Brittany: I like NewsRadio, but I don’t think I’m as big of fans as either of you are.

Ariel: When I was in college I obtained raw footage from an entire NewsRadio episode to cut my own episode. And it’s really interesting, when they talked about the musicality of the entrances and exits, for a 3 or 4 camera show it was really hard to cut. You’d imagine for a multi-camera show you can just cut back and forth, but it was so carefully orchestrated, that you couldn’t really cut it a new way. I feel like they took the Kramer entrance from Seinfeld and applied that to the whole show.

B: I was disappointed that there weren’t more cast members there, but I think you still got a sense of what it was like to be on the show.

A: I was bummed that Maura Tierney wasn’t there.

Sam: Vicki Lewis too. I loved Vicki.

A: Maura Tierney to me, maybe because I had a crush on her, she was the heart of the show to me. She was stuck in a world of bumbling cartoon characters.

B: They were talking about how Andy Dick’s character, Matthew, was so crazy, and there was so much big physical comedy and she was more or less the straight woman who made it all work.

A: Overall I thought it was fun to see them.

B: It seemed like the writers were really friends with the actors.

A: I think there’s always something missing when you hear people describing things like this, because you can’t just get any group of really talented people together and have them do a bunch of drugs and joke around and get something really good out of it. A lot of things have to click into place, but I don’t think they’re really able to articulate what really made it work because I don’t think they necessarily had control over that. If they did they would have had a lot of other great successes after that. It wasn’t a show that everyone loved at the time, but I really loved it. I saw something in it that I didn’t see in other sitcoms, about the timing, or the blending of different types of absurdist humor with more classical sitcom humor. The way that Community is overtly trying to invert stereotypes of the way comedy happens, NewsRadio was doing it in a more subtle way.

B: And it was interesting that they said when they were shooting it they always thought of it more as a play, because it really felt like that. Much more ensemble based.

A: And like Community they played with the way that different people perceived things.

S: Right, so like Matthew had a dream where all of the characters were out of Matthew’s Godhead.

A: That was what you want from Sketchfest, bringing together a bunch of people who wouldn’t get together otherwise.

B: So, what else are we looking forward to at Sketchfest? There’s a bunch of other San Francisco shows going on during Sketchfest and they have bigger names coming through, The Business shows, the Cynic Cave shows.

A: Dark Room and the Cynic Cave both have things most nights.

B: There is so much going on that when I look at the schedule my brain short circuits. The tickets are usually a little pricey, maybe more than you would pay for an average night out.

A: But it’s like Noise Pop, you just gotta take a chance and see what happens.

B: Absolutely. And if you are a podcast fan, this is the thing to go to.

The Verdict: Sketchfest is great, and you’ve already missed half of it! Go see some funny!

The Drama Talk: Few things are cooler than seeing famous people you’re a fan of in person. It’s even better when they’re in a show, and not just eating at the table next to you, getting creeped out that you keep staring at them. There is always good comedy in the Bay Area, but you get some of the best of the it during Sketchfest. It’s an exciting time to see a show because of all the energy.

The Drinks: The show let out in the middle of the day on a Saturday, and since it was an average (frighteningly rainless) glorious January day, we decided to go for a walk over to Polk Street. We opted for the fireplace seats at Lush Lounge. Ariel got their happy hour margarita, Brittany got the happy hour strawberry fizz, and Sam got the happy hour gimlet, and we scoured the Sketchfest program guide to plan the rest of our itinerary.

Sketchfest runs through February 8th in venues around the Bay Area. Check out the schedule on their website, or stop by a host venue and pick up the hard-copy program guide. The hard-copy is a little easier to peruse, but the website will tell you what’s already sold out.

[pic by Katie Cruz]

Rumor had it something funny was going on under Lost Weekend Video. Last year they opened The Cinecave in their basement, and now they’re hosting a variety of awesomeness, including some of SF’s funniest. Last Saturday we decided to check out their Cynic Cave Comedy Show featuring Bucky Sinister, Shanti Charan, Red Scott, Kelly Anneken and Miles K hosted by George Chen and Kevin O’Shea. Here’s our drama talk:

Brittany: The host (Kevin O’Shea) was awesome! I loved that he started with “This is the most fun you are going to have in a basement in 2013” because I think that is true. I haven’t had that much fun in a basement in a while.

Katie: I definitely didn’t feel lied to, which is always nice. Shockingly good for $10.

B: I thought it was funny. I was super nervous that it was going to be a bit of a mess, ‘cause it seemed unorganized when we first got there, but once we got downstairs it all made sense. It’s a really good space; laid back, cozy, basement-y atmosphere.

K: Really intimate.

B: So, who was your favorite comedian?

K: Um – oh god, I’m not sure – the comedians were so diverse, I liked them all for different reasons.

B: I also appreciated that there were two women comedians, and usually I don’t think woman are very funny, which I guess is bad on my part, but whatever THEY (Shanti Charan and Kelly Anneken) were both surprisingly hilarious.

K: I really liked the last guy, Miles K – he was ridiculously funny. I’m not gonna lie, anytime a comedian talks about how they hate being single and the horrors of OK Cupid and online dating I wanna raise my hand and say “No need to roll the dice online and meet random girls that most likely look nothing like their profile pic, I’m a random single woman right here in front of you – way less work”. But that’s a lot to say out loud…to someone I don’t know, in the middle of a show, so…

B: You should have.

K: Maybe next time. I can’t believe that Cinecave has been around for a year and we haven’t heard about it.

B: And that there were seats left! There are so many things in the Mission now where you spend a lot of money and don’t necessarily have a great time, when there is something that is affordable AND you can have a great time it should be packed…Maybe we shouldn’t tell anyone.

K: You’re right. Let’s stop this review – no one needs to know.

[Bucky Sinister by Katie Cruz]

The Verdict
Go see it! This will be the best $10 you’ve spent to hang out in a basement!

NEXT Shows
Saturday 4/20 @ 8pm
Saturday 4/27 @ 8pm

Cinecave Calendar

The Drama Talk
The basement is cozy, if you want to be cozy too get there early to snag one of the cushy theatre style seats. Otherwise you’ll get stuck on a metal folding chair. No matter what, this is the most fun you’ll have in basement in SF.

The Place to Drink
After kicking off the evening at Cinecave we wanted a straight forward dive bar. We chose Mission Bar for the comfy booths, laid back atmosphere and cheap drinks.

The Drink
This is comedy in a video store basement and drinks at a dive bar, order simply. We had a rum and coke and a vodka ginger ale.

Did you know that stand-up comedy, as we know it, started in San Francisco? It’s true! According to Joe Rogan on Episode 161 of the WTF podcast, anyway. He credits it to when Mark Twain first started giving hilarious speeches filled with wit and biting social commentary around town. Without Mark Twain, no Gallagher. Think about that.

Anyways, the other day I passed by Mission comedian Chris Garcia in the street, jumped in front of him, and blurted out, “CHRIS GARCIA!”. After this, I had no follow up other than a crazy wild-eyed stare. He looked at me a bit terrified. I followed up with, “Umm, yeah, sorry. I’m Vic from Mission Mission.”  He was like, “Oh hey! You should come to the Business this week. It’s our 2-year birthday.”

The Business is a weekly comedy showcase at the Dark Room featuring Chris, Sean Keane, Alex Koll, and Bucky Sinister. They also feature out-of-town comedians passing through.Why not take part in the rich history of San Francisco comedy and check them out tonight? The show starts at 8pm. Here is the event page.

Also, Chris Garcia (as Dr. 4:20) wishes you a happy day:

If I was better at Photoshop, I’d throw a 1950′s postcard style “Greetings from… the Mission” over this baby, but you’re just going to have to use your imagination.

A little background on this lovely photo from Chris Garcia:

Sheng Wang took this photo of local comedians at Dolores Park last summer.
Pictured Left to Right: Donny Divanian, Alex Koll, Kevin Munroe, Chris Garcia, Emily Heller.

If you don’t remember Chris, you probably ought to see his hilarious stand-up bit on the Mission we posted a while ago.

But back to Things We Made.  The relevant deets:

“Things We Made” is a comedy show that presents a salad of wit, characters, videos, illustrations, movement and music. It’s an atmosphere to share unconventional and often brilliant creations. Patrick Bulger and Jesse Fernandez host this monthly conduit of San Francisco’s original and delectable humor.

When: 10:00pm, 10/17/09

What: A comedy show called “Things We Made”

Who: Chris Garcia (The Onion’s Aristocrat Award-winner), Donny Divanian (San Francisco Fringe Festival), Chris Thayer, plus the Things We Made Cast!

Where: The Dark Room Theater on 2263 Mission Street (between 18th and 19th), San Francisco, CA 94110

Cost: $10

For more info: 415-401-7987, www.thingswemade.com , www.darkroomsf.com , wsup@darkroomsf.com

Go on and see it!

Chris Garcia, I remember being pretty funny.  I vaguely recall my bf and I trying to impress him with jokes one night at maybe the Hemlock and walking away feeling successful, but let’s face it.  We weren’t funny.  Sorry,  Chris.