Brian introduces a new correspondent to the show as Nic Sando checks in from New Zealand. He discusses the comedy, trannie, stripper, and bisexual scenes of his homeland. Also tune in for this news flash, comics are assholes. It’s business time!
Email: brianmcomedy@gmail.com and give us a call on 206-203-4692
Hey Brian, thanks for answering my questions today. It really helped me. I just wanted to make sure that was something normal to compete like that with other comics. I am bringing it on now!
On a different note, i called in a question but wanted to ask it on here to get everyone elses opinon as well. B.J. Novak from “The Office” came to my college a couple months ago and did a hour set. His comedy was only about 30 minutes and did like 30 minutes of Q&A. He was actually not that good and hardly got any laughs. He said he was chosen for the show from the producers seeing him perform at The Improv in LA. How does someone get chosen to be a writer for a show like that but complete suck as a stand up?
Haven’t been around for awhile, and I don’t feel like checking all the past threads, so I’ll throw some “blasts from the past” out there.
I did not think Chris Rock’s “Kill the Messenger” was very funny. I thought the appropriate time to use the word ‘faggot’ was funny, but other than that, nothing at all. It even got hacky at the end with the men and women bs. I guess I have a tough time swallowing how hard rich black people have it.
Lisa Lampanelli’s special wasn’t great either. I can’t believe she has a career. That crowd could turn on her pretty fast. There were a few interesting things on there, like her screwing the football player with the bent dick.
DL Hughley’s show on CNN is basically a less informed and less funny Real Time with Bill Maher. Like Chris Rock, everything he does comes back to getting the black man his 40 acres and a mule. I only watched about 10 minutes of this train wreck, maybe it got a lot better.
Ack, I sound like Mr. Negative. What do other people think?
Gilley: I agree with you on Novak, outright he’s not that good of a stand up. I saw him a few months ago and his show seemed to be more about experimentation than anything else. Of course I will admit that he has written some of my favorite episodes of the office so perhaps hes a shitty comic but a phenominal writer.
I was just excited about meeting him and getting my picture taken. I asked the people putting it on if I could open for him and they said No. Then people later on told me it would’ve been better then hearing him.
Darcr, I havent seen Chris Rocks new special yet but i actually kinda like his stand up so i think i would enjoy that. I do agree about D.L though. He does seem to bring that up a lot. I guess after 200 years they still hold a grudge.
I agree with Darcy about Kill the Messenger. I laughed hard about 3 times, as opposed to not being able to go 5 minutes watching Louis CK’s “Chewed Up” without passing out from laughter.
I’m not surprised there’s a crappy stand-up who got to be a comedy writer. There are more than likely LOTS of them. There are also great stand-ups who make crappy movies and apparently can’t write those things worth a damn (the aforementioned Louis CK, for example).
By the way, I thought Sando was hilarious. Wasn’t sure if I would like the interview, but I think he is really funny.
Great show. Always fascinating to hear what a BTB contributor sounds like!
Hey Brian, I had a another question about comics “stock pile” of jokes. I have been to a couple shows where the comic would look around for a certain table and say “hey look at these jews, fags, (insert random corny shit)” I noticed that they probably talk about those people for each show. So basically do they just look for a table where 2 guys are sitting so he can call them gay and start the joke?
Gilley… I may be a hack… but if you and your buddy were sitting in the front I’d probably draw attention to you, say something like “Sorry about that whole prop 8 thing” wait a beat for the laugh and move on…
— D
not posted in a long time, not had much to say i suppose, but was very happy ( and surprised ) to hear Ed Byrne, especially as i went to see him just two nights ago and absolutely loved his show. In fact both me and my friend who i went with thought it was the best live stand up we had seen. It was all new material from what i’d seen before, and i was especially amused and his comments about his DVD which was outsold here by WAG Workout…..and even more funny was his attempt to leave the stage before his encore ( which he had already told us he was doing ) only to go behind the wrong curtain which led nowhere…..you see him peeping out to see if anyone notice….an excellent show and only one of three i’m going to see this month……
So if you are doing Irish how about Dara o Briain….
Dennis – that is actually pretty funny. However, i make it a rule to 1. Never sit in the front row of a comedy club and 2. Never go with just a guy. I have to make sure to go with at least 3 or more people for that very fact.
Anyone excited about the Cable Guy roast….? Anyone?……thought not……
I don’t really look forward to any Comedy Central roast. I can understand roasting someone like Hugh Hefner (as non-comics go), but Pam Anderson? Flava Flav? Please. And they’re tame.
I second Dan on the Roasts. They’re super-cheap for Comedy Central to produce, they go directly to DVD, and crazy completists buy them and keep the dismal cycle in motion.
Secondly I second Joel on the Sando interview. When Sando and Brian veered off into bi-land it was so sweet. I love listening to two men, sharing intimate things and being vulnerable with each other. Maybe BtB could get a video component.
Brian– Regarding your questions about burlesque and comedy, most of my work is on the burlesque circuit. I do really well with burlesque crowds. Burlesque, unlike stripping, is very much about being funny and getting a character across. Dita von Teese is NOT representative. The ladies who hire me put on numbers like “Joan Wayne Gacy” and miniature tributes to American Psycho, complete with blood, Huey Lewis, and little ladies taking their tops off. It can be a little like Pro Wrestling sometimes.
Historically, the very beginnings of stand up comedy come from vaudeville, where comedy was mixed in with magic and novelty and dancing girls. I know neo-vaudeville is sort of an urban fringe movement, but it makes audiences really happy to mix giggles with jiggles, and I wish the red states would loosen up a little and let those shows in. I am much more offended by another joke about Asian drivers than a little bit o’ tit.
Also, it’s much less demeaning when a heckler yells “show us your tits,” in a burlesque environment.
Brian, I think it’s time to interview Margaret.
Margaret…
That sounds like a great night out! How do I go about finding something like that in my area? Is there an index somewhere? (I’m in LA, but I’m asking in a more general way as a way of asking for the more shy members of the board who live in other places)…
—D
Wow! These burlesque female serial-killer themed evenings sound unmissable! Joan Wayne Gacy?!
I’m betting there’s also a Hernandez Sisters and a Son Of Pam act out there somewhere too!
.
Oh fuck – I meant the Menendez Sisters/Brothers – The Hernandez Brothers were those Mexican comic geniuses who made the brilliant Love And Rockets comicbooks.
Dennis, Actually, LA is the home of Lucha Va Voom, which is Mexican Wrestling/Burlesque.
Richard, I love the Menendez Sisters idea– they could start out in suits from court, move on to tennis outfits and end up in g-strings. That’s not so far away from what happened in real life.
Folks in general:
Here are some burlesque links, I’m not sure if I’m putting them in so they’ll be live, but certainly paste-able:
http://losangeles.burlesque411.com/index.php
This links to other cities, not just LA, in a craig’s list style word map.
This is another decent source
http://www.shimmymagazine.com/site/shows.html
And Brian, if you want to interview me, I promise to answer lots of questions about bisexuality, though I don’t have a lot of experience with trannies or success in mainstream comedy clubs to draw from. It would be a departure from recent subjects, for sure.
Hey Brian,
Just recently discovered the show, now on my third episode and slowly becoming addicted – and just when I beat coke and vicodin, dammit – but definitely enjoying things.
Any more exploration of the world of bi-sexual comedy planned? If you fancy moving deeper and going bi-sexual non-gender, let me know. LOL.
I have a question, perhaps some advice you might be able to give either on here or on the podcast (Or point me towards it if it’s been covered before) – I’m doing my first professional gig at the beginning of next month and, naturally, I’m opening. But I’ve never opened before and I was wondering if there’s any special technique to it?
My usual act is quite angry and political, but I have some lighter material too. Should I stick to that or am I going to be okay with the political stuff too?
This message board went from being predominately generic comedy fans to a British invasion to bi-central. What a world we live in.
No, the British invasion is still on. I’m part of both armies. Sorry.