From The Shipping News Facebook page

By Cal Meacham

2013 is promising to be a great year for the post-rock and indie rock junkies (including myself and Koz) who cling to the 90′s/00′s moody/noisy rock claiming it to be the last great musical genre.  We have already seen Numero Group release an unheard Codeine live disc What About The Lonely and we eagerly await the Slint news that David Pajo hinted at late last year.

June 11th marks more great news as Quarterstick records will be releasing Fifteen Quiet Years on vinyl.

From Quarterstick:

After being hidden away for the last several years, Fifteen Quiet Years – all the important Rodan recordings that fans of Rusty have long wished they could unearth!  A celebratory document four years in the making, the collection includes the 1994 BBC Peel session, together with all of Rodan’s long-out-of-print 7″s and compilation tracks.

Track List:

1. Darjeeling
2. Milk and Melancholy
3. Tron
4. Shiner
5. Tooth Fairy
6. Exoskeleton
7. Sangre
8. Big Things, Small Things
9. Before the Train

Includes 10 bonus tracks of unreleased live recordings (tracks #10 — #19):

10.  Tooth Fairy Retribution Manifesto (The Black Cat, Washington, DC – bonus track)
11. Wurl (The Flying Squire, Danbury, CT – bonus track)
12. Big Things, Small Things / Martin (40 Watt Club, Athens, GA – bonus track)
13. Before The Train (Lounge Ax, Chicago, IL – bonus track)
14. Milk and Melancholy (Lounge Ax, Chicago, IL – bonus track)
15. Wurl (Our House Cafe, Costa Mesa, CA – bonus track)

Shipping News Facebook – Link

Comedian Gabriel Rutledge

by Ryan Meehan

Since abandoning his successful pizza delivery career in 2000, Gabriel’s combination of talent, hard work, and lack of a fall back plan have made him into one of North America’s finest touring comics. Although, honestly he hasn’t done much in Mexico. A past winner of the prestigious Seattle International Comedy Competition, Gabriel has made television appearances on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, the nationally syndicated Comedy.TV, and Nickelodeon’s Nickmom Night Out.  He is also a frequent guest on the Bob and Tom radio show, heard in over 150 cities.  Gabriel has performed at the HBO/TBS Comedy Festival in Las Vegas and The Great American Comedy Festival held in Johnny Carson’s home town of Norfolk, Nebraska.  Gabriel’s CD “Sometimes Laughter Hurts” was released on Uproar Entertainment, and can be heard on the “Raw Dog” Comedy Channel on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. Rutledge makes his home in one of the great entertainment capitals of the world – Olympia Washington, and he’s our guest today in 5 Questions.

FOH: I’ve always thought doing standup was a very daring art form…What was it about doing standup that attracted you to the medium at first? Who was the first artist you saw and thought: “I have to try and do that…”?

GR: I was a super sheltered Christian kid with no TV or “secular” entertainment in my house, so other than watching “Evening at the Improv” when I was supposed to be babysitting a few times; I didn’t have much exposure to stand up comedy. Once my friend played me some Sam Kinison and I thought all three of us were going to hell. I was fascinated by standup comedy when I got cable after high school, but it seemed like being an astronaut or something else equally impossible. Plus I was pretty sure my band was going to make it. I didn’t try standup comedy until I was a slightly less sheltered 26 year old, and that open mic night that I performed at the Comedy Underground in Seattle, was also the first comedy show I ever saw live.

FOH: When you won the Seattle International Comedy Competition, did you feel like you absolutely nailed your last set? In other words, when you walked off stage did you think that you were going to finish in first place?

GR: Ha! No definitely not. There were 5 finalists still competing in the finals week and we did 6 shows. In those shows I placed 1st, 1^st, 1^st, 1^st, 5^th, and 5^th. I pretty much stumbled over the finish line. So I was a mess before they announced me as the overall winner. I had bronchitis too, just to make it even more stressful. My wife was there to see me win which was nice. After they revealed I was the big $5000 winner and gave me the microphone, I said “I share this with my wife, and not just because we have joint checking,” which isn’t a bad line given the circumstances.

FOH: When you’re a party or a gathering and you tell someone that you do comedy; and they follow that up by asking if you’ll tell them a joke, how do you respond? Do you think that type of attitude is indicative of how little work some people think it takes to write comedy?

GR:  Oh man, I try to be patient about that, but it’s super annoying. Comedian is one of the “Prove it” professions. Magician is probably worse. I don’t think magicians mind though, because they’re weird. I don’t know if it shows disrespect to ask a comedian for a joke, but it definitely shows ignorance. Comedy is fragile it needs a lot of things set up properly to work. (A room designated for comedy full of people expecting comedy for starters.) Even if I wanted to launch into my act at a dinner party, it’s not going to go well, so please don’t ask me. Unless you want to pay me, then I will happily bomb at your party.

FOH: What’s the biggest mistake you’ve seen another comedian make and what did you learn from it?

GR: Standup comedy is this delicate balance of arrogance and insecurity and when you tilt too far in either direction there’s trouble. So I guess the biggest mistake I’ve probably observed is comedians being assholes off stage. Almost all of your paid work, inroads into the comedy industry etc, come from your fellow comedians so it pays to be nice, even if you have to fake it. Also I’ve seen bitterness ruin comedians, so I’m super aware of that. I get it; I used to watch comedians I’d opened for perform specials on Comedy Central, now I watch people that have opened for me. I try and remember the reasons I do comedy; because it’s a loophole in adulthood and its fun. Also I have no fall back plan and an insatiable need for acceptance from strangers.

FOH: Your CD is called “Sometimes Laughter Hurts”…What exactly does the title mean? Do you think sometimes to really get to the root of what makes people laugh sometimes it has to be done at the expense of someone else?

GR: I think every joke has a victim, even if it’s the person telling it. “Sometimes laugher hurts” is a line I said after a self-deprecating joke on the CD and I thought it had a nice ring to it. I must like that concept though, because right now I’m in the editing process on a book I wrote called “Happiness isn’t Funny.”

FOH: When I was reading your blog, I noticed how you mentioned that since you’ve been podcasting more you haven’t been blogging as much. Do you think that’s the direction that a majority of comedic writing will return to when you consider that comedy has thrived since the inception of radio and television? In ten years do you think you’ll still use your blog?

GR:  Yeah if a funny or interesting thing happens to me now my first thought is “I should talk about this on the podcast” and it used to be “I should blog about this.” Blogging might not be as popular as it once was, but I think there will always be a place and appetite for funny personal writing on the internet. I don’t know if I’ll still be blogging in 10 years, but I didn’t think I would do it this long. My blog www.standupdad.net is archived all the way back to 2004 when I started writing on Live Journal I think. One blessing/curse about a blog is sometimes an old post can get discovered. I wrote something a few years ago about former comedian and convicted serial rapist Vince Champ. For some reason it got linked on Reddit last week and I got about 35,000 views in 36 hours, which is a ton for me. I wish it had been a different post, (a funny one would have been nice.) It’s literally the last thing I would have chosen to get exposed like that, but of course that’s not how the internet works.

FOH: What’s next for Gabriel Rutledge in the twelve months to come? Anything big in the works?

GR:  Well touring all over North America like always and hopefully not only will the aforementioned book come out this year, but I also recorded a new comedy album that should be out soon. And of course the podcast I do with my wife called The Rutledges has a new episode every Wednesday (www.rutledgeradio.com)

Official Website: www.gabrielrutledge.com

Gabriel on Twitter: www.twitter.com/gaberutledge

Gabriel on Facebook: www.facebook.com/gabrielrutledge

Once again thanks for visiting First Order Historians and enjoying more of the internet’s finest in user generated content.

Meehan

Comedian Ted Alexandro

by Ryan Meehan

Comedian Ted Alexandro has been called “one of the funniest comedians working today” by Time Out New York, and has opened for Louis CK at the legendary Carnegie Hall.  His two decades in the funny business has earned him late night appearances on David Letterman, Conan O’ Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, as well as “The View” and two Comedy Central half-hour specials.  Along with Hollis James, Ted has recently produced the webseries “Teacher’s Lounge” and he’s our guest today in 5 Questions.

FOH: So you talk about social issues a lot in your standup act as well as in interviews…Can you pinpoint the moment in your comedy career when you started to think of yourself as a comic whose focus was social issues, or did it happen progressively over time as you were able to work the room better?

TA: I don’t think of myself as a comic whose focus is social issues. It’s part of what I do as a comic. I talk about things that interest me or strike me as funny or odd, social issues are a part of that. I’m drawn to topics that engage me on some emotional level. Sometimes it’s an issue, like marriage equality, but sometimes it can be about something seemingly mundane. I think as I’ve gotten older and more comfortable in my skin on stage and off, I’ve become better able to synthesize my point of view into my act, no matter the topic. When I was younger, I didn’t have the desire or the ability to deliver a joke about abortion or war but as I grew as a person and a comic, I was able to make those things funny and enjoyed the challenge of trying to do so. But it has to be funny. I don’t have any desire to get on a soapbox or convert anyone. It always starts from “There is something flawed in this logic that I want to expose” and then how can I do it in a funny way?

FOH: Is there any technology that exists today that you could see being a potential threat to the industry of standup? In your mind, will there ever be anything that can compare with being in the room of a comedy club?

TA: I think technology has probably enhanced comedy. Going back, cable television helped comedy because there was more standup being broadcast. The generation before, you had to wait to see someone on Carson or Letterman. So cable helped make comedy more available. Then the internet really exploded the ways to get content out there. You tube, facebook and twitter have all made a huge impact in terms of fans having a direct and personal link to their favorite comics in ways that never existed before. But, as you said, nothing compares with being in the room. The reason comedy has lasted, and continues to expand, is because it’s a unique shared experience to be in a roomful of people and laugh. The technology can’t replace that.

FOH: You’re a sports fan and a comedian, so as simple as this might seem I have to ask you: Do you believe in competition of the arts?

TA: I think there’s healthy competition in the sense of another artist inspiring you to become better. Coming up in the NY comedy scene, I would watch guys like Dave Attell, Dave Chappelle, Greg Giraldo, Chris Rock, Todd Barry and they constantly inspired me to go home and write. Brian Regan was always one of my favorites, too, and I loved watching him whenever he came through NY.

I wasn’t watching these guys thinking “Who is the best? Chappelle? Attell? Rock? Regan” The tv industry fabricates competition but that doesn’t appeal to me. I find that kind of contest mentality ridiculous, though that’s the paradigm the industry pushes everywhere you look. “Next Top This” or “So and So’s Got Talent.” That’s not to say that appearing on those shows can’t help your career but it doesn’t interest me. I don’t see comedy or the arts as a contest. Sports has a score so there’s a winner and loser. The arts are subjective and to force them into a contest format is absurd, in my opinion.

FOH: Who are your favorite comedians to work with on the New York circuit and why? Which one do you seem to really click with when it comes to discussing the politics of your professon?

TA: It’s hard to name favorites because I have a new favorite every night in NY. There are so many great comics. I’ll see someone I haven’t watched in a few months and I’ll think “Wow, he’s great” or “Wow, she’s fucking hilarious.” The guys I mentioned earlier had a big impact on me as I was coming up. Now, there are so many… Gary Gulman, Nate Bargatze, Michael. Che, Sarah Tollemache, Joe List, Jim Tews, Carmen Lynch, Dan Soder. Dave Attell makes me laugh the hardest. He makes me feel like a kid in school when you’re first hanging out with funny friends and laughing so hard. He just makes me laugh in that way where you lose it. You’re hitting other people and belly laughing.

FOH: What’s the best room to perform in on the East Coast?

TA: I don’t know that there is a best room. I like the variety of different vibes in different spaces, it makes you a better performer to adapt to whatever environment you’re in on a given night. The Comedy Cellar in NY is special because of the history and it’s a small, intimate room with low ceilings. It’s electric. Plus, you never know who is going to pop in. I’ve been there on nights when Louis CK, Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle all stopped in. One night, Rock was on and the Miami Heat walked in. It was bizarre. That doesn’t really happen anywhere else.

FOH: What’s up next for Ted Alexandro in the twelve months that follow? Any monumental plans that we should be aware of?

TA: I’m gearing up to shoot my new hour special. We’re figuring out where it will air and all that stuff, which is exciting. I also have a web series, “Teachers Lounge,” that I co-created with my writing partner, Hollis James. We shot four episodes for the web and we’re hoping to sell it as a tv pilot. There’s a promo for “Teachers Lounge” on my website. It co-stars Lewis Black, Judah Friedlander, Judy Gold, Ted Leo and Janeane Garofalo. I’m excited about that.

Official Website: http://tedalexandro.com/

Ted on Letterman:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arSH063yDvg

Once again thanks for visiting First Order Historians and enjoying more of the internet’s finest in user generated content.

Meehan

Actor and comedian Matt Walsh

By Ryan Meehan

Matt Walsh is an actor and comedian who is best known for his work as a founding member of the legendary improvisational sketch comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade.  He can currently be seen playing Julia Louis Dreyfuss’ press secretary on the HBO series “Veep”, and has recently entered the world of sports podcasting by covering the Monsters of the Midway on his new show “Bear Down Podcast”.  “Upright Citizens Brigade” ran for three season on Comedy Central, and Walsh went on to star on another CC show called “Dog Bites Man” as well as “Players” on SpikeTV.  We are very happy to have Matt as our guest today in 5 Questions.

FOH: You are one of the four original members of the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe…Are you surprised how that operation has grown over the past decade or so? What is your favorite part of being a part of the UCB?

MW: My favorite part of being one of the founders of UCB is that I get free t-shirts and cheap disposable lighters whenever I want from the UCB gift shop. I’m also supposed to get 10 percent of my chicken orders at Birds down the street but I haven’t tried to. Also being a UCB elder lets me decide which students from our school have to marry each other. Am I surprised that we started with a tiny converted strip club in NYC and it grew into a bi-coastal, multiple theater corporation thousands of students? I mean, were people surprised at the twist in “The Crying Game”? Or were people blown away when the Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl a few years ago? Yeah, I guess so.

FOH: What’s the most important thing you learned working under comedy and theater legend Del Close?

MW: I learned from Del that if you stick around show business long enough everyone will do an impression of you. I also learned that improv is a skill based on several fundamentals which when practiced can allow you to perpetually experiment with forms to keep your audience interested. Finally I learned that just because my father was the same age as Del Close doesn’t mean they have a lot in common.
FOH: You play Julia Louis-Dreyfuss’ press secretary on the HBO series “Veep”… Could you ever see yourself actually working in politics? How does one go about fake-owning a dog?

MW: As Julia says on our show often, “Politics is about people.” I am a people person. The more you talk to the people, the more listening that happens. And once people start listening, they can hear the truth. And truth is what people respond to, and only when it’s delivered by another person. So working in politics seems quite easy as long as you remember you were born from people, into a country full of people — American people. As far as owning a fake dog, once you have established you are the alpha fake of the household, then fake house training and simple fake commands come quite easily.

FOH: Speaking of dogs, I really liked “Dog Bites Man”, a comedy series you did on Comedy Central a while back. What happened there? Do you think the final episode that you filmed in Tennessee will ever see the light of day?

MW: Comedy Central aired nine DBM episodes during the summer of 1956. It was warmly noticed by basic cable subscribers across America. I suspect we were too advanced for the nation at that time. The cold war audience was looking for geopolitical symbolism in our comedy when really we were just acting like idiots in front of real people to make each other laugh. The one episode that never aired was when we visited the Grand Wizard of the KKK in western Tennessee. It was never cut down to a 22-minute episode which is what all shows were back then, so I don’t think it will ever air. I did however in that un-aired episode discover, after much prodding, that the Grand Wizard did in fact like one black person: Sammy Davis Jr.

FOH: How did you make the decision to get into sports podcasting? Was sports talk radio always something that you were a fan of growing up and which radio personalities did you admire most? (Matt’s podcast “Bear Down” can be found at beardownpodcast.com)

MW: There was a significant niche audience that wasn’t being served on the internet when I started my sports podcast. I’m talking about the silent majority of Chicago Bears fans who follow all sports and like to laugh at ridiculous characters. My friend Scot Armstrong and I set out to reach that audience on our maiden podcast. And I think it’s fair to say that we have kept that promise for over 3 seasons now with a whopping 1500 downloads every week during football season. We even have fans in Wisconsin. I would love it if one day Colin Cowherd listened to our podcast and maybe wrote us a congratulatory email or Tweet or Vine or even a Snapchat.

FOH: Is television acting different for somebody like yourself who has a heavy improv background as opposed to, say, how a stand-up comedian who hasn’t had any formal improv training might go about approaching it?

MW: The sad truth about stand ups who become actors is that in order for them to succeed they have to be near a microphone and microphone stand at all times. Just watch any old episodes of King of Queens or Everyone Loves Raymond or even Seinfeld. If you pause the program enough you can always spot the mic and stand. Improvisors are great actors because they know writing is easy so nobody will mind if you just ignore what the writers have supposedly slaved over and just say whatever comes into your mind. In fact Jimmy Cagney once said “Get that funny guy in here so I can take a leak”.

FOH: What’s up next for Matt Walsh in 2013? Anything big in the works?

MW: 2013 is shaping up to be the busiest year of my life. After wrapping the second season of “Veep”, I went right into planning an Easter egg hunt for our family party, picking four bushels of lemons from our lemon tree in the back yard, and going to both California Adventure and Disneyland with the kids on the same day. So, yeah, I have a lot going on.

Matt on IMDB:  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0909768/

Matt on Twitter:  @mrmattwalsh

Matt on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1541735719&fref=ts

Once again thanks for visiting First Order Historians and enjoying more of the internet’s finest in user generated content.

Meehan

Comedian Mike Vecchione

By Ryan Meehan

Michael Vecchione was born in Youngstown, Ohio and graduated High School in Boca Raton, Florida…. He played football and placed second in the 1991 AAA state wrestling tournament…He attended Pennsylvania State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and went on to receive a Master’s degree in Special Education from Cabrini College in Pennsylvania. Mike has worked as a counselor and Special Education teacher in the Philadelphia area.  At the end of 2003, Michael moved to New York City. He has appeared on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, Comedy Central’s Fresh Face Debates, and Russell Simmons Presents: Stand Up at the El Rey Theatre. Michael also had a guest appearance on the IFC hit show Z Rock.  In 2010, Mike won the People’s Choice Award for the New York Comedy Festival, was a semi-finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, and was selected to perform at the prestigious Montreal Comedy Festival (New Faces). Later that year, Mike went on to perform on the Tonight Show starring Jay Leno and shot his own Half Hour Special for Comedy Central.  Mike is based in New York City but headlines all over the country, and he’s our guest today in 5 Questions.

FOH: What do you think is the least valid stereotype of Italian Americans? Why do you think that is the case?

MV:  The least valid stereotype of Italian Americans is the organized crime stereotype. Actual Mafia families have been decimated by the government, drugs, and guys turning on each other. The glorification of honor and loyalty is just a fantasy. It is glamorized by the media and television. Some Italian guys walk around acting like they are connected, but the reality is…they are not, and they are acting this way because they are insecure about who they really are. For the guys who are really in it, they are, for the most part, without any real substantial wealth…and sooner or later face a life behind bars or a death sentence, which in the end, is more sad than exciting.

FOH:  If you had to put a percentage on it, what percentage of your act on stage is based off your experience teaching young people?

MV:  My act is based on my experience with teaching young people to the extent that I learned how to gain a rapport and keep their interest. The exercise in human interaction has helped me in stand up…As far as actual material gained from teaching, it used to be more… but is around 1% now. The further I get from that part of my life, the less actual material I have on it. But it just depends on my focus…If I focus on that part of my life, I will be able to generate material. Ironically, for me, teaching was a tremendous learning experience.

FOH: You’ve worked both as a counselor and a special education teacher in the Philadelphia area. Are there any intangibles from either of those life experiences that you have been able to apply to doing comedy?

MV:  My experiences as a teacher and a counselor lend itself to my stand up in the sense that dealing with people, some of which are classified as “difficult,” has its ups and downs. Every day is not going to be a home run. But, if I could put the long term results out of my mind and focus on doing the right things day to day, I would make tremendous progress and avoid mind bending frustration. The same is true in stand up. I focus on controlling only what I can control…Do the right things to be the best of my abilities every night, and let the chips fall where they may. It’s hard to do, but if I could perceive my frustrations as learning experiences designed to help me improve, even if I do not attain large commercial success, i can create something worthwhile and valid.

FOH: What was the worst gig you’ve ever had and what was it that made it so bad? On the flipside, what was the best gig you ever had and what made it so great?

MV:  The so called, “worst gig” I ever had was the Festival of the Juggalos…which is an event thrown by the fans of The Insane Clown Posse. It was outdoors, in the middle of the woods, in Illinois. In retrospect, I approached it wrong by trying to do my act. They booed the entire time and at the end, I said…Now, I would like to talk about my dreams…And one guy in the back stood up and said…Fuck your dreams…

The so called “best gig” was the Tonight Show…Jay Leno was awesome to me, the crowd was fantastic, and even though I am highly critical of myself, I was happy with my performance.

FOH: Your film resume lists characters that you have played as follows: “Delusional Man, Abusive Father, Hockey Player, Thug, and Hitman” All of those are probably the complete opposite of what you are like in real life, but you seem to look like a pretty big guy as far as size goes…Do you think that works as an advantage onstage or does it have no effect on the way you’re perceived as a comic?

MV:  My look is…for lack of a better term…authoritarian. I am on the shorter side, so it may look like I have short man’s disease. That is where shorter guys try to overcompensate for their lack of height with aggression. I have heard that I look like a cop many times…that is the opposite of who I am off stage. I am, for the most part, gentle, fun loving, and soft spoken.

FOH: What is the hardest thing for up and coming comedians to do when they are working their way up in the ranks? Did you have a personal experience with any particular roadblocks that could have very easily stopped you in your place and made you give up comedy?

MV:  The thing about this business that should be acknowledged right off the bat is that…It is not fair. If you start with that premise, everything else becomes easier. Everyone is different…Many performers have gifts that I do not have. So it is important not to view others as competition…If anything, I have gotten the most help in this business, from other comics. The thing I focus on is making my work the best that it can be. If I can learn to be more creative in everything I do, even if I do not attain commercial success, I will have created something that I can be proud of and will be a good representation of who I am.

Official Website:   http://www.mikevecchione.com/

Mike on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/mvecchi1

Mike on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/#!/vecchione?fref=ts

Once again thanks for visiting First Order Historians and enjoying more of the internet’s finest in user generated content.

Meehan

Pete Holmes sprinkles your life with goodness on his new disc “Nice Try, The Devil”

by Ryan Meehan

May 14th will bring the release of “Nice Try, The Devil”, the new standup album from Pete Holmes. It’s a CD/DVD combo and the bonus features include Homes’ appearance on “Comedy Central Presents” as well as his performance from “John Oliver’s New York Standup Show”.

Like most comedians, Pete is a busy guy. His most recent television appearance was as a panelist on the panel of “The Jeselnik Offensive”, where he was totally panel. He is the voice of the E-Trade baby from the series popular television commercials, and has recently worked as a story editor on the FOX Comedy “I Hate My Teenage Daughter” as well as NBC’s “Outsourced”. As of late, Pete’s comedic presence is very strong in the world of podcasting. Aside from his appearances on the podcasts of other comedians, Pete has his own show “You Made it Weird” on Chris Hardwick’s Nerdist Network which has featured guests such as Judd Apatow, Adam Carolla, and Sarah Silverman. To top it all off, Holmes will be hosting his own half-hour late night talk show on TBS later this fall.

With all of that, you’d hardly think that Pete Holmes would have the time or the material to do an entirely new standup special. So let’s take a look at how that disc holds up as we examine the album.

This is Pete’s second disc, the follow-up to “Impregnated with Wonder” which was released in November of 2011. That album was named one of the best comedy CDs of 2011 by the Onion AV Club, and if your stuff’s not good that publication will fucking tear you apart.

Pete doesn’t look like our idea of a standup comedian these days. He riffs on that a little in the opening as I can agree with him that he does in fact look like a youth pastor. Of course, that’s after he addresses the common mispronunciation of teeth as “teef”, the not so common mispronunciation of Celin Dion’s name, and a brief commentary on white wine. Pete moves quickly through some good starter jokes and gets the audience going. There’s a bit called “Pierce” that he does which sounds like it’s a word association improv game, playing on “Juan” sounding like a variation of a couple popular English words.

The next bit is about how the most uncool thing you can say at a gathering is to compare it to McDonald’s. Too good to give away and one of the best punchlines on the disc. Pete goes on to playfully discuss race as he mentions a recent trip to Atlanta, and provides an excellent tip on getting out of any bad neighborhood in a rental car. But it’s nothing too extreme or nothing that includes any slurs or anything like that. Such is the case with his next bit which is about dropping a dog, and no animals were harmed in the making of this album.

A lot of single comics discuss single life, and after having seen a lot of family-oriented material as of late, it was refreshing to hear Pete’s next bit about being single. It was at this point that I realized that Holmes’ strength lies in what he might say but doesn’t mean. In other words, he feels the need to explain himself a lot after making a statement but when he clarifies it the results can be hilarious.

Holmes talks about how even though he’s a straight man, that he’s gay for Ryan Gosling and how every man has their price when it comes to performing a gay sex act. This produces what has to be my favorite quote on the record “How many Tahitian Islands and polar bear butlers would it take you to erase the memory of 15 minutes on a lonely Thursday?” It’s a fair question, and now I fucking want a polar bear butler.

The next part of the record begins with Holmes going over how all guys hate their girlfriend’s friends, a topic everyone of the male gender can appreciate. He transitions into a hypothetical scenario where a video game character goes to the doctor which is kind of a lull in the program, but he brings it back nicely with a bit about the magic of breast milk and how we are all a little off for liking such a strange thing. Pete also mentions that in his opinion being killed by arrows would be the toughest way to go, and then starts discussing religion but here again doesn’t make it too heavy or uncomfortable. The end of this segment is where the album title comes from, and reminded me of an ex co-worker that of mine who used to talk like that. Have you ever noticed that sometimes people who are super religious us the term “the devil” as if he’s some guy that you run into everyday in line at the grocery store? I have, and I’m glad somebody else did and that personal was a headlining standup comedian.

The last portion of the album consists of a story about counterharrassment in the form of attacking telemarketers who call people at home and how while others are annoyed, Holmes sees it as an opportunity to mess with people.

Overall, the disc stays within the lines and doesn’t go out of its way to try and really discuss any topic that is super deep and/or controversial. The word that keeps coming up is playfully, Pete obviously isn’t a comedian that takes himself too seriously. There’s no crowd work on the audio CD, and there are no hecklers either. Pete keeps things light while still knowing where to place profanity – I didn’t think there was any unnecessary swearing that didn’t need to be there, but at the same time it wasn’t Dave Coulier clean which is fine because Cascade comedy isn’t something that I’m a fan of. The only real thing that I noticed on the DVD was that it seems as if Pete laughs at his own stuff too quickly, almost as if he’s beat his audience to the punchline. It’s very subtle and I didn’t notice it until the third or fourth time I watched, but I feel like I should mention it nonetheless. Other than that this is a really good standup record. Pete’s going to be on television a lot more soon, so I’m interested to see how his brand of humor will translate to TV.

Once again thanks for visiting First Order Historians and enjoying more of the internet’s finest in user generated content.

Meehan

Comedian Daryl Wright

By Ryan Meehan

Daryl Wright is an emerging talent and hilarious comic. Currently he performs at clubs across America and has appeared as a feature comic on the Showtime Special Jon Lovitz Presents, Comedy Central’s Comics to Watch 2012, and was featured on George Carlin’s 75th Birthday Show for the Thomas Jefferson Center. Daryl’s star is just starting to shine brighter than ever. He is not just a great comic but a voice which gives a unique American perspective. An African American comedian whose proudest onstage moment was not anyone of the numerous TV appearances, but winning over an entire audience of Klux Klux Klan members. His point of view covers everything from in-depth NASCAR knowledge to what it means to be a felon that pays taxes. (which is why he is a Republican) And to top all that off, he’s also our guest today in 5 Questions.

FOH: Moving from Washington D.C. to San Antonio seems like an odd path to take to pursue standup…What interested you about comedy in Texas so much that you were willing to move there?

DW:  I didn’t move to Texas to do comedy. I moved there to get away from the mistakes I had made and were scared to repeat. In D.C., I started doing comedy completely by accident. I was drunk in a bar talking and laughing when someone said I should be a comic. So next Friday I was on stage at an open mic….dying.

RM:  What’s the biggest misconception that people have about the comedic writing process? Did you find that was one of the misconceptions that you had about it before you started?

DW:  I write my comedy from my life experiences. It’s about just living. The misconception I see is that it is very difficult have a funny story incorporate people the audience has never met or places they have never been to. That is simply untrue. I try to take the crowd on a journey with me to the world… as I see it and live it.

RM:  You do the NASCAR segment on the “Jay Mohr Sports” show on Fox Sports radio…Where is NASCAR at as a sport in this country as far as marketability outside of its traditional fanbase?

DW:  I love NASCAR as a sport and I believe that it is about to explode in popularity. Everyone has a car so it can be relatable to everyone. I do believe it is imperative that NASCAR start to embrace the fans of different cultures by having more minority voices like myself. It is a beautiful chess game of a sport that can be enjoyed by anyone as long as everyone feels truly welcome.

RM:  I see that Jon Lovitz has been pretty integral to your career as well…How did you meet Jon and what is the most important part of comedic knowledge that he’s shared with you?

DW: I met Jon thru his old business partner Frank Kelley , who knew me from the Improv. Jon taught me to not be intimidated and to embrace talented people. For the longest time I had the problem of people thinking I was “too funny” so I was shunned from working with more popular comics than myself. Jon saw me and immediately took me under his wing and encouraged me to get even better. For that I am eternally grateful.

RM:  How do I know what time is “Vodka Time”? Is there a special clock that I can get to alert me when the time is near?

DW:  You will know its #vodkatime whenever I’m around basically. I’m human and my particular vice is vodka. I don’t drink and drive. I’m not going to ever be drunk on stage, but I do enjoy my #vodkatime when it presents itself.

RM:  I talked to Brian Fischler here recently and I saw that you are performing at this benefit going on May 7th “Laugh For Sight”. How did you get involved with this cause?

DW:  I’ve known Brian and Nash since I lived in NY. When he approached me with what he was doing, I begged him to let me help anyway I could. I have been blessed with a gift and I will try in any way can to give to people in need.

FOH:  What’s next for Daryl Wright in the twelve months to come? Anything big in the works that we should know about?

DW:  I am currently the NASCAR Analyst for Jay Mohr Sports. I am going to be hitting the road hard and playboys, I hope to see you at a show at your town sometime soon

Official Website: http://www.darylwright.org/DW/Home.html

Once again thanks for visiting First Order Historians and enjoying more of the internet’s finest in user generated content.

Meehan

Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman

by Ryan Meehan

Thursday evening I was informed by a colleague of mine that Jeff Hanneman, longtime guitarist for the legendary thrash metal band Slayer had passed away.

I have to admit that although I was aware of some of the medical problems Hanneman had in recent years, this was a bit of a shock to me. As a human being, my heart goes out to Jeff’s family and friends during this difficult time of grief. As a fan, it closes a door on one of the longest and most intense chapters in heavy metal as a genre because it means that there is absolutely no chance that the original lineup of Slayer will ever perform together again. It sounds selfish, but as entertainment consumers we’d be lying to ourselves if we didn’t say that thought was one of the first things to cross our mind. 

A few months back I did a piece on Dave Lombardo’s departure from Slayer and it was full of all sorts of hypothetical scenarios regarding what might have transpired from a legal standpoint, as well as the feelings that different band members had that led to that decision. However, all of that seems very trivial now.

Hanneman suffered something called necrotizing fasciitis, which doctors believe was caused by a spider bite. It’s a condition that is basically a flesh-eating bacterial disease and although I am not a medical expert, it does not look like something that is by any means pleasant. The official cause of death was reported to be liver failure, and I am assuming that it could have very well been a combination of the many years of Slayer’s hard-partying lifestyle and the medication that it probably takes to offset the removal of such infected tissue. Whatever it was, his life was one hell of a ride to be packed into 49 short years and he lived every minute of it to the extreme until the very end.

Hanneman wrote several of Slayer’s most popular tracks, such as “South of Heaven”, “Mandatory Suicide”, “War Ensemble”, “Raining Blood”, and ironically “Angel of Death”, to name a select few. He did all this despite the reality that he was always viewed by the metal community as being “that other guy”. And by that I mean “The guitarist in Slayer that wasn’t Kerry King”. Regardless of the fact that they often split lead duties, Hanneman was considered to be the backup guy even though his contributions to the band when it came to songwriting would have been unprecedented had he not been a band with Kerry King and Tom Araya. To top all of that off, Araya was always kind of viewed as a guitarist himself because of his playing style being more conducive to that of a guitar player as opposed to a bassist.

Hanneman leading the way at a Revolver gathering

Nonetheless, his presence on stage was just as intimidating as anyone else who had ever been in any heavy metal band throughout history. The first time I ever saw Slayer was in 1998 in support of their “Diabolus in Musica” record. They were on the road with Clutch, who was still touring behind “The Elephant Riders”, and a very young System of a Down who looked like they had just graduated high school. We drove several hours to get to Columbia, Missouri on the U of M campus to arrive at this club called The Blue Note where the show was being held. After the opening acts were finished, some time passed before Slayer took the stage. When they got on, it was a real education as to how the physical presence of music can actually blow you back from the stage. You could feel everything about Slayer. If you were standing in the first few rows, it was as if you could feel the air being pushed forward by the speakers. You wanted to believe that that cold feeling on that summer evening inside a crowded club was actually the force coming out of Bostaph’s kick drums. And even if neither one of those were the reason that was being felt on your skin, believing it was still good enough. It was a lot to take in at close range, and that’s coming from a guy who had already seen a lot of very loud music at a young age.

Throughout that show, Hanneman remained on his side of the stage and pretty much kept to himself despite his not missing a single beat all show long. I admit that during the 90 plus minutes that Slayer played that night, I myself was guilty of seeing him as “the other guy”. I didn’t walk away from the show having any specific Jeff Hanneman related memories. At the moment that doesn’t stand out as being the most glorious story, but it’s the truth and metal is all about staying true. I think when you know your role and know that you can step up at a second’s notice if need be, the goal is clear and it’s a team effort. As Hanneman once said in a 2004 interview with KNAC: “It’s all just whoever comes up with what. Sometimes I’ll be more on a roll and I’ll have more stuff, same with Kerry — it’s whoever’s hot, really. Anybody can write anything; if it’s good we use it, if not we don’t.” If you want to read the rest of that interview, it’s a good one and it’s right here:

http://www.knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=3153

Tonight when I was online, I went to Yahoo! to check something out: I wanted to see amongst the ever-present sea of celebrity bullshit where this story was ranked as far as recently searched topics. I didn’t get a chance to get a screenshot of it as I was at work, but I can honestly assure you with 100% confidence that sometime shortly after 6PM Central Standard Time, “Slayer Guitarist dies” was the most searched story on America’s most popular website. That’s right, it was number one. If there is one silver lining on this extremely grey cloud, it’s the fact that in a 24/7 nonstop media circus where we are constantly pressing articles about what a certain movie star wears to go get coffee – for one space in time a majority of people were thinking about something important for once. I’m sitting here at 11PM and it’s still number five. Enough people realized how big of a story this was, and I hope if anything else that is enough to be of some comfort to us metal fans.

In a genre that’s littered with posers, overtattooed farces, and technically unsound “musicians”, Jeff was the real deal. If the world of heavy metal was a lending institution, Jeff Hanneman had some serious fuck you money. If thrash were a zoo, he’d be the tiger that had chewed through his cage and put the rest of the city on “Oh, shit” watch. And if he were anything else other than himself, he’d be every public execution that had ever been carried out over the past five hundred years because Jeff Hanneman doesn’t need the third analogy of this paragraph to make sense. He was that tough. Whenever you are a part of creating an entire style of music, you’ll always be remembered for that before anything else. The musicianship, the songwriting, the attitude, and everything else that Jeff possessed were simply added bonuses when compared to the fact that until this sorry excuse for a planet finally explodes everybody that wants to write heavy music should look at Jeff as a pioneer and follow his lead even when he’s just playing the rhythm parts.

I had no idea that I was going to be doing this piece when I woke up this morning and I wish I didn’t have to do it, and I don’t usually do the “RIP” stuff but I felt this had to be written about. Simply put, Jeff Hanneman was and always will remain one of the most important guitarists in heavy metal history. Slayer will never be the same, but their music is always going to be great.

Once again thanks for visiting First Order Historians and enjoying more of the internet’s finest in user generated content.

Meehan

\ M /

Comedian Willie Barcena

by Ryan Meehan
 
A 20-year comedy veteran, Willie Barcena never shies away from a challenge. Willie’s talent has garnered him 12 appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, more than any other Latino Comedian in the history of the Tonight Show. Jay even invited Willie to perform for the troops in Afghanistan, and Barcena helped provide much-needed laughter to that part of the world. Willie’s numerous jobs prepared him for his comedy career. His security guard, plumber, roofer, and limo driver gigs gave him a background for his humor about everyday life. After years of stand-up road work Willie is now ready for new challenges. He has written and performed a one-man show entitled “Cry Like a Man.” This highly acclaimed performance demonstrates the struggle of a blue-collar comic in today’s society. In addition to being a comedy road warrior, Willie has appeared on many TV shows including: “Moesha,” “The Wayans Brothers,” and he was chosen to be the host of the popular Si-TV production “Latino Laugh Festival – The Show.” He’s also made multiple appearances on tours such as “Que Locos,” “Latino Laugh Festival,” “Montreal’s Just for Laughs,” and “Crown Royal Latin All Stars Comedy Explosion.”  Willie had his own one hour Comedy Central special, which was received with rave reviews. His most recent one hour Showtime special “Gotta Be Honest” received even better reviews, and he’s our guest today in 5 Questions.  
 
RM:  What makes “Gotta Be Honest” an accurate representation of where you’re at as an artist right now?  If a comedy fan could only walk away from seeing that special with one thought, what would you like that thought to be? 

WB: The one thought would be that “this is a funny and poignant take on reality”.

RM:  At the beginning of your new Showtime special, you told the story of how you were going to be a cop but you got a DUI celebrating your academy date.  Do you think that you would liked being a cop as a career?  If you woke up tomorrow and you were a police officer, what would be the biggest adjustment that you’d have to make to your current lifestyle? 

WB: I don’t think I’d like it, bro. The biggest change I’d have to make would be not to drink so much on the job. I’d probably get a DUI being a cop.

RM:  Of all the comedy clubs and theatres in America, which is your favorite venue to perform at?  What is it about that room in particular that makes it so special to you? 

WB: Any club that has great people with comedic sensibility is a great club for me. I’ll destroy anywhere at anytime.

RM:  You are very active in the podcasting world as of late, with the show that you are currently doing as well as your most recent appearance on episode 148 of Jay Mohr’s show “Mohr Stories”.  What draws comedy and comedians towards internet radio other than the fact that’s it’s uncensored? 

WB: I get to more deep and personal with people who I like my comedy.  I want them to really know who I am and to be a part of my circle. That is why I truly refer to them as friends more than fans. That connection that I have had with them is why I have been able to have a long and meaningful career.

RM:  What is it about religion that you think makes good standup material? 

WB: The fact that nobody knows if it actually exists yet it dictates so much of how we function. That overwhelming shroud of mystery is what makes it so intriguing. I want to really dissect it.

RM:  So there is a pretty personal story about one of your sons watching porn in your special – What is your family’s comfort level when it comes to topics like that? 

WB: My mom raised me like that. We were never shy about religion or sex. So, It was always a part of me to be open with my kids since they were born. There is no difference on how I speak about those things at home and on stage. 

RM:  What’s coming up next for Willie Barcena in the twelve months that follow?  Anything big in the works? 

WB: I am doing the podcast, “Gotta be Honest” (available on iTunes), with Bryan Dey and Richard Villa. Both guys are great comics that you guys should definitely check out. Also I will be starting to co-headline weekends with Richard Villa and my good friend, Esai Morales (“La Bamba”, “NYPD Blue”, etc.).  I will also be shooting my next one hour Special this summer. This special will be my best yet and I know it will take me to the next level. I am not yet at privilege to discuss what channel this will debut on but it will be very exciting.  
 
Willie’s official website:  http://www.williebarcena.com

Once again thanks for visiting First Order Historians and enjoying more of the internet’s finest in user generated content.
 
Meehan

Comedian Bret Ernst

By Ryan Meehan

Bret Ernst is considered one of the best comedians in the business today, and has been written up in trade magazines like The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, as well as being mentioned in national magazines like Maxim, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone. His “Comedy Central Presents” was voted one of the Top 5 specials of 2011 by Comedy Central viewers, and his comedy album “American Comic” broke the top 10 on iTunes the first week of its release in 2012. He has made celebrity appearances on “Chelsea Lately”, ABC’s “Comics Unleashed”, the “Top Ten” on E! and “The Sports List” on FOX. Bret first gained national notoriety starring in the feature film “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show”, which documented Ernst with Vaughn & three other comedians as they performed in a 30 night-30 venue tour across America. Bret had a recurring role on the hit Showtime series “Weeds”, was seen on “CSI: NY”, and also appeared in Artie Lange’s movie “Beer League”. Bret hosted the Oxygen Series “Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too” as well as “Wrestling Society X” on MTV. His stand-up has been featured on “The Late Late Show” on CBS, Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend”, the Showtime series “Comics Without Borders”, “Lopez Tonight” on TBS, and was most recently seen on the Kevin Hart series “One Mic Stand” on BET. Born in New Jersey, Ernst went to high school at Plantation High in South Florida, played collegiate level football at C.W. Post in New York, and currently resides in Los Angeles. Bret performs internationally and to sold out crowds in top clubs across America, and he’s our guest today in 5 Questions. 

RM: Other than the French vodka, what makes Bret Ernst an “American Comic”?

BE: Ha! The Vodka is actually a reference from a joke, and well, I was born in America, so that’s a good reason right there!

RM: How did you become a part of the Wild West Comedy Tour? Did Vince personally contact you and ask you to be a part of that? What was that whole experience like for you?

BE: I meant Vince at a popular comedy spot in LA back in ’02’ . It was at a bar called Dublin’s and it was run by one of our best friends, Ahmed Ahmed (he was in the movie with me as well,) and another comedian Jay Davis (from Dane Cook’s “Tourgasm”.) He frequented the place often and had his favorite comedians to watch, so when he had the idea to do the tour, he already knew who he wanted to have on it. It was one of the best times of my life! We performed 30 cities in 30 nights, and I got to tour with my best friends and live on a bus. It was like Spring Break for 30 year olds.

RM: When it comes to writing material for standup comedy, where is the area in the middle of the Venn diagram in which relatability meets innovation? In other words, during the writing process how do you find a happy medium between the two without doing bits that have been done a million times before?

BE: I think if you stick to your truth, what makes you laugh, and your perspective on things, then it will always be original, even if it’s been a topic that’s already been covered. There are over 300 million people in America and close to 7 billion people in the world. Comedy is considered one of the most subjective art forms, so there is no way everybody is going to laugh at the same things. You just do “you,” and those that like what “you” do, will find “you.” Not all music was made to make you dance, and not all music was made to make you think. Comedy’s the same way. I guess what I’m trying to say is, you stay fresh when you keep it as real to you as possible, just as long as you are keeping it honest, and by that I mean…NO JOKE STEALING!!!!!

RM: What will you miss most about doing “Weeds” now that it is over?

BE: I was only in two episodes (end of season two, and beginning of season 3.) I was the Armenian guy who killed her DEA agent husband…Btw, you know your parts suck when you have to explain to people who you were. So, I guess what I miss most about “Weeds” is doing all the other episodes!

RM: I see you played football at the collegiate level…what position? Is there anything that you can take from your participation in sports and apply it to handling hecklers in a club setting? Do you have any good heckler stories and what have you found is the best method of dealing with them?

BE: I was a tight end in high school, and an outside linebacker in college. What I love about sports and comedy is the forced accountability of it. I love that my success and failure is all up to me. I hate people who make excuses and comics who blame the crowds, which is a great segue to the other half of your question.  There are hecklers and then people who are disruptive. Hecklers are fun to deal with and shit on, even though I hate them. Disruptive people, well you just ask them to leave because they are just making noise and being drunk assholes. I just had a situation in Baltimore where a woman came on stage when I was performing. She was upset at something I said, and decided to interrupt the show. It was awesome because she was so drunk that the crowd started booing her and she cried. She then yelled at everyone and ran out of the room. Her friends stayed to watch the rest of the show because they all hated her. She tried to come back in and the club wouldn’t let her back in, so she had to wait outside for about an hour. It was Hysterical!

RM: What do you hope to achieve within the entertainment industry that you have not already accomplished?

BE: I would like to get a regular role on a series and start getting bigger roles in movies. Those two episode arcs and one liners aren’t really going to win me any awards!

RM: What’s next for Bret Ernst in the twelve months to come? Anything big in the works that we should know about?

BE: We’ll I’m very close to getting my hour special, so look for that in the near future. I also have a full stand-up schedule till the end of the year, so look for me coming to your town! Can’t wait to see you at a show…just don’t jump on stage when I’m performing

Bret’s Official Website:  http://www.breternstlive.com/

Once again thanks for visiting First Order Historians and enjoying more of the internet’s finest is user generated content.

Meehan