Connor del Rio at a teen stand up show at Pressure April 3, 2009

Another one of Bryan's students, Connor del Rio, performing at Pressure night before last. The rest of the kids' videos from that night are here.

The Early Weekend Show, March 20, 2009

Pix by me, full set here.

Lauren Vino:


Kevin Hogan:


Joe Fernandez:


Haji Outlaw:


Mike Lebovitz:


Ryan Budds:


Mike Sheehan:

My Pix from The Lincoln Lodge, March 12, 2009

All pix by me, full set here.

Allison Leber, looking the shiniest and prettiest I've ever seen her. She's moving to LA in six weeks and we're all going to miss her tremendously. She's incredibly warm and caring, besides being marvelous onstage.


Bryan was doing man on the street as Timekeeper Willis (a character who wears no shirt) and it was 20-23 degrees last night. I held his sweatshirt between segments. We rode our bikes there, too. My nostrils are still semi-frozen.


Reilly Lambert behind the camera:


Eliot Rahal - could he be more photogenic? He'll always be Han Solo to me.


Joe Kilgallon - it was "good looking Chicago dudes" night at the Lodge:


Marty DeRosa is a favorite cutie of several girls I know - he does a lot of funny things with his mouth, this is one of them:


The Listening Zoo:


Mikey Manker - I don't know how it's possible, but he looks like a cross between Joe Kilgallon and Marty DeRosa:


CAKE!:


Lincolns, Lincolns, Lincolns:


Comedy tonite:

My Vid of Paul Thomas at Chicago Underground Comedy Jan 20 2009

Paul Thomas asks, why doesn't anyone sing like the screaming death metal singers of yesteryear anymore? And why did it take Paul so long to figure out that his voice wasn't going to just one day go from squeaky pre-teen to wailing high priest of metal? Why do so many people sing so different than they speak - Dave Matthews doesn't talk as weird as he sings, and Ozzy Osbourne doesn't order toast by screaming like a banshee.

It's too bad people love (and overuse the phrase) "born and raised" when talking about where they're from, because Paul can only yell that he was "RAISED" in Wisconsin. Paul's also a happily married dude who has been profoundly changed by marriage - for example, he never thought he'd be the kind of guy who would say "that oven mitt is too rustic." Also, naming a star after your loved one is romantic, but did an ancient space civilization really need to die to appease their sun god Norma Lipke?

My Vid of Bryan Bowden at Chicago Underground Comedy Feb. 2009

A few weeks ago we had some folks fall out sick from our show so I plugged in a local lad who teaches stand-up at Second City, has had jokes published in Time Out Chicago, performed all over the city...and happens to be my sweetie. He knocked it out of the park. (I played around with the annotations thing at the beginning of this clip, just for fun.)

Oh, and for those of you who are fans of Bryan's Timekeeper Willis character from Blewt!, he's going to be doing man on the street at the Lincoln Lodge this Thursday and Fridays nights...in character. That means a Mexican wrestling mask, no shirt, and a really bad attitude.

My Photos From Lincoln Lodge, March 6, 2009

Photos by me, full set here.

Bill Cruz:


Ranjit Souri:


Dwayne Kennedy:


Joe Fernandez:


John Markham:


Mike Wiley:

Ricky Carmona on President Obama at Chicago Underground Comedy January 20, 2009

(Yes, I am catching up on a backlog of editing stuff.)

Just after Obama's election, Chicago Underground Comedy's Ricky Carmona asks what does it mean when people say Barack should paint the White House black? How cool is it that we have a President who wants to hear marching bands play Superbad, and who requests Jay-Z's performing talent at Presidential events? Also, with that tricked-out Presidential Cadillac and Obama's smooth communications skills, will this be the first President ever to inspire panty-tossing?

Beth Stelling at the Lakeshore Theater February 2009

I did not record this, but I edited it for my friend and new Chicago Underground Comedy cast member Beth Stelling. She is a marvelous addition to our show and the scene in general. Yeah Beth!

My Vid of Cameron Esposito at the Fourth Fridays 2nd Anniversary Show

Cameron Esposito, January 23, 2009 at the Fourth Fridays 2nd Anniversary Show at Town Hall Pub, Chicago. Video, photography, original music and editing by moi.

Cameron interrupts a joke about how her Yahoo homepage thinks she's an idiot to penetrate a cloud of booze and cluelessness to shush some loud talkers in the crowd, and observes that her glorious new haircut makes her look like a 70's bubblegum pop star of either gender. She also relates the story of making a well-heeled woman at a fundraiser clutch her pearls at the answer to the question "how do you get those nice triceps?" (Just between us, the answer was "banging chicks.") All this and more!

My Vid of Adam Burke at the Fourth Fridays 2nd Anniversary Show

Adam Burke, January 23, 2009 at the Fourth Fridays 2nd Anniversary Show at Town Hall Pub, Chicago. Video, photography, original music and editing by moi.

Adam will miss the fun of slipping and falling on Chicago's slick sidewalks but is happy that our horrible winters mean you can wear whatever the heck you want, as long as it keeps you warm. He wonders if it might be nice to revive extinct mammoths, just so he could wear a toasty mammoth ear cape for warmth, and mammoth testicles for earmuffs. Also, isn't it great that winter means the end of the wedding season? Because Adam is sick of people at weddings ask "so when will you two be tying the knot?" even when he's sitting next to an ice sculpture. Also, he wonders why writing wedding invitations turns everyone into an Elizabethan duchess or a French aristocrat...and MORE!

My Vid of James Fritz at the Fourth Fridays 2nd Anniversary Show

Sorry I haven't been posting much. I've been a little busy/under the weather/had some family concerns. All is well, hope you are, too!


James Fritz, January 23, 2009 at the Fourth Fridays 2nd Anniversary Show at Town Hall Pub, Chicago. Video, photography, original music and editing by moi.

James Fritz explores his Southern white guilt in light of Obama's ascension to the office of President and wants to remind white people that just because we have a black President, doesn't mean we can hail cabs with the Black Power fist. Fritz watched the inauguration and didn't much care for the bad spoken word poetry and what seemed like hours and hours of prayer. Fritz thinks telling everyone you have Seasonal Affective Disorder in the middle of Chicago winter is kind of redundant, because we're all pretty damn depressed at the moment, and really, do you think it makes you more complex and interesting than the rest of us? Also, does Matthew McConaughey hold the key to happiness? Because he seems like the Golden Retriever of human beings.

My Video of Seth Williams at Fourth Fridays 2nd Anniversary Show

Seth celebrates the second anniversary of Fourth Fridays! He explains why the Dixie Chicks are gangsta, wonders, now that we have our first black President, who were the other black firsts, like the first black dude to get a Jheri Curl? Seth discusses marriage and kids, personally thanks Obama for his newfound sense of entitlement and for bringing back in vogue handsome light-skinned black gents. Well, that's not *exactly* how he put it...

(Includes strong language.)

My Pix From the Feb. 7 Maria Bamford Show at the Lakeshore Theater

All pix by me, full set here. This was Saturday night, and it was great fun. Dan and Adam had the audience in the palm of their hands! Bryan and I sat with Dan's wife Victoria up front so I could take pix (thanks, Tony Blanco!), but we also met up with Keith, Crank, Katie, Nellie, and Teresa. Watching my comedy BFF's open for our comedy hero (to a wildly appreciative audience, no less) was a thrill. Also, thanks to the Lakeshore Theater for giving me and Bryan "anniversary of our first date" passes to the show. Ritter and Blanco, merci.

Maria Bamford




Dan Telfer




Adam Burke




Tony Blanco and audience members

My Pix From The Early Weekend Show, Jan. 22, 2009

Hey! I haven't been blogging much. Lots going on. I went to my friend Mike Lebovitz' stand-up show last night at the Holiday Club. Lots of fun!

All pix by me. Full set here.

Joe Fernandez:


Mike Lebovitz:


Cameron Esposito:


Mikey Manker:


Steven Gilpin:


Joe McAdam:


Drew Frees:


James Fritz:

My Pix From Fourth Fridays at Town Hall Pub

Silly faces edition. Pix by me. Full set here.

Cameron Esposito:



Robert Buscemi:



Seth Thomas:



Tamale:



Jay Harris:



Sam Fels:

My Photos of Chicago Underground Comedy Oct. 14, 2008

Entire set here.

Adam Burke:





Allison Leber:



James Fritz:



Bill Cruz:





Marz Timms: