What's coming up on the ol' comedy schedule, you ask?
TONIGHT - at Wits End in Westminster. 2 shows. 8pm and 10:30pm. I'm opening and our headliner is a great guy from LA named Danny Villalpando! Call Wits for info.
Thursday, May 1 - the FINAL round of the semis for The Boulder County Comedy Contest! We have 9 comics competing and our headliner is the amazing SAM ADAMS! I'm the emcee/host.
Tuesday, May 3 - Battle of the Comics at the MadCap Improv in Westminster. A fun night of clean comedy and we're competing for $100!
Friday, May 9 - I'm performing for an education appreciation dinner in Denver. Private event.
Thursday, May 15 - Be Happy Laughing Comedy Show in Boulder! For more info check out www.behappylaughing.com.
Sunday, May 18 - I'm one third of a 3-man comedy show at the MadCap Improv Theater in Westminster. Check out www.danmcgowan.com for more info.
For ALL of the above shows, you can find out more info at www.danmcgowan.com.
THANKS FOR SUPPORTING LIVE COMEDY!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Cheech and.... ME!
Last night I had the distinguished honor of performing comedy and emceeing a fundraising event for Le Gente Sports League which is an organization that offers a full spectrum of sports activities for kids in the Pueblo, CO area. It's an amazing organization and last night the keynote speaker was none other than Cheech Marin (of Cheech and Chong fame - as well as TV, film, animation and many other accomplishments.)
What a great evening - and what a great guy!
It caused me to think how we "non-celebs" always seem so surprised whenever we meet someone who is famous and simply assume they are not nice people! Why is that? Maybe it's because we know, deep down, that if we were not careful, we could be jerks if we ever became famous! Who knows. But it was a pleasure to meet Cheech and hear him speak about the positive influences that Latinos have had on the entertainment industry.
It was a great night and I'm very grateful to have been a part of the gala!
What a great evening - and what a great guy!
It caused me to think how we "non-celebs" always seem so surprised whenever we meet someone who is famous and simply assume they are not nice people! Why is that? Maybe it's because we know, deep down, that if we were not careful, we could be jerks if we ever became famous! Who knows. But it was a pleasure to meet Cheech and hear him speak about the positive influences that Latinos have had on the entertainment industry.
It was a great night and I'm very grateful to have been a part of the gala!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Pure Laughs Produce Joy!
Tonight I was joined by 6 of Denver's hilarious comics in an evening of clean comedy for The Smoky Hill Vineyard Church located in Aurora.
The Vineyard Church did an excellent job of promoting the show because they had over 425 in attendance - not something they expected! It was so cool to see people from the church heading into the sanctuary to bring in more chairs as the audience continued to file in to the event, which took place in their "Mosaic Cafe" just off the main sanctuary.
The performing comics included myself, Isaac Camargo, Spencer James, Kevin Ladd, Ron Maranian, Dmitri Davelle and Bob Meddles.
One of the comics told me he's going to visit that church this coming Sunday! Hope he knows they probably won't let him get up and tell jokes during the sermon... well, he'll find out!
What a great night of comedy it was! The audience really seemed to have a great time and the comics did a great job of bringing clean, G-rated comedy to an audience of all ages!
More comedy nights at The Vineyard are coming soon!
The Vineyard Church did an excellent job of promoting the show because they had over 425 in attendance - not something they expected! It was so cool to see people from the church heading into the sanctuary to bring in more chairs as the audience continued to file in to the event, which took place in their "Mosaic Cafe" just off the main sanctuary.
The performing comics included myself, Isaac Camargo, Spencer James, Kevin Ladd, Ron Maranian, Dmitri Davelle and Bob Meddles.
One of the comics told me he's going to visit that church this coming Sunday! Hope he knows they probably won't let him get up and tell jokes during the sermon... well, he'll find out!
What a great night of comedy it was! The audience really seemed to have a great time and the comics did a great job of bringing clean, G-rated comedy to an audience of all ages!
More comedy nights at The Vineyard are coming soon!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Twenty-Five
Just wanted to mention that 25 years ago today my wife and I got married.
I would tell her the news - except she's sleeping right now. And if I've learned anything after 25 years of marriage - it's to never wake a sleeping wife...
Happy Anniversary Darling!!
I would tell her the news - except she's sleeping right now. And if I've learned anything after 25 years of marriage - it's to never wake a sleeping wife...
Happy Anniversary Darling!!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
How Do You Make 11 People Laugh?
It ain't easy!
Even when you have three comics on stage, all of whom have performed many times, for many venues of all shapes and sizes - bringing what they feel is their best material.
A while back, I learned a valuable "rule of thumb" for comedy. Comedy involves three elements that are summed up with the acrostic, MAP. Material / Audience / Performance. When all three of these elements are working together at optimum levels, you have a fantastic comedy show experience. When one or more of the elements is, for whatever reason, not operating at prime - you have a weak experience. Sometimes the "fault" lies with the material. Sometimes with the audience. And sometimes with the performance.
There is no magic way to ensure that every comedy performance will be. How COULD there be when you have at least 3 major forces that must be working in tandem?
What you are left with, then, as a performing comic, is the reality that sometimes you will suck as a performer, sometimes your material will suck and sometimes the audience will suck...
And there's always another show next Tuesday...
Even when you have three comics on stage, all of whom have performed many times, for many venues of all shapes and sizes - bringing what they feel is their best material.
A while back, I learned a valuable "rule of thumb" for comedy. Comedy involves three elements that are summed up with the acrostic, MAP. Material / Audience / Performance. When all three of these elements are working together at optimum levels, you have a fantastic comedy show experience. When one or more of the elements is, for whatever reason, not operating at prime - you have a weak experience. Sometimes the "fault" lies with the material. Sometimes with the audience. And sometimes with the performance.
There is no magic way to ensure that every comedy performance will be. How COULD there be when you have at least 3 major forces that must be working in tandem?
What you are left with, then, as a performing comic, is the reality that sometimes you will suck as a performer, sometimes your material will suck and sometimes the audience will suck...
And there's always another show next Tuesday...
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Clean Comedy
Since I work as a "clean comic" I am often asked to define or describe clean comedy. Which, to me, seems a bit backwards. The very question presumes that un-clean comedy is "the norm" when, in reality, it's not. Over the years comedy, like most art forms, has continually stretched the boundaries of the proverbial envelope and to many people the artform has become "less clean" than it once was. And yet, in many ways it hasn't.
I don't know that comedy is "clean" or "dirty" or "raunchy" so much as it is "obvious" or "blatant" or subtle." As a kid I remember seeing many comics on television who you would never classify as "dirty." Yet, if you listened to what they were talking about, there was no mistaking the content of their material. They were just clever and creative. As opposed to so much of entertainment today that is blatant and leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination.
Perhaps we have just become lazy in our entertainment content?
Which is easier? To show a man and woman completely naked rolling around on the floor having sex? Or create sexual tension in a scene through creative writing and story-telling with the same man and woman completely clothed? I would say it's easier to simply show two people naked because there is absolutely no creativity needed.
Same is true of our comedy. We can use all the obvious words and phrases in our act - words and phrases that everyone has heard a million times. Or, we can take 10 more minutes and see if there might be any other way to talk about sex, for example, than to take the obvious route.
There is a fantastic Denver comic who uses the phrases "having relations." We all know what he's talking about and for him, in his act, it works amazingly well. He tells us - without telling us - and everyone laughs.
In the coming weeks I may dialogue here about my thoughts on clean comedy so feel free to come back, read, comment or yell at the screen.
In the meantime - go tell a joke!
I don't know that comedy is "clean" or "dirty" or "raunchy" so much as it is "obvious" or "blatant" or subtle." As a kid I remember seeing many comics on television who you would never classify as "dirty." Yet, if you listened to what they were talking about, there was no mistaking the content of their material. They were just clever and creative. As opposed to so much of entertainment today that is blatant and leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination.
Perhaps we have just become lazy in our entertainment content?
Which is easier? To show a man and woman completely naked rolling around on the floor having sex? Or create sexual tension in a scene through creative writing and story-telling with the same man and woman completely clothed? I would say it's easier to simply show two people naked because there is absolutely no creativity needed.
Same is true of our comedy. We can use all the obvious words and phrases in our act - words and phrases that everyone has heard a million times. Or, we can take 10 more minutes and see if there might be any other way to talk about sex, for example, than to take the obvious route.
There is a fantastic Denver comic who uses the phrases "having relations." We all know what he's talking about and for him, in his act, it works amazingly well. He tells us - without telling us - and everyone laughs.
In the coming weeks I may dialogue here about my thoughts on clean comedy so feel free to come back, read, comment or yell at the screen.
In the meantime - go tell a joke!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
