Forgive the pun in the title…it’s ridiculous. But it’s true. Last night, Duncan Trussell put on Comedy is Dead 7 in the Masonic Lodge at the Hollywood Forever cemetery in front of more than 200 people. The show was so great.

They kicked things off with a few short videos. My favorite being this music video from Major Lazer’s hit single Pon De Floor directed by Eric Wareheim. It’s awesome.

Ron Lynch hosted the show. He was excellent. He has this dead pan style that is really smooth and awkward at the same time. Its perfect. His magic bit was great. He didn’t actually do any magic. Just made fun of doing magic. Hilarious.

The line-up included Brent Weinbach, Duncan Trussell, Natasha Leggero, Steve Agee, Matt Braunger, and Aziz Ansari. I’m actually forgetting one comedian.

Brent Weinbach is probably one of the top 5 most talented people I’ve seen perform. He’s super intelligent. And Matt Braunger brought the house down. His Taco Bell bit is great.

I also really enjoyed watching Aziz battle through new material. It’s so cool watching a great comedian do brand new stuff. At least if you’re a comedy nerd like me.

Overall it was an excellent show and I’m really looking forward to going again. And I’m really looking forward to going to see more Ron Lynch hosted events.

I cruised down to The Ed Galvez Punk House on Wednesday in Santa Monica for some Westside comedy. The show is every Wednesday at 9pm at the Westside Comedy Theater (formerly the Westside Eclectic).

Right off the bat…I have to tell you…I enjoy comedy on the Westside. Straight shot down the 405 (no traffic because it was 8:30). $3 parking at the Promenade lots. Quick walk from Lot 3 to the venue. $8 ticket. No bullshit. Boom. Going to live comedy needs to be as easy as going to a movie. This definitely was.

I think this place and show have a ton of potential. Westsiders don’t like to leave the Westside (it’s one of the more annoying qualities of its residents)…so this place should be packed if the shows are quality. Where else can you see comedy over there. The venue itself is cool…nice small stage, lighting ability, good sound system. Plus, given it’s proximity to the Promenade, you can easily grab a bite to eat before a show. That’s a nice evening out. UCB for the Westside. Why not?

From Wednesday’s line-up, Dan Bialek stood out. I have to say…I love this guy. He has tons of energy, he’s super smart, and I enjoyed his story telling style. His stories about doing telemarketing right now for car warranties are hilarious. It’s strange to me how a guy who is this quick and talented would have to do telemarketing. Doesn’t seem fair really. But I have a feeling it’ll turn around. Because if you watch the clips of him doing the telemarketing, you’ll laugh your ass off. At minimum, there is a web series there.

Check out the one below and you can see the rest at THAT JERK DAN. They are all so good I didn’t know which one to pick. So definitely head over there when you get a chance.

Most comedians really dislike Anjelah Johnson’s story. And I get it.

You’ve been doing comedy day-in and day-out for 9 years at coffee houses, Ramada Inns, and Chuckle Huts across the country for $12 and 2 drink tickets. Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to get a few feature spots at the Improv, but you’re still begging to get time at Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge and the Comedy Juice shows…neither of which pay. It’s possible you’ve been on Conan…but more than likely you had your spot bumped for Selena Gomez. Or better yet, an exec didn’t like your set at the last minute so he/she pulled it all together. Now your screwed for life on that show and any other show that guy goes too. Awesome.

Then along comes this actress chick who tells one joke about nail salons and it goes herpes-viral on YouTube to the tune of 12M views. Within 7 months of dropping her bags in LaLa Land, she’s taking meetings with every agent and network in the city and lands MADtv like it’s no big deal. I mean it was a good joke and she’s cute and all…but WHAT THE FUCK?

I get it.

The reality is…it’s unexplainable. She can’t explain it, I can’t explain it, you can’t explain it…no one can. That’s why you can’t be mad at her. You just have to say “God Bless You”…and keep on truckin’ like a man (or woman…as the case may be). Success doesn’t happen on your terms. Sucks. But it’s true. Just control your shit. I struggle with it everyday too…we all do…those of us who are ambitious at least.

I thought it would interesting to get her take on the whole thing in a conversation I had last week with her. Not sure I got deep enough into it (still working on those interview skills) but I did my best. Hope you find some take aways from the interview…whether you are a comedian or an accountant. And if you want to see her live, she’ll be at the Ontario Improv this week – July 23 – 26.

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At 5PM PST tonight, our friend Kerri Pomarolli will be performing stand-up comedy in front of 1,800 wild church girls at the Gateway Church in Southlake, TX. Performing for this many people is actually nothing new for Kerri. She does it all the time. What is interesting about the show is that it will be streaming live on the internet at GatewayLive.

There are three takeaways from this:

1. Kerri Pomarolli is a genius for taking her clean, Christian comedy to remote locations where locals don’t get a ton of stand-up comedy. Genius. She went to the University of Michigan by the way…so that should tell you why she is so smart ; ).

2. Does anyone else find it bothersome that a church is more willing to spread laughter live on the internet than a comedy club? How is it they have the ability to get their act together and broadcast shows to the entire country and the Laugh Factory and the Improv can’t?

3. I’m not a church goer. But I respect the way they spread the gospel. The passion they have for it. It’s time people start spreading laughter in the same manner. We need to spread laughter to as many places and to as many people as possible. It’s good for the world.

Tune in to watch Kerri lay it down tonight at 5PM PST.

Right after I talked with Lachlan Patterson last week, I talked with Josh McDermitt. Yeah…I doubled up on podcasts in one day. That’s what happens when you aren’t working. You have time to do more podcasts with comedians.

Josh is a really funny guy. I had a great time talking with him. Who knew he scored a radio gig at 16 in Phoenix by just calling into the show? Plus he reads and supports this blog which I appreciate. It’s always cool to know people are listening and reading.

It’s fun getting to know these folks away from the stage. I hope people are sending these podcast to their friends in “the biz”. Often times, you can get a better sense of who these performers are by just listening to them chat.

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A few quick notes from Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge last night:

1. Matty Balaker’s writing continues to get better and better. He’s always topical and probably writes as much or more than any comedian out there. He only did 5 – 7 minutes last night but it was solid. Matty will be performing 15 minutes at my birthday show on the 18th at Red Rock, so I’m excited to see him do a longer set for the first time in a while. I know he has the goods.

2. Discovered 2 new comedians last night – Mark Daviau and Danny Bevins. I had not seen either. Mark was a funny dude. His joke about wearing a wig of an Italian artisan was very funny. I’ll get out to see him more. Danny Bevins had a tough set…not because his jokes were bad…but because the crowd seemed to deflate after Ari Shaffir got off stage. It’s a weird dynamic that happens at shows sometimes. Can’t really explain it. It must suck for a comedian. After the show, everyone said they really thought Bevins was a good comedian…but something happened to the crowd. Trying to make people laugh is rough sometimes.

3. Jacob Sirof really stood out to me. He has a lot of good jokes and solid presence on stage. You can tell the guy is a seasoned comedian. If you have a chance, get out and see this guy.

One last reminder…when you are at a live comedy show…and you are in the audience…keep your yapper shut. There was this douchebag in the front row that felt it was necessary to “assist” the comedians with their jokes. If you feel that urge…leave. You may be kinda funny at parties…but you are not a pro. You’re a dick. You might as well have a sign on that says, “I’m a douche.”

Good times as usual though.

Before the Fourth of July, I had a chance to talk with Canadian comic Lachlan Patterson…while he was in Canada…on Canada Day. That’s the Canuck Trifecta if you’re playing at home.

Lachlan is an excellent comedian and a great writer. I’ve seen him perform 3 times and each time the entire crowd really laughed its ass off. He’s a cool, low key dude who gives it to you straight. I really enjoyed our talk. Hope you dig it too.

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OK folks…busy week for me in the comedy world (and technically I’m not even in the comedy world…maybe one day). In addition to podcasts with Josh McDermitt and Lachlan Patterson and a video interview with Bill Lucas of CandorTV, I’m headed out to the following shows. Join me if you can:

Tuesday – June 30th
8:00PM
Ice House – Pasadena
FREE
Paul Ogata and several other comedians are filming a special for Comedy.TV. Byron Allen’s new network. Email Paul for free tickets: paulogata@yahoo.com. Or you can pay $14 at the door. Your choice. Actually, don’t be a douche…just email Paul for the tickets. If you missed Paul’s podcast…when he was locked out of his house…it’s here.

Wednesday – July 1st
8:00PM
UCB – Los Angeles
$5
The Birthday Boys and A Kiss from Daddy hit the stage for some sketch comedy. I definitely don’t see enough sketch comedy, so it’ll be cool to get out and see these two groups. They are both supposed to be awesome. Plus Neil Campbell is in A Kiss from Daddy…I interviewed him for the podcast here.

Thursday – July 2nd
8:00PM
Laugh Factory – Hollywood
FREE or $20
Ryan Sickler is performing at the Laugh Factory at Tom Arnold’s weekly show. Sickler kills and Tom is the man. Both did interviews for LCLA here and here. You can get in for free if you are currently without employment. Otherwise it’s $20. You’d almost rather be unemployed at that price. Why is their pricing so out of whack? Not Tom’s fault…or Sickler’s for that matter. Holla at Mr. Masada on that one. He owns the joint.

Anyway, that’s the lowdown on the showdown for the week. Join me if you can. Hit me up on Twitter and we’ll try to connect if you are going to be out and about: twitter.com/livecomedyla

I talked with L.A. comedian Paul Ogata this week for the podcast. Literally, right when I called, he got locked out of his house. But, like a pro, he powered through our chat. Paul is probably the most professional comedian I have met. From arriving early to shows, to his communication via email, to his website, he just knows what it means to conduct himself in a professional manner. He’s also flat out funny. There is a portion of the interview where Paul has to click over and talk to the locksmith and I am on by myself. Don’t leave…he comes back. I just talk to myself in the downtime. You do it too…don’t lie.

He will be taping a show at the Ice House next Tuesday, June 30th. If you want free tickets, email Paul at paulogata@yahoo.com or hit him up on Twitter – twitter.com/paulogata. Hope you enjoy the interview.

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