For my summer so far, a lot of it has been bouncing around like this life often requires, however, lately, I’ve been back hard at work with Upright Citizens Brigade. Now some may ask WHAT IS THAT? It’s sort of Saturday Night Live feeling monologues/sketch comedy started in Chicago by the legendary Matt Walsh, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts and Amy Poehler and is now set up in Los Angeles and New York City, it’s live and absolutely without a net. Also, without writing, you go out there with some of the funniest people on the planet without a single game plan. A suggestion is yelled from the audience. No way to have any idea what’s coming. After someone from the crowd yells something, like “chainsaw” 3 monologues happen, that actually happened to us in real life, somehow “chainsaw” related, and from those monologues, come sketches, on the fly. 3 acts, and who knows what happens. It’s invigorating, to be able to work on a film or tv show, you get takes, opportunities to try things over again etc etc, with UCB, not only do you bypass any chances to get it perfect, you also bypass anything that had been written for you, it organically happens, right there on the spot in front of everyone. When it fails? It stings a little, but when it works…it’s downright blissful. So my friends and I go out there and act up, get laughs (hopefully) and it’s really creative and fun (and scary sometimes). So there will be a big ole monster show coming up on Saturday 8/8/15 at the original venue for Upright, it’s on 307 W 26th Street in Chelsea NYC (right off of 8th ave), we start at 1pm. We end when they shut us down, or kick us out, even if they kick us out, it’s not to say the show won’t spill on to the street. There’s been an UCB TV show on Comedy Central (here's a clip! https://youtu.be/1XAPxidW7pU) , the crew has played Bonaroo, they’re in LA now at Franklin Ave, there is even a “Del Close Marathon” in New York which was something like 72 hours of comedy, this year was torrential downpours and we STILL had amazing crowds and some amazing jokes. This is my year 2 of this, last year my friends and I played and had a blast, this year my friends and I have been playing later, there have been some late late nights roaming around NYC doing our thing. So Saturday on 8/8 will be a culmination of working together and laughing together for a while. Hope you can all come, if not, totally understood, it’s a Saturday in Summertime, if you’re not around NYC, go play at the beach, but if you are in the tri state area? Come on out, laugh a little, dance a little, we’ll take good care of you.
So when is this madness?:Saturday 8/8/15 starts 1pm ends whenever who knows
Cost?: 5 dollars? 5-ish dollars? I don’t know. The 5 spot goes to the theater to keep things swanky. 5-ish is good. Could it be 10-ish? I don’t think so, tell you what, check back here later if you don’t mind, I’ll get the exact amount. I bet 5-ish dollars that it’s 5-ish dollars to get in. (UPDATE! CONFIRMED! 5 SMACKERS)
Who’ll be there?: Some really really funny people. I’ll be there trying to be as funny as them. Won’t be easy. These are FUNNY FUNNY peeps.
What’s happening afterward? I don’t know, let’s all hang out. It’s right there in Manhattan. Let’s eat ramen or noodles of some kind together.
After Saturday I’ll likely be kicking around the city doing “Barrel on Broadway” a little more and doing that tour all over the place. I’m doing this as a “pop up” tour, basically showing up unannounced and doing the show for free. I look forward to getting that show in a few more cities, I’ve been eyeballing the great state of Pennsylvania on that one. More on that to come, more on everything to come…lots to tell you all about in the coming weeks, but until then, let’s hang out on 8/8! Saturday!
Love all y’all,
Tim