Evidence: Standup on the comeback trail

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on June 29th, 2005

If you needed any further proof that standup comedy (live standup, that is) is on the way back to pre-bust levels, ponder this article by Portland Tribune writer Marty Smith.

I began with the best of intentions. In order to better understand the Portland standup scene, I had the brilliant idea of following the example of Hunter S. Thompson, progenitor of participatory journalism. I decided I needed to get inside the story — you know, actually do some standup, to see what it’s really like.

Of course, Smith dies a horrible comedy death. He admits at the very top of the story that he went onstage without any prepared material (!) and he concedes that that best standup comics make it look easy. The fact that either Smith or his editor thought it would be a good idea to actually do standup is notable– crotchety (and out of touch editors) haven’t inflicted assignments on their charges since about… 1981 or so. Everything is cyclical! (We recall a female reporter friend who, at the height of the Bo Derek/”10″ craze, was assigned to walk around a local mall wearing fake cornrows, note the reaction of passers-by and file a storie on it for the features section. When a reporter or editors gets it in his head to participate, we’ve got a cultural phenomenon on our hands!)

…there’s something very interesting, entertaining and, dare I say it, funny going on here. Small-room standup comedy is a thing unto itself, and you’re not going to get hip to it by watching the latest Chris Rock extravaganza on HBO, any more than you are likely to develop a deep and abiding understanding of the underground punk-rock scene by listening to KGON on your way to the sheet metal plant.

Read the entire article for a snapshot of the Portland comedy scene. A SHECKYmagazine Yummy to Mr. Smith for actually analyzing the scene, naming some names and going beyond the cliches of MSM reporting on standup!

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