chappelle – The Comedy Bureau

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 113: Cara Connors & Your First Nationwide Tour

May 25, 2022

cara connors, chappelle, queer comedy, ricky gervais, stand up comedy

The prospect of doing your first nationwide tour as a comedian is as thrilling as it can be daunting. So much of it is a mystery that you can’t really prepare for ahead of time. That said, to actually play to folks that specifically came to see you across the country is part of the electrifying feeling of doing comedy that makes up for all the other numerous hardships you go through in trying to make a living through comedy.

Cara Connors just embarked on a successful first run across the U.S. and is actually extending her Straight For Pay tour with additional dates. Connors talks us through the whirlwind you’re required to go through when on your first tour as well as her feelings on where she fits in as a comedian that is queer and the ever changing landscape of what might be one of the more fluid art forms out there.

Also, yes, oof, we talk about Gervais’ unsurprisingly controversial special and Chappelle’s attacker at The Hollywood Bowl, Isaiah Lee.

Follow Cara @caraconnscomedy on IG

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and KT

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 110: Brett Johnson & Bringing It All Back to the YARD

May 4, 2022

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

brett johnson, chappelle, daniel radcliffe, james corden, john ennis, late late show, late night, weird al yankovic, yard theater

While it’s rare, there are folks that go and see almost the same amount of comedy that we do. It should go without saying that we enjoy the company of those folks, which is exactly why we had a splendid chat with the YARD Theater’s uber-friendly co-manager Brett Johnson. With his involvement, Brett has made a home for some of the more genre and tone bending types of comedy and, thusly, we have spent a good deal of time standing in the back and cracking up.

This week, we chat with Brett about The YARD’s journey through the last few years and where it looks to head. Also “hot” takes on Chappelle getting taclked, Corden ending his run at The Late Late Show, and the first reveal of Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al Yankovic.

Follow @theyardtheater across platforms and @whatbrett on IG

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and KT

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 83: Mike Mulloy & Growing Grassroots

October 27, 2021

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

chappelle, faded comedy, joan rivers, la comedy scene, mike mulloy, the closer

Building your own thing in the thick of a sprawling comedy scene is beyond a tall order. If that thing is a weekly comedy show that expands into an entire brand that now has branched out to the thriving comedy scene in Denver, it’s even more impressive.

That’s exactly what one Mike Mulloy has done with Faded Comedy over the last few years, tirelessly working to make a cornerstone Friday stand-up show (one of the hardest days to pull off a weekly indie comedy show in LA, FYI) and branching out to do more shows, more cities, and do so with the comedians he digs. Faded managed to stay virtual through lockdown and keep going with a virtual presence with their weekly Happy Hours on Twitch and live-streaming in-person shows. Mulloy and TCB’s Jake Kroeger go into how Mike has carved out this niche in LA comedy as well as do “hot” (and some actually hot) takes on more Chappelle “The Closer” non-sense, the Joan Rivers biopic getting nixed, and more.

Follow Mike at @fakemikemulloy on IG and @mikemulloyesq on Twitter Faded Comedy @fadedcomedyla on IG and Twitter, Faded Denver @fadeddenver on Twitter and @fadedcomedydenver on IG, and on Twitch at fadedcomedy.com.

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and KT

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 82: Jeena Bloom & Forward Moving Needles

October 20, 2021

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

chappelle, history of the world part 2, jeena bloom, mel brooks, netflix walkout, tarantino, trans comedy

There is so much happening with comedians that are trans that has nothing to do with Dave Chappelle. This week’s guest, the splendid Jeena Bloom, is proof positive that there is much to be celebrated and enjoyed with the comedic stylings of many trans men and women just like comedians of any other background. That includes stand-up, TV, movies, podcasts, etc. as well as thorough discussion of local neighborhoods in LA and NYC (neighborhood maps per the podcast conversation linked below). Also, “hot” takes on Mel Brooks’ History of the World Part 2, Tarantino thinking about doing a comedy, and, oh yeah, that Chappelle mess over at Netflix (NOTE: this podcast was recorded on 10/19/21, the day before the #NetflixWalkout).

Follow Jeena @jeenabloom on Twitter and IG

For reference, as promised, here are neighborhood maps of LA (Frogtown is denoted as Elysian Valley for some reason) and NYC

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).

Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and KT

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 44: Cole Stratton & Keeping a Major Comedy Festival Alive

January 27, 2021

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

chappelle, cole stratton, emmys, festpocalypse, sf sketchfest, stay at home order

The beginning of every year, as far as comedy is concerned, can be celebrated with the venerable SF Sketchfest, one of the biggest, most respected, longest running comedy festivals in the world. It’s three weeks of hundreds of shows and thousands of the best performers in comedy all over San Francisco making for the first big comedy event of the calendar year.

Of course, that can’t happen this year due to COVID-19 and SF Sketchfest co-founder Cole Stratton zooms with TCB’s Jake Kroeger about what to do in place of nearly a month of live in-person shows with one big virtual comedy extravaganza (and fundraiser for SF Sketchfest itself) Festpocalypse. Cole also details how doing improv has adapted to the virtual space as well as “hot” takes on Chappelle getting COVID-19, the CA stay-at-home order being lifted, and the debacle of combining the late night and sketch variety categories with the Emmys.

Oh yeah, we’ll remind you once more: don’t gather in person to watch the Super Bowl. Watching it alone is fine.

Follow Cole @colestratton on Twitter and @strattoncole on IG. Get tickets and more info about SF Sketchfest: Festpocalypse this Sat. Jan. 30th at 5PM PT/8PM ET here.

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).
Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and KT

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 26: Fifi Dosch & Being Out/Getting Out

September 23, 2020

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

art of self defense, chappelle, emmys, fifi dosch, jenny slate, lgbtq, little nicky, pen15, quibi, save our stages, schitts creek, sf sketchfest, trans lives

Fifi Dosch has taken one hell of a road to get where she is now as a trans woman who, after achieving her goal of getting to the status of paid regular at one of the most legendary comedy clubs in the world, The Comedy Store, found that there was something still very much missing in her life. Dressing up as a woman on stage brought Fifi to the realization that of who she really was and prompted her transition to being an out trans woman. Additionally, that was followed up with, just a week or so before recording this very episode, a decision by Fifi to move on from stand-up entirely, despite being well on her way to her previous goals, to focus on writing and spending more time with the simple pleasures of her life. Fifi takes TCB’s Jake Kroeger through this whole journey as well as dishing out hot takes on this year’s Emmy winners in comedy, SF Sketchfest going virtual for 2021, the “rally to reopen”, and Jenny Slate’s newest hosting gig at Quibi.

Follow Fifi at @fifidosch on Twitter and IG and please listen/subscribe to Fifi Quest.

Shout outs: season 2 of PEN15, The Art of Self-Defense, Little Nicky starring Adam Sandler

The Comedy Field Report Ep. 12: Brodie Reed & Balance in Chaos

June 17, 2020

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

8:46, brodie reed, chappelle, eric andre, still game

LA comedy favorite Brodie Reed zooms with TCB’s Jake Kroeger this week for the latest TCB Field Report and talks about balancing his own personal life, the pandemic, being active for BLM and social justice, and having more opportunity for his own comedy as a black comedian than he ever has before (and how that can also be exhausting). They also break down the intricacies of Chappelle’s 8:46, UCB’s reorganization addressing their need to include more BIPOC voices as well as revisit some of Brodie’s best bits.

Follow Brodie on Twitter @ayobrobro and @ayo.bro.bro on Instagram.

Shout outs: Still Game, Eric Andre: Legalize Everything