Pre-pandemic, one of LA’s favorite comedy oddities was SquatMelt, born out of one Howard Kremer keeping the spirit of the legendary Meltdown with Jonah & Kumail at NerdMelt Showroom @ Meltdown Comics alive. When the building was sold, Kremer just “squatted” in the parking lot behind the comic books store and did a stand-up show there with a portable speaker and a DJ hidden in a tree, DJ Trees.

Yes, we are not making that up.

Despite the gray area legality of it, this “SquatMelt” persisted with folks bringing out lawn chairs and lining up to watch in the most unconventional ways that people have watch live stand-up in person. Construction on the space (as Meltdown Comics sold its space), but Howard would still carry that torch on by performing in the parking lot of another former comedy space, The Steve Allen Theater, the former home of Tomorrow! with Ron Lynch. Eventually, after being featured as Gene Cosineau’s theater where he taught his acting classes in Barry, that theater was bulldozed too.

So, Howard leaned into the nomadic nature of the show and had it be a walking tour of the neighborhood where comics would do a set and then they would walk to another spot. Sometimes, the city of LA is hell bent on making it really difficult to organically bring folks together for something unmistakably cool. So, there would be one more move of the show before COVID-19 hit when SquatMelt headed to Echo Park and walked around Echo Park Lake.

Kremer has kept safe this whole time during the pandemic, but is finally returning to the great outdoors, with Naked Comedy, for what will be known as Comedy @ Chaplin on Wednesdays at 8:30PM PT. The comics and audiences will meet at the Charlie Chaplin mural across the street from one of the best diners in LA, Fred 62 with Howard leading the way. This first post-lockdown edition of the show with its newly minted name will feature LA staples Anna Seregina, Kyle Mizono, Chris Garcia, Maggie Maye, Paul Danke, and Max Beasley.

Oh yeah, it’s the nice price of FREE as well. Don’t miss the first Comedy @ Chaplin this Wed. Feb. 16th at 8:30PM PT. Bring a jacket on top of your vaccinated and masked self.