comedy scene

Longtime LA comedy stalwart/producer extraordinaire Joel Mandelkorn returns to the TCB Field Report as one of the marquee show he produces, Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen, is coming to a close. We talk with Joel at length at what makes the center of a comedy scene, what that has been in the past, and what to look for going forward in trying to find that hub of comedy connective tissue going forward.

Follow Joel @cleftclips and @hottub_show on IG.

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

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 75: Kelly McInerney & The New Landscape of Comedy

September 1, 2021

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

comedy scene, la comedy, ms. pat, steve harvey, uk comedy, what we do in the shadows

There is a vast new landscape to comedy as things may or may not continue to open up for live comedy here in the U.S. and across the world. Navigating this new world of comedy is, it would seem, as daunting as starting over, which is why we talk to LA staple Kelly McInerney about how she is figuring her way through a scene she already knew (and possibly looking across the pond to the UK for more opportunity). She’s also reviewed movies while stoned on the podcast she co-hosts, IMDWeed, leading to what movies they’ve missed out on watching high (2001: A Space Odyssey?!?). Finally, “hot” takes on Ms. Pat getting an hour special, What We Do in the Shadows’ After the Shadows, Steve Harvey getting his own court show.

Follow Kelly @hollyweirdo on IG and Twitter and listen to IMDWeed wherever you get your podcasts.

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

“Super Serious” Offers an Oral History of LA Indie Stand-Up Scene in a Gorgeous Coffee Table Book

It’s unclear as to exactly what was going on in 2010 in LA comedy, but it was the starting point of almost everything that makes it special now (well, right before COVID-19 struck anyway). The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail started around then, WTF with Marc Maron was picking up steam and kickstarted LA’s comedy podcast explosion, and even we had our humble beginnings around then. Also, so many indie comedy shows popped in and around LA giving the LA comedy scene the sort of connective tissue that it was missing years prior.

One such show is The Super Serious Show and, as they’ve kept their high flying variety show going for a decade between a handful of unique, wondrous venues around LA, they’ve seen the ebbs and flows, the new, the old, the highs, the shifts, the rumblings, the lows, and everything in between that has been going in the venerable indie LA comedy scene, especially when it comes to stand-up. Thus, Super Serious Show co-creator and portrait photographer Mandee Johnson assembled a lovely and exhaustive oral history of the comedy scene here in LA, accented by her signature polaroid portraiture of the hundreds and hundreds of performers that have stepped on The Super Serious Show stage. Contributors to this special oral history entitled Super Serious: An Oral History of Los Angeles Independent Stand-Up Comedy include Hasan Minhaj, Rory Scovel, Anthony Jeselnik, Karen Kilgariff, Baron Vaughn, Dave Anthony, Andy Kindler, Natalie Palamides, Kristen Schaal, Ron Funches, Reggie Watts, Rachel Bloom, Dana Gould, Eddie Pepitone, Cameron Esposito and dozens more.

If you’re as obsessive about comedy as we are, it’s definitely a must have for your coffee table (or whatever table you have). Super Serious: An Oral History of Los Angeles Independent Stand-Up Comedy is available for pre-order now and will be released on Aug. 18th from Andrews McMeel Publishing. Given how there are plenty of shipping delays for non-essential items these days in the U.S., best to put your order in now. Get more details and get your copy here.

Fun news alert: We have a BOOK!

Super Serious: An Oral History of Los Angeles Independent Stand-Up Comedy is available for pre-sale NOW!

Learn more: https://t.co/XRUUsXZ7Xq @mandeephoto @AndrewsMcMeel @_triangle_house #SuperSeriousShow #SuperSeriousBOOK pic.twitter.com/F9GZunTsYZ

— Super Serious Show (@seriousshow) July 14, 2020

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 231: Joel Mandelkorn & The Centers of a Comedy Scene

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 75: Kelly McInerney & The New Landscape of Comedy

“Super Serious” Offers an Oral History of LA Indie Stand-Up Scene in a Gorgeous Coffee Table Book

Turns Out Our Comedy Bureau Ridealong Airbnb Experience Lets “You Live Like a Hollywood Insider”

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