up comedian based out of Washington DC, where he performs his jokes. Lack of bio-writting talent aside, he does seem to recall performing at clubs up and down the eastern seaboard and such.

Jon MummaJon Mumma is one of the hottest young comedians in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, performing regularly at clubs and colleges all over the East Coast. He has performed with some of the industry’s most notable headliners including Todd Barry, Kevin Pollack, Judah Friedlander, Eddie Gossling, and T-Rexx. Jon was the 2006 winner of the DC Improv’s annual stand-up comedy competition and was a featured performer at the 2006 DC Comedy Festival.

Larry Poon

Larry Poon is daring and remarkably hysterical. His brand of comedy has been entertaining and perplexing audiences all along the east coast. In our world of few infallibles, this is one: Larry Poon was born to entertain. He is in fact perhaps not so much a ‘comedian,’ but rather one of America’s last true ‘entertainer.’

Joe Robinson

A veteran of DC comedy, Joe Robinson can be heard regularly on XM Radio and Baltimore’s 98 Rock. He is the regular guest host for Mickey Cucchiella on the ‘Mickey and Amelia morning show’. He has emerged in the last year as a Baltimore/Washington area favorite and recently took first place in the Arlington Drafthouse Comedy Competition.

Rory Scovel

Sure, Rory Scovel has been the top American finalist in the 2006 Seattle International Comedy Competition, can be seen on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, has toured colleges throughout the United States and was an official audition selection for the 2007 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. But not satisfied with the status quo, Rory challenges some of our basic conventions with a passionate and intelligent perspective. When not performing stand up or making films of himself traveling to stand up shows, he performs with the improv troupe Dr. Fantastic.

Seaton Smith

Seaton C. Smith is not a typical gun toting African-American youth destroying our country. He is a man of the people. He has appeared at such clubs as DC Improv, Lafter Hours and Baltimore’s Comedy Factory. What’s most important to Seaton is that through his short career he’s been honored with compliments from some of the greats in the comedy industry such as Bobby Slayton, Tommy Davidson, and Eddie Brill. He ultimate goal, above all else, is to one day be that guy who’s name is “dropped” in other people’s biographies. Seaton is also a filmmaker, a craft he received a degree in from Howard University.

Chris White

Chris White is a crowd favorite in Washington D.C. and Baltimore, and he now travels to perform at clubs and colleges across the country. He has participated in the Boston and Washington comedy festivals; in May 2005 he won the Carnival Comedy Challenge in Pittsburgh, Pa.; and he has worked with many fine comedians, all of whom secretly wished they were Chris.

Biscuitville

Inspired by the simple genius of a certain southern culinary institution, Katie Carson, Tyler Korba and Mark Raterman formed Biscuitville in 2003. They have served up their brand of fresh, oven-baked longform improv to hungry festival crowds in North Carolina, Chicago, New York and DC. And just like the fabled restaurant that shares their name, they have sworn to deliver to their patrons one simple promise: Anything you want. Served on a hearty, golden biscuit.

Dr. Fantastic

Dr. Fantastic is here to help you. Since 1992, he has intensively practiced in the field of fantastic, and has conducted numerous studies on fantastic and its development and impact on the human body. His weekly seminars, featuring his patented Fantastic Pill, have helped millions of people realize their fantastic dreams and goals, and have been the proximate cause of very few deaths, the exact number of which is an issue to be settled by the courts. With an emphasis on speed, parody, and the absurd, Dr. Fantastic abandons cherished improv concepts such as character, truth, and coherence. Be prepared for a wild ride through people and places that can only exist on stage. No doubt you have many questions. But these are not the questions we had agreed upon earlier, so they will not answered.

iMusical

iMusical: The Improvised Musical! joins the unpredictable playfulness of comedic improvisation with the wondrous joys of musical theater. A cast of singer-improvisers creates a compelling new show with each performance, comprised of completely improvised scenes, lyrics and music, all inspired by audience suggestion. The Washington Post calls iMusical ‘amusing’, ‘gleefully vulgar’ and ’spot on’. Under the direction and accompaniment of Travis Ploeger, 8-year musical director of New York’s renowned Chicago City Limits, iMusical explores the human condition via song and laughter.

Jackie

Audiences know them as “the funny ones.” Local bar owners know them as “the loud ones.” Jackie has nine members but, as its name suggests, is one person. A single unit - a true ensemble - committed to emotional, character based longform improvisation. They use the power of their brains to make you laugh.

Washington Improv Theater: 161

Without the Beatles, there would have been no Wings. Without Wings, Guns N’ Roses would never have re-recorded ‘Live and Let Die,’ which was a great Bond theme, but easily the worst Bond movie. Actually, ‘Moonraker’ may have been worse. Either way, it was Roger Moore’s fault. That smug bastard… The point being, without onesixtyone, the original WIT troupe, there would be no WIT. It’s their fault. ‘A reputation for imagination, quick wit and irreverence.’ -TimeOut New York

See you next week.

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comment | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

E.L. Wisty, one of the few BHDC All-Stars not on spring break right now, writes our weekly comedy column — every week. 

I’m not going to spend a lot of time responding to the comments Jimmy Merritt made on his blog in response to last week’s column, primarily because I can barely affect any patience for the way my own comments were misconstrued. Per the title of his blog-post, I defy Mr. Merritt to peruse my column again and locate my using *any* form of the word “depression” to describe stand-ups. I don’t think it, hence, I never wrote it. An apology’s certainly in order. Not expected, but in order nonetheless.

Second, many comments on his blog lit on the suicide aspect of my friend’s comments. Had any of the people commenting on Mr. Merritt’s page actually took the time to look up the word “disavow,” which is what my friend did when the silly notion of comedians committing suicide with more frequency was brought up, then perhaps some would understand that my friend *agrees* with them. Just to be clear: he disavowed this notion…which is a polite way of saying he thought it was damned silly.

And, finally, I wish Jimmy Merritt would pick a lane. Only a few short weeks ago he was making high-minded claims for the complexity of stand-up, calling it a “valid art form,” something to which I wholeheartedly agreed. Any valid art form needs artists to do it, right? And the path towards artistry is rather complex one, right? Now he’s suggesting that the path towards being a stand-up, an artist, is a simple one: all you have to do is see a stand-up as a child, and then you become one. That’s it. That’s all. Of course, if that were the case, there’d be a lot more stand-ups. There’d also be a lot more pro football, baseball and basketball players, more actors, models, rock stars, race car drivers…you get the point.

Can we allow that the medium of stand-up comedy has certain requirements, most important being both complexity of thought and personality? And can we allow that the nature of stand-up requires a mindset or personality whereby one walks - routinely -on to a strange stage, with strangers watching you, with the purpose of making them laugh? And that this is something that most people would admittedly rather die than do?

Given all this, can we allow that the people who get up and do this all the time aren’t your normal average people? That either by accident of birth or the hailstones of untoward occurrence they become people who view the world in a skewed (”fucked up” way, and that they are best able to bring their personalities into relief by making strangers laugh?

Sheesh.

And here’s the thing, guys. Sure, the stereotype of the depressed or angry comedian is a stereotype, but stereotypes don’t grow in vacuums, and this one in particular explains a whole hell of a lot.

And second: even if it isn’t true…you know that whole tortured, tormented artist, Byronic-hero crap? Chicks love that. They eat it up the way they eat up brunch at the Ritz. A guy who’s funny and deep and complex? A surefire panty-moistener. Why not just indulge the damned stereotype, since it’s actually kind of Romantic? Don’t you guys want to get laid? What the fuck is wrong with you people?

Sheesh, redux.

There’s other stuff going on…dccomedyfest, blah blah blah. But right now I’m not in the mood.

‘Til next week.

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (4) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink

Start Strong: By now practically everyone in the comedy world has heard the sad news, that comedian Richard Jeni took his own life this weekend.

By all accounts, Jeni was one of the funniest, creative guys on the stand-up circuit, with a signature rapid-fire delivery that won over audiences everywhere.

A recent statement from Jeni’s family insists there was no foul play, that Jeni did indeed take his own life, but also claims that Jeni was “not down or blue, he was ill….Perhaps Richard’s passing will encourage people to have sympathy, compassion and understanding for those who are afflicted with mental illness.”

A good friend of mine was asked by e-mail why “so many comedians commit suicide.” While disavowing that so many do, he did allow that comedians are a little unbalanced. Why? “Because,” he replied, “comedians are fucked up people. Think about it: their entire personalities are geared towards seeking approval, love, acceptance, and they seek it so desperately that they literally do what most people would rather die than do: go talk to a roomful of people they’ve never met with the aim of making them laugh. And to do so they take some of the most sensitive, painful parts of themselves and their experiences and turn them into punch lines.”

He continued: “I’ve always found it very fitting that comedians use war metaphors to divide up the world. People who are non-comedians are ‘civilians.’ Comedians ‘kill’ an audience, or ’slay’ them. It’s fitting because most comedians are at war: with their pasts, their emotions, their experiences, with society and its accompanying demands and hypocrisies — but mostly with themselves. And Richard Jeni lost his war.”

Indeed.

E-mail me if you opened for Jeni when he was here in DC and would like to share your own thoughts and memories of him.

EL Wisty, per Richard Jeni, a “dried up loser…”

................................................................................................................................................................................................
comments (3) | digg this | reddit | facebook | del.icio.us | stumble | permalink