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absurdist comedy

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If You Still Need an Absurdist Break from Reality, Enjoy Aunty Donna’s “Everything’s a Drum” (and Their “Big Ol’ House of Fun” Sketch Show)

November 12, 2020
News
absurdist comedy, aunty donna, broden kelly, mark bonanno, netflix, sam lingham, sketch comedy, zachary ruane

Though we all knew that Trump would deny that he lost and seemingly refuse to leave The White House if that were the case, the horrifically taut tension of 2020 is still very much straining the entire world.

So, we’d like to suggest a nice little break for some self-care in the form of the peak absurdist musical/sketch comedy of the fantastic Australian sketch group Aunty Donna comprised of Mark Bonanno, Broden Kelly, Zachary Ruane, and Sam Lingham. Specifically, this song “Everything’s a Drum” offers up one of the more sensationally ridiculous sketches we’ve seen in some time.

If you dig that, you might want to hop on over to Netflix to catch their entire six episode run of Aunty Donna’s Big Ol House of Fun that just started streaming this week. Just like they’ve done in any of their internationally touring live stage shows in the past, Aunty Donna is pretty fearless in how silly and daft they go and really reap the rewards for doing so.

Also, Ed Helms is actually is on camera in the show as an EP if you need more convincing for some reason to go binge it right now.

July 28, 2018
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, brent weinbach, hollywood improv, stand up

Any time you can catch the outside-the-box genius that is Brent Weinbach do any set, especially an extended set, you should always try and catch it just like you can do this Tuesday. 

Get tickets here (oh yeah, it’s at the Lab, so there is no item minimum, FYI).

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, screenings, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

Please Enjoy These Short Sketches from Dave Ross’ Twitter

July 20, 2018
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, allen strickland williams, dave ross, sketch comedy, steph tolev
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Longtime TCB favorite Dave Ross has been putting up ultra short sketches @davetotheross​ on Twitter for over a month now and each one of them has been great and absurd as all hell. 

We won’t explain any further and just let you enjoy these sketch morsels as fresh as possible:

1. Congressmen

2. New Jersey

3. Jackass

4. Phone

5. Put Your Phone Away

Also, we’re pretty sure fans of Dave’s old sketch group, WOMEN, will be plenty thrilled with these.

Matt Ingebretson and Bridger Winegar’s Music Video for Lars Finberg’s “Ambiverts” Is Splendidly Bizarre

February 6, 2018
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, ben seeder, bridger winegar, kate hollowell, lars finberg, matt ingebretson, music video, penelope gazine

Well, leave it to Matt Ingebretson, who we hope you have seen on Corporate, and Bridger Winegar, whose work we’ve hope you seen on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, to make a pitch perfect music video to Lars Finberg’s Ambiverts that also happens to be a pitch perfect video for these farcical times we live in.

Please watch and enjoy it here.

February 5, 2018
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, aunty donna, australian comedy, big boys, comedy show, comedy tour, hollywood, los angeles, musical comedy, sketch comedy

The magical musical Australian comedy troupe Aunty Donna is finally returning to LA with their brand new show “Big Boys”. They’re a high-energy absurdist romp that will make you wonder what they’re putting in the water down under.

They’ll be playing the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Hollywood on Tuesday, Feb. 27th at 8PM. Tickets are $25 and you can (and should) get them here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

July 9, 2017
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, clowning, comedy shows, dr brown, live comedy, los angeles, sam simmons

Two of the most critically acclaimed absurdist comedians in the world, Dr. Brown and Sam Simmons, join up together again to do one of their most absurd shows, Ceremony at Silverlake’s Lyric Hyperion Theatre & Cafe.

Rather than try to explain how the show might be a postmodern dissection of the Western notion of what ‘ceremony’ is, means, and enacted, we’ll just tell you that Ceremony is damn funny and has a advisory warning of containing nudity. 

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Get your advance tickets here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

May 27, 2017
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, hollywood, natalie palamides, solo show, ucb, ucb sunset

Simply put, Natalie Palamides is one of the best around and this is one of our favorite things in recent memory. Also, this show is about to play The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This might be one of the last times you get to see it stateside for awhile.

So, go see LAID next week for $5 by getting your tickets here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, maps, and more can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

Please, Please, Please Enjoy Nick Vatterott’s Sketch Show “No Outlet”

May 19, 2017
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, nick vatterott, no outlet, sketch comedy, sketch comedy show

Simply put, No Outlet is a sketch show fed directly from the inner psyche of Nick Vatterott. As such, it’s absurd, relentless, and, of course, hysterical.

Also, Mr. Show fans might find their new favorite thing when watching this tightly crafted work from Vatterott.

Like we said above, please enjoy No Outlet here and now.

Watch Ian Abramson Do Stand Up in a Shock Collar on Conan

April 11, 2017
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, conan, ian abramson, late night, shock collar, stand up, team coco

When doing stand-up on late night, there is a lot of pressure to deliver your set perfectly just as you’ve rehearsed for dozens and dozens of times over. 

Ian Abramson upped the ante by performing his late night set on last night’s Conan with a shock collar designed for dogs and giving the remote control that operates the collar to a random audience member. 

It’s one of the more weird and wonderful sets of stand-up that you’ll have seen in your lifetime. 

Watch it here.

Jamie Loftus and JASH Will Be Livestreaming a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-1980s-Political Thriller/Ballet Performance “Swan Lake Live!” From a Locked Basement

March 31, 2017
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, choose your own adventure, experimental comedy, jamie loftus, jash, live stream, parody, reagan, swan lake
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If you love absurdist, experimental comedy, please commit the name Jamie Loftus to memory (we’ve suggested doing this on a number of occasions as we find Jamie to be hysterical).

You can see why we love Jamie with her latest endeavor that mixes ballet, conspiracy theory, President Ronald Reagan, and choose your own adventure all into one event that will be livestreamed.

We’ll actually let Jamie further explain “Swan Lake Live! (from a Locked Basement)”:

The premise of the show goes: it is March 30, 1981, the day of Reagan’s assassination attempt, and I play a ballerina/government spy named um Jamie Loftus which is my name and my associate Gary and I come to in a locked basement that is slowly filling with gas from a stove full of ham upstairs. Suspecting that our employer, the president, may be in danger, we are tasked with escaping the basement and saving Ronald Reagan (who is a shitty president but we don’t know that yet it’s only 1981 keep up) while still performing Swan Lake in its entirety.

WHY WE NEED YOU: Because this is a livestream, I’m introducing several choose-your-own-adventure style choices in the show, including whether I should do a complicated ballet dance in a Ronald Reagan mask or whether I should buttchug a bottle of milk after punching through a pinata I made of Jodie Foster’s head.

THERE WILL BE: five dances to Swan Lake, five choices for the audience, three original cartoons from me Jamie, two miserable ballerina ingenues trapped in a basement that is slowly filling with gas, two costume changes I have to do live on camera and only one chance to see it live.

Also, my boyfriend is a young man named John Hinckley Junior, a man who you may not have heard of as of March 30, 1981 but who I think has the potential to really make something of himself.

Pretty great, right? 

You can get more details about Swan Lake Live! (From a Locked Basement) here and livestream it on JASH tomorrow at 12PM PST-3PMPST.

February 26, 2017
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, cheap comedy, comedy show, dicker troy, eastside, katia kvinge, live comedy, los angeles, mary lynn rajskub, matty goldberg, silverlake, the satellite

Back from tour, Dicker Troy (Johnny Pemberton) and Josh Fadem return to the Satellite LA stage next week to dish out their high flying, absurdist, silliness.  

Great acts like Billy Wayne Davis and Katia Kvinge will be joining them too.

Get your tickets here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, and maps can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

January 13, 2017
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, comedy show, ian abramson, lyric hyperion, mayor mccheese, parody, satire, silverlake

Next week will bring plenty of comedy that’s addresses a certain inauguration. Ian Abramson’s will actually have a show featuring the inauguration of one Mayor McCheese that, we’re guessing, is going to be way less innocent than the McCheese you know in McDonald’s ads. Get more details here.  

That inauguration will take place this upcoming Tuesday at 7PM and tickets are only $5. Please get them here.

The rest of our listings for comedy shows, events, open mics, and maps can be found at www.thecomedybureau.com.

The 100 Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness to in No Particular Order of 2016

January 2, 2017
Uncategorized
2016 election, a special thing, absurdist comedy, adult swim, amazon, ast records, best in comedy, best of 2016, channel 4, comedy album, comedy art, comedy special, conan, dark comedy, film, improv, late night, los angeles, movies, nerdist, podcast, poetry, short film, sketch comedy, stand up, tbs, top 100, tv series, variety show, web series

2016 is officially, finally, thankfully over (as long as you don’t think about time largely being a human construct, a new number of year doesn’t make things automatically better, and Trump becoming POTUS).

So, it’s time for our year end list, The 100 Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness to in No Particular Order of 2016.

For reference of how we do our year-end, best of lists, which is a far cry from most other comedy best of lists anywhere else, check out our lists from past years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

Got it? Great.

Here’s 2016′s edition:

1. Jake Weisman’s Send Up of Peter Travers Reviews-Rolling Stone has gone through so much recently, you might have forgot this amazing NSFW parody that Weisman made of Travers movie reviews.

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2. Rory Scovel’s set on Conan Where He Went Into the Crowd-Rory Scovel pushes the envelope in stand-up in the best ways imaginable and this latest Conan set is evidence of his juggling of being fearless and silly at the same time.

3. Conan Without Borders-Conan O’Brien’s trips overseas to Berlin and South Korea highlight every single comedy gear that Conan can shift into and proves that he can almost make any situation hilarious.

4. “Killer” by Matt Kazman-Kazman achieves one of the best comedic payoffs on screen in 2016, including film and TV, with this incredibly crafted short film.

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5. The Jackie and Laurie Show-Jackie Kashian and Laurie Kilmartin found a way to make a podcast where comedians talk comedy and have it be original, damn funny, and crucial.

6  Hebecky Drysbell-Reigning all time UCB Cagematch champions Heather Anne Campbell and Rebecca Drysdale showcase such virtuosity as an improv duo that is as hilarious as it is, when we think about it, beautiful.

7. Chris Estrada-If you’re looking for diamonds in the rough right now, we’d say catch Estrada’s next set and you’ll see how great his jokes are drawing from his life growing up in LA. 

8. Cool Sh*t/Weird Sh*t’s Neighborhood Walking Tour-the LA outfit of the experimental comedy show brilliantly took its audience, one night, around the block and staged such moments as a couple fake fighting in a real Food 4 Less, a woman crying trying to explain the plot of a movie in a Walgreens, and running into an adult orphan waiting to be adopted off the street.

9. Womanhood with Aparna Nancherla and Jo Firestone-Nancherla and Firestone compliment each other so well in being goofy on this show that goes through absurd explanations of  “womanhood” that it should be the next web series that gets made into a full fledged TV show. 

10. Fleabag-Phoebe Waller Bridge has the UK’s fantastic, epic answer to You’re The Worst.

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11. Giulia Rozzi’s True Love-Rozzi’s hour achieves what a good rom com achieves by skewering love and all of its faults as much as it celebrates it.

12. Mike Leffingwell’s 12 Angry Men: The One Man Show-The concept of a single man doing a solo show adaptation of the classic courtroom drama 12 Angry Men is funny enough, but Mike Leffingwell then pulled off performing it perfectly.

13. Josh Sharp doing an hour while dipping in and out of singing D’Angelo’s Untitled (How Does It Feel?) with a live band-Sharp’s stories are wonderfully crafted and told, and then, accentuated by his lovely voice singing D’Angelo’s most well known song like there’s no tomorrow.

14. Not Safe with Nikki Glaser’s Remote Segments–Glaser fed porn stars lines for scenes, visited a foot fetish convention, and highlighted sex in such a fun way that wasn’t attempted by any other TV show.

15. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’s Make Donald Drumpf Again-Oliver and company’s take down of Trump was one of the best researched, strategized, written, executed pieces on Trump during this whole election cycle.

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16. Disengaged-Jen Tullock and Hannah Utt’s web series following a lesbian couple rushing into marriage was one of the best pieces of romantic comedy we saw in 2016

17. [F*ck This] Late Night Show with David Brown-In a way, David Brown sees Eric Andre’s rebellion against the traditional late night format and raises it some more chaos. He has a separate creative team ruining his talk show as it happens via flashmobs, waterboarding, etc.

18. Baron Vaughn’s Blaxisential Crisis-Baron Vaughn’s latest album oscillates perfectly between deep and crucial issues of race, class, purpose and flights of imaginative fancy putting Vaughn almost in a class by himself.

19. Crabapples with Bobcat Goldthwait and Caitlin Gill-the odd couple pairing of Goldthwait and Gill is unlike anything comedy has seen before. Because it lives in truth (they really are roommates), it’s one of the best hosting duos in comedy today.

20. Megan Gailey-Gailey, with her stand-up, is simultaneously an undeniable delight and a force to be reckoned with, which only doubles up how delightful she is to watch.

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21. Liartown USA-When it comes to parodying covers for books, magazines, Netflix menus, etc., Sean Tejaratchi might just do it better than anyone as you can see above.

22. This Bill Burr joke: “How many Toyota Camrys do you have to see before you realize most people’s dreams don’t come true?”-We usually refrain from transcribing jokes out of context and in print, but we haven’t stopped laughing at this searingly honest joke from Burr since we first saw him work on it several months ago and felt it imperative that it be on this list.

23. Sing Street-The 80s, Ireland, young love, and diegetic musicals get married perfectly in this film by John Carney that spent far too little time in theaters.

24. Derek Sheen’s Tiny Idiot-This album made it clear that Sheen could be an heir apparent to Patton Oswalt, bu very clearly has his own, unique comedic take on the world today.

25. Stephen Colbert’s Close to His Election 2016 Live Special-For once, the world got to see the real Stephen Colbert who is so intelligent, well spoken, caring, and one of the only people that could pull of dealing with immediate aftermath of an impending Trump win on TV.

26. Will Hines’ A Soundly Defeated Man-Hines, in a series of sketch vignettes, takes the comedic self-deprecation to a new level of artistry by showing how defeated one man really can be.

27. The Lobster-Yorgos Lanthimos might have made the best dystopian rom com in recent memory and, possibly, for several years to come.

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28. Jena Friedman’s American C*nt-Friedman is unrelenting in her dismantling of the patriarchy amongst other several other controversial issues. She handily deals with them in this special, placing her in a very important position in comedy going forward in 2017. 

29. Jamie Loftus-Loftus is that amazing rare breed of comedian that blends dark, absurdist humor with genuine vulnerability and she can do so in her stand-up or through own self-styled animation (ex. doing her own animations for old tapes of how to tell children about someone dying). 

30. Chris Duffy’s You Get a Spoon-Duffy’s NYC based, curated variety show is filled with so much positivity from celebrating the favorite things of his favorite performers that you almost can’t leave the show without a smile on your face (or winning a prize).

31. Bear Supply-The quick, music fueled scenes of Mike Castle, Shaun Boylan, Joey Greer, Jordan Bull, Morgan Christensen and James Heaney is impeccable improvisational comedy. 

32. The Cooties-Musical comedy is alive and well with the satirical power pop songs of The Cooties.

33. Aparna Nancherla’s Just Putting It Out There-Aparna’s album is proof positive that her wondrous version of self-deprecation can be ultimately uplifting. 

34. Hunt for the Wilderpeople-Taika Waititi continues his film streak with a charming-as-can-be film about a troubled youth surviving in the wilds of New Zealand.

35. Don’t Think Twice-Mike Birbiglia gets really close to hitting too close to home for some people in comedy, but that draws out one of the best depictions of life in comedy (or attempting to do so) that has ever been put into a movie.

36. The Opening of The Pack Theater-The DIY, punk rock, spirit that runs in the veins of much of LA comedy got a new, wonderful outlet at The Pack Theater.

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37. Jetzo-Chad Damiani and Juzo Yoshida mash-up improv, clowning, kimonos, dramatic live musical accompaniment, and breaking the fourth wall to make the marvelous whirlwind known as Jetzo.

38. DJ Real (Nick Stargu)-SF comedian Nick Stargu’s alias DJ Real mixes an uncanny command of musicianship with an über-clever style of comedy that dazzled and had us doubling over laughing at the same time.

39. Daniel Webb-Hailing from Austin, TX, stand-up comedian Daniel Webb is a splendid rush of charisma that probably has a better Obama story than almost anyone you know. 

40. Laurie Kilmartin’s 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad-Kilmartin’s special, born out of jokes she tweeted while her dad was passing away, is so darkly funny and has an unmistakable humanity, which has us rethinking that maxim of comedy equals tragedy plus time. 

41. Kristin Rand-LA got a brief glimpse of the unstoppable charm of Rand when she moved here from Denver and was all the better for it.

42. James Fritz’s Still Together-The way Fritz exquisitely channels rage and bleakness into this debut album is magnificent.

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43. Roast Battle-What started as two open mic’ers fighting in a parking lot has now earned its way to a March Madness style tournament shown on Comedy Central and we’re betting that Roast Battle still has much more potential ahead of them.

44. Josh Fadem-Fadem made a return to performing more regularly in 2016 and his magnetic positivity and pure, unabashed goofiness (complete with impromptu costumes) definitely got us through the whole of last year.

45. Sam Jay-Jay moved to LA from Boston and took her insightful, brash, unfiltered comedy (that happens to come through the lens of being a newly married lesbian) and has become a the LA scene favorite almost instantly.

46. Dave Waite’s Dead Waite-Dave Waite’s latest hour takes being a goofball to new heights of brilliance.

47. Of Oz The Wizard by Matt Bucy-Absurdity doesn’t get more pure than Bucy’s re-editing the classic film version of The Wizard of Oz and alphabetizing the entire thing, start to finish.

48. This Friday Forty-Most other quiz shows can’t compare to Scott Gimple and Dave Holmes’ This Friday Forty that not only has topical trivia, but fantastic sketch characters to introduce said trivia.

49. Jay Larson’s Human Math-Few comedians so deftly explore the minutia of human nature like Larson does on this album.

50. Josh Gondelman’s Physical Whisper-Gondelman’s craftsmanship in observational humor is exceptional on this album and accentuated nicely by his sunny stage persona.

51. Kyle Mizono right after the election-There was a lot of raw nerves exposed in comedians right after Trump’s win and few did it so purely and well as Mizono. For a whole set, she screamed her jokes with legitimate fury, but without being off-putting (well, if you’re not a Trump supporter that is). 

52. Lady Dynamite-Maria Bamford’s truth and Mitch Hurwitz’s wildly imaginative way of making episodic television combine for a comedy series that is blazing its own trail at a time where that gets harder and harder to do in a show about the life of a comedian.

53. Hail, Caesar!-The Coen Brothers’ latest comedy set in Hollywood’s Golden Age is one of their sharpest and most beautiful works that has plenty of scenes that could be amazing short films on their own.

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54. Moses Storm’s Sweater-Moses Storm never ceases to amaze us as he, this time, wore a sweater that had several strings attached to it for audience members to grab so they could literally be connected to him while he’s telling a story.

55. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee-Samantha Bee has cemented a legacy in her short time on the air with her take-no-prisoners-and-then-some style of satirical news coverage.

56. Gene Wilder and Fidel Castro’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (in Limbo)-UCB’s Beth Appel and Rose Marziale put a hell of a show to end 2016 with as they used the whole of the UCB Sunset complex to have an immersive comedy show (a la Sleep No More) that included karaoke with dead celebrities, a fake newsroom, and the woods where Hillary Clinton is living. 

57. Morris From America-Chad Hartigan’s refreshing coming-of-age story following an American black kid trying to grow up in Germany with his single father hit a very sweet, feel-good note that everyone needs to see (especially since it had a short theatrical run). 

58. Britanick’s “The Foul Line”-Though BriTANick had gone a few years without a new video, this absurdist folly makes up for all that time lost.

59. 20th Century Women-Mike Mills’ latest is a great follow up to Beginners and is an award worthy comedy that might actually be able to compete with heavily favored dramas this year.

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60. Three Busy Debras-The comedy trio of Three Busy Debras got to play Carnegie Hall through this devilishly fun crowdfunding campaign. 

61. Paul F. Tompkins’ on Political Correctness-One of comedy’s best gave one of the best explanations of political correctness’ necessary role in comedy.

62. The Dollop-Shining a light on the dark corners in American history is as important as it has ever been and Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds do so with a devilish laugh and their effortless riffing up comedy gold.

63. Floor Knobs-This AOK sketch from Heather Anne Campbell is one of our absolute favorites and, rather than spoiling anything, we’ll just leave it at that.

64. David Gborie’s Late Night Stand Up Debut-Gborie takes an unexpected move in his opening to this performances that sets up a truly wonderful late night stand-up debut.

65. Cholofit-Frankie Quinones’ cholo exercise guru is done so well that it leaves you wanting it to be a real exercise program.

66. Oh, Hello-John Mulaney and Nick Kroll took two characters from just being a small bit to the heights of Broadway. George St. Geegland and Gil Faizon are just so fully realized and funny that it doesn’t matter if you miss one of their references or not. 

67. Chris Garcia’s Laughing and Crying at the Same Time-Garcia meshes deeply personal stories and utter silliness that do the album title justice.

68. Cole Escola-Escola’s solo show follows him playing several outrageous characters (switching wigs and costumes while on stage) allowing for another fun layer in between the cavalcade of delightful, short monologues.

69. Catastrophe season 2-Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney have kept their devastatingly funny look into an unplanned family up to the very high standard they set in season 1.

70. Triumph the Insult Comic Dog’s Election Watch 2016-Robert Smigel might have not known that having a dog puppet on his hand roasting people to their face for years would be the perfect preparation for covering the 2016 election (on both sides of the aisle), but, as the handful of Hulu specials prove, it really was.

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71. Joel Kim Booster’s set on Conan-Just telling the story of being adopted by a Midwestern white family from Korea and being gay is fascinating enough, but Joel Kim Booster made that story blisteringly funny on late night.

72. Angie Tribeca-Physical comedy and sight gags would almost seem out-of-turn in comedy these days, but the proudly silly Angie Tribeca on TBS is thankfully changing all of that.

73. Trump vs. Bernie-While ‘Trump vs. Bernie’ will probably be a presidential candidate match-up that more people will long for than ever, Anthony Atamanuik and James Adomian’s Trump vs. Bernie will go down as one of the best bits (that includes the live tour, the Fusion series, and album) of comedy to come out of one of the worst elections in U.S. history.

74. Joe Pera’s Set on Seth Meyers-Pera’s weirdness is one-of-a-kind in comedy as it’s very warm and inviting. He got to share that with the world with his set on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

75. Vice Prinicpals-When Danny McBride and Walton Goggins’ diabolical teachers one-up, in the best way, any other teachers in any other comedies that go off-the-deep-end in this HBO series.

76. Brad Neely’s Harg Nallin’ Sclopio Peepio-Neely’s latest creations seems to offer up bits from the weirdest corners of Neely’s mind and this animated sketch show is all the better for it.

77. Hari Kondabolu’s Mainstream American Comic-Much is deservingly said about Kondabolu’s expertise in talking politics, class, race, etc. in his comedy, but this album also shows that his comedy is stellar no matter where you fall on the political spectrum.

78. Jon Glaser Loves Gear-Glaser does meta comedy better than almost anybody else working right now and his new show on TruTV is proof of that.

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79. How to Win at Feminism by Reductress-This whip-smart manifesto about feminism solidifies Reductress’ place in modern satire next to The Onion and Clickhole.

80. Great Minds with Dan Harmon-Harmon getting to spend time with some of history’s most notable figures ended up being one of the best shows that the History Channel has done in years.

81. Derrick Brown-Very few poets can reach the point of being laugh out loud funny and still deeply emotive quite like Brown, both on stage and in his book, Uh-Oh.

82. Natalie Palamides’ solo show Laid-Palamides makes a solo show that’s so absurd and funny, it might almost be in a unique category of its own.

83. W. Kamau Bell’s Semi-Prominent Negro–Bell explores all of today’s hot button issues (racial inequality, transgender identity, gentrification, etc.) comedically, as he is very skilled at doing, but does it in such a jovial way that they don’t seem so controversial anymore. 

84. Other People–Chris Kelly’s hilarious and heartbreaking movie based on his own life in dealing with the passing of his mother from cancer is one of Kelly’s finest work, which is even more impressive as his first feature done while being an SNL writer. 

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85. Emo Philips improvising with Jason Van Glass-Emo’s comedic prowess is so great that he can improvise with Van Glass like they’re a veteran improv duo.

86. Return of MST3K-Of the things from our childhoods that are being brought back, Mystery Science Theater 3000 returning with a sweeping mandate in the form of a record breaking Kickstarter campaign is one that deserves to be revived.

87. Wyatt Cenac’s An Angry Night in November-Cenac’s EP captures lightning in a bottle (it’s his set from his weekly Night Train show) of immediate post-election comedy that is pure, raw, and biting.

88. Justin Sayre’s Gay Agenda-Sayre makes a compilation of his “meetings” as ‘Chairman of the International Order of Sodomites’ that give a hysterical look into the many great, complex layers of LGBTQ life.

89. Ahamed Weinberg-Both as a stand-up and a filmmaker (watch Rasberries), Weinberg is on a path to being another great modern comedy multi-hyphenate. 

90. Jon Dore Gets a Bad Backstory-Dore once again shows how to toe the line when entering the darkest territories of comedic material and do so successfully while being utterly absurd. 

91. Ron Babcock videos-A dying reel and an ad for his old CRV really showcase the cleverness and ingenuity of comedy’s Ron Babcock.

92. Reggie Watts’ Spatial-Watts’ latest special is his best and most ambitious one yet as it includes his beatboxing, a faux sitcom, tap dancing, and way more.

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93. Alex & Jude–Alex Hanpeter and Jude Tedmori have figured out how to give slapstick, physical comedy the proper twist for 2016 audiences, which includes a literal bit of audience participation of making Jude a target.

94. Conner O’Malley-O’Malley takes satirical field pieces to a whole new level as he plays and wholeheartedly commits to dark, fully realized characters inspired by vaping, Alex Jones, and Cubs fans. He interacts with real people at Trump rallies, vape conventions and outside of Wrigley Field and goes along with whatever happens.

95. Doug Stanhope’s No Place Like Home-Stanhope has an amazing take on mental illness in this special and opted to shoot it in his own hometown of Bisbee, AZ. Overall, No Place Like Home ranks high up in Stanhope’s extensive catalog of stand-up.

96. “Tond” by Kelly Hudson-Hudson’s short film is one of our favorite bits of existential absurdity of 2016, a year seemingly saturated in nothing but questioning ‘what it all means’. 

97. Brett Gelman’s Dinner in America-Gelman’s last special on Adult Swim is one to remember, especially for how searing the satirical commentary on race relations are in it.

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98. Miguel Marquez-Marquez bridges a gap, almost literally, between art and comedy as his wry art installations are way funnier (intentionally that is) than nearly anything you’d see in an art museum.

99. Chris Fleming’s Silver Lining–The week following the election seemed as hopeless can be if you voted for Hillary and Fleming offered up a powerful, albeit one with a bit of tomfoolery, message of hope.

100. Norm MacDonald on Conan-Not only is there the expected long, winding roads of Norm’s jokes and stories in this particular appearance, but Conan does an impression of Norm out of frustration that’s spot on.

Please Enjoy Joe McAdam and Chris Stephens’ Super Fun, Absurdist TV Pilot “Butt”

November 29, 2016
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, chris stephens, joe mcadam, pilot, tv pilot, ty greene

Need some pure silliness right now? This ought to do the trick.

From Chicago-to-LA comedy transplants Joe McAdam and Chris Stephens, this TV pilot directed by Ty Greene called Butt is a nice slice of precise absurdist humor, free of fear mongering and politicking. Oh, some of it might be NSFW. 

Please watch and enjoy Butt in its entirety here.

Three Busy Debras Take ‘Brunch’ to a Whole Other Level That You Might Not Be Ready For

April 20, 2016
Uncategorized
absurdist comedy, alyssa stonoha, brunch, jake honig, mitra jouhari, sandy honig, three busy debras

Like we said above, you might not be ready for this futuristic, otherworldly brunch from the Three Busy Debras.

Still, even if you’re at beginner level brunch, you should watch it anyway. 

After all, it’s 4/20 and you wanna see something trippy, no?

Recent News

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Comedy Shows

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Sun 11

USC Comedy Festival Vol. 5 (Live-stream)

April 9 - April 11
Sat 10

Tomorrow! w/Ron Lynch (IG Live-stream)

April 10 @ 11:00 pm - April 11 @ 12:30 am
Sun 11

Sunday Brunch with Lewis Black (Live-stream)

April 11 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Sun 11

Zoom Diner (Zoom Live-stream)

April 11 @ 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Sun 11

Sunday Services w/Jackie Kashian (Zoom Live-stream)

April 11 @ 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Sun 11

Cupids Of Comedy – A funny virtual event for singles and couples (Live-stream)

April 11 @ 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Sun 11

Improvised Tarot (Zoom Live-stream)

April 11 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Sun 11

Golden Girlz screening the lost tapes 2 (Live-stream)

April 11 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Sun 11

KO Comedy (Zoom Live-stream)

April 11 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Sun 11

Josh Covitt Presents (Zoom Live-stream)

April 11 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Sun 11

UnCabaret Zoom Edition [LA] (Zoom Live-stream)

April 11 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Mon 12

Afternoon Delight (Clubhouse Live-stream)

April 12 @ 12:05 pm - 1:05 pm
Mon 12

The Dave Hill Goodtime Hour (Live-stream)

April 12 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Mon 12

Who Wants $2.69? with Martin Urbano (Live-stream)

April 12 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Mon 12

Hi, I’m Reading Trash with Oscar Montoya (IG Live-stream)

April 12 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Mon 12

Self Care Comedy (Zoom Live-stream)

April 12 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Mon 12

Another Round (Live-stream screening)

April 12 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Mon 12

David Wain Piano Bar (Clubhouse Live-stream)

April 12 @ 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Tue 13

Coffee with Tony (Twitch Live-stream)

April 13 @ 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Tue 13

Afternoon Delight (Clubhouse Live-stream)

April 13 @ 12:05 pm - 1:05 pm
Tue 13

Cry from Laughter! Annabelle Gurwitch in Conversation with Sandra Tsing Loh (Live-stream)

April 13 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Tue 13

Hot & Rich (Twitch Live-stream)

April 13 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Tue 13

Vanity Fair Cocktail Hour LIVE! (Live-stream)

April 13 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Tue 13

Last Stream on the Left (Livestream)

April 13 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Tue 13

The Mads: A Night of Shorts 3- Live riffing show with MST3K’s The Mads! (Live-stream)

April 13 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Tue 13

Awful Level League (Twitch Live-stream)

April 13 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Tue 13

Sets on the Beach (Live-stream)

April 13 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Tue 13

Cook a Meal with Me (with Ruha Taslimi) (IG Live-stream)

April 13 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Tue 13

In The Green Zoom (YouTube Live-stream)

April 13 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Tue 13

Stand Pup Comedy (Live-stream)

April 13 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Tue 13

Self Care Comedy (Zoom Live-stream)

April 13 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Wed 14

Afternoon Delight (Clubhouse Live-stream)

April 14 @ 12:05 pm - 1:05 pm
Wed 14

Couples Therapy Quarantine Party (Twitch Live-stream)

April 14 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Wed 14

Vanity Fair Cocktail Hour LIVE! (Live-stream)

April 14 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Wed 14

The Squirrel Comedy Theatre: Characters Welcome (Twitch Live-stream)

April 14 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Wed 14

Virtual KATG Week 2021: LIVE KATG SHOW (Live-stream)

April 14 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Wed 14

Artisanal Comedy with Bethany Van Delft (IG Live-stream)

April 14 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Wed 14

Planet Scum Live (Twitch Live-stream)

April 14 @ 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Wed 14

Self Care Comedy (Zoom Live-stream)

April 14 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Wed 14

Crash This Party: Internet Weed Party (Twitch Live-stream)

April 14 @ 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Thu 15

Afternoon Delight (Clubhouse Live-stream)

April 15 @ 12:05 pm - 1:05 pm
Thu 15

Vanity Fair Cocktail Hour LIVE! (Live-stream)

April 15 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Thu 15

Faded Comedy’s Virtual Happy Hour (Twitch Live-stream)

April 15 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Thu 15

The Squirrel Comedy Theatre: Borabish (Twitch Live-stream)

April 15 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Thu 15

Virtual KATG Week 2021: Silent Trailers (Live-stream)

April 15 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Thu 15

Wrong Answers Only (Live-stream)

April 15 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Thu 15

Ga’riffs with Gareth Reynolds (IG Live-stream)

April 15 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Thu 15

Teresa Lee & Friends (Zoom Live-stream)

April 15 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Thu 15

Squirrel Comedy Theatre: The New York Cheeks & Bounce House (Twitch Live-stream)

April 15 @ 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Thu 15

Self Care Comedy (Zoom Live-stream)

April 15 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Thu 15

Cathy Ladman (Live-stream)

April 15 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Thu 15

COMEDY FOR THE KETTLE SOCIETY (YouTube Live-stream)

April 15 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Thu 15

Convoy (Twitch Live-stream)

April 15 @ 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Fri 16

Coffee with Tony (Twitch Live-stream)

April 16 @ 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Fri 16

Afternoon Delight (Clubhouse Live-stream)

April 16 @ 12:05 pm - 1:05 pm
Fri 16

Hot & Rich (Twitch Live-stream)

April 16 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Fri 16

Hack City (Zoom Live-stream)

April 16 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Fri 16

MAGIC FOR HUMANS (AT HOME) with Justin Willman (Live-stream)

April 16 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Fri 16

FIGHT NIGHT! W/ JOEY GREER & MIKE CASTLE (Live-stream)

April 16 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Fri 16

Snack Time with Lindsay Adams (Live-stream)

April 16 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Fri 16

Virtual KATG Week 2021: KATG Movie Night (Live-stream)

April 16 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Fri 16

Nowhere Comedy Club: Mike Birbiglia: Worldwide Pizza Party (Zoom Live-stream)

April 16 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Fri 16

Nowhere Comedy Club: Judah Friedlander (Zoom Live-stream)

April 16 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Fri 16

Crazy Good Fun Stories (Clubhouse Live-stream)

April 16 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Fri 16

Jimmy Pardo: The All Request Show (Zoom Live-stream)

April 16 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Fri 16

Self Care Comedy (Zoom Live-stream)

April 16 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Fri 16

Your Late Night Show Tonight with Jackie Kashian (RushTix Live-stream)

April 16 @ 9:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Sat 17

MAGIC FOR HUMANS (AT HOME) with Justin Willman (Live-stream)

April 17 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Sat 17

Wild Horses (YouTube Live-stream)

April 17 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Sat 17

OMG Comedy Club (Live-stream)

April 17 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Sat 17

John Early Presents: Clockwatchers (Live-stream)

April 17 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Sat 17

Virtual KATG Week 2021: KATG VIP Night (Live-stream)

April 17 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Sat 17

Picture This! 9 to 5 Anniversary (YouTube Live-stream)

April 17 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Sat 17

Nowhere Comedy Club: Mike Birbiglia: Worldwide Pizza Party (Zoom Live-stream)

April 17 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Sat 17

Bil Dwyer (Zoom Live-stream)

April 17 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Sat 17

Bawdy Storytelling’s ‘Sprung!’ (Live-stream)

April 17 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Sat 17

PILOT DUMP I: “Snake Davis and The Kickass Treasures and Stuff” by Eric Moneypenny (Twitch Live-stream)

April 17 @ 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Sat 17

Brian Kiley & Friends (Live-stream)

April 17 @ 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Sat 17

CRAZY WOKE ASIANS COMEDY CONTEST (Live-stream)

April 17 @ 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Sun 18

MAGIC FOR HUMANS (AT HOME) with Justin Willman (Live-stream)

April 18 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Sun 18

Virtual KATG Week 2021: KATG Private Chat & Game Night (Live-stream)

April 18 @ 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Sun 18

Laughs for LLS (Live-stream)

April 18 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Sun 18

Katz Litter Box (Live-stream)

April 18 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Sun 18

Avail Yourself (Zoom Live-stream)

April 18 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Mon 19

Afternoon Delight (Clubhouse Live-stream)

April 19 @ 12:05 pm - 1:05 pm
Mon 19

MUSIC & COMEDY WITH ISABEL HAGEN (Live-stream)

April 19 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Mon 19

The Dave Hill Goodtime Hour (Live-stream)

April 19 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Mon 19

Who Wants $2.69? with Martin Urbano (Live-stream)

April 19 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Mon 19

THE LAB: A VERY BLACK EXPERIMENTAL COMEDY SHOW (Live-stream)

April 19 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Mon 19

Super Horses, Wild Ego (YouTube Live-stream)

April 19 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Mon 19

Comedy Rap Battle (RushTix Live-stream)

April 19 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Mon 19

Hi, I’m Reading Trash with Oscar Montoya (IG Live-stream)

April 19 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Mon 19

Writers of Conan & Friends (Zoom Live-stream)

April 19 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Mon 19

Self Care Comedy (Zoom Live-stream)

April 19 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Mon 19

David Wain Piano Bar (Clubhouse Live-stream)

April 19 @ 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Tue 20

Coffee with Tony (Twitch Live-stream)

April 20 @ 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Tue 20

Pappy’s Flatshare Slamdown w/ Evelyn Mok and Tony Law (Live-stream)

April 20 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Tue 20

Afternoon Delight (Clubhouse Live-stream)

April 20 @ 12:05 pm - 1:05 pm
Tue 20

Hot & Rich (Twitch Live-stream)

April 20 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Tue 20

Doug Benson’s Comedy Sesh (Live-stream)

April 20 @ 4:20 pm - 6:00 pm
Tue 20

Last Stream on the Left (Livestream)

April 20 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Tue 20

Awful Level League (Twitch Live-stream)

April 20 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Tue 20

Vintage Basement with Max & Nicky (YouTubeLive-stream)

April 20 @ 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Tue 20

The 4/20 420 Comedy Extravaganja Special (Zoom Live-stream)

April 20 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Tue 20

High & Mighty 1st Annual 4/20 Mega Sesh (Live-stream)

April 20 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Tue 20

Cook a Meal with Me (with Ruha Taslimi) (IG Live-stream)

April 20 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Tue 20

In The Green Zoom (YouTube Live-stream)

April 20 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Tue 20

Self Care Comedy (Zoom Live-stream)

April 20 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Wed 21

Afternoon Delight (Clubhouse Live-stream)

April 21 @ 12:05 pm - 1:05 pm
Wed 21

Couples Therapy Quarantine Party (Twitch Live-stream)

April 21 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Wed 21

Sketch on Twitch :: Joan Ford & Cait Raft (Twitch Live-stream)

April 21 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Wed 21

Artisanal Comedy with Bethany Van Delft (IG Live-stream)

April 21 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Wed 21

Bae or Nay (RushTix Live-stream)

April 21 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Wed 21

Planet Scum Live (Twitch Live-stream)

April 21 @ 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Wed 21

Self Care Comedy (Zoom Live-stream)

April 21 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Wed 21

Bess Kalb’s Nobody Will Tell You This But Me! (YouTube Live-stream)

April 21 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Thu 22

Afternoon Delight (Clubhouse Live-stream)

April 22 @ 12:05 pm - 1:05 pm
Thu 22

Faded Comedy’s Virtual Happy Hour (Twitch Live-stream)

April 22 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Thu 22