LAT on the SoCal alt-comedy scene

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on January 27th, 2007

Writing for the Times, Chris Barton kicks off his sprawling assessment of the Los Angeles alt-comedy scene (“Amusing Asides”, Jan. 25, Calendar cover story) with the obligatory trashing of the alternative to the alternative:

Hey, did you hear the one about stand-up comedy in L.A.?

Of course not, because stand-up died a horrible death somewhere around the time everyone started loving Raymond. Doesn’t every comic here just want to get on TV anyway?

Well, believe it or not, no. Though there are still plenty of comics dreaming of that miracle sitcom gig and searching for the perfect head shot, stand-up comedy is enjoying a renaissance in Southern California. And it’s happening far from the storied walls of the Laugh Factory, the Comedy Store and the Improv

Okay, so we have the schematic: Alt comics– Good. Other comics– Bad. Motivation of bad comics– Evil (Money, fame, wealth, sitcom). Motivation of good comics– Pure (Fun, cameraderie, entertaining twentysomethings who wear hoodies and stocking caps).

It’s a tremendous piece of work if for no other reason than it provides readers a comprehensive listing of all the niche standup venues in the Southland. It should drive some folks through the doors of the comedy nights that have been produced by plucky comics like Brad Stewart and Jen Kirkman and Brendon Small. And, even though the author of the piece goes to great lengths to trash the “comedy clubs,” the alt venues will act as gateway experiences– the alcohol and marijuana to the heroin that is the Laugh Factory, Improv, Comedy Store, et al.

In thie piece, the regular clubs are the enemy– The clubs have “rules and restrictions” (?), the comics only want a sitcom (horrors!) and the glasses clink too loudly. The alt venues are idyllic– young, smart, idealistic comedians mingle with sweet, young, hip patrons in an atmoshpere reminiscent of Paris in the 30s or San Francisco in 1956. Of course, the reality is somewhere in between, but that wouldn’t make for very good copy. (And it definitely wouldn’t get on the cover of the Calendar section!)

We applaud the folks who start up these comedy nights. And, as is happening in Seattle and (we gotta figure) other markets, more stages/more stage time is a boon to comics young and old, famous and not so famous. We just wish the journos would find an angle where everyone seems decent and everyone is motivated by positive things. It can be done, and it can be entertaining if done correctly. We like to think we do that here on a semi-regular basis.

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