Lue Deck – comedy polymath learned his trade from the one and only Mitzi Shore.

There’s an old joke.

Murray and Saul, two old Jewish men, sit on the park bench.  Murray turns to Saul.  “Saul.”  “What is it Murray?”  “If you had 20 million dollars, would you loan me 10?” “Of course I’d loan you 10 million dollars.  I don’t need 10 million dollars, let alone 20.  I’d give you 10 million dollars.  Don’t ask a stupid question!”

A few minutes go by.

“Saul.”  “What is it Murray?”  “If you had 2 office buildings, would you give me one?”  “Of course I’d give you an office building. I don’t need an office building, let alone 2 office buildings.  Don’t ask a stupid question!”

Few minutes more.

“Saul.”  “What is it Murray?”  “If you had 2 watches…”

“You bastard!  You KNOW I got 2 watches!”

Lue Deck – Comedy Polymath

If you had to choose between two doctors. One was a specialist who had full training and certification for being a general practitioner, as well as learning and perfecting his or her specialty. That’s one doctor. The other doctor had basic training and certification as well but was also a trained and certified specialist in a dozen medical areas. He’d be your dentist, for example, but also was an expert in hearing and blood pressure. I would choose the second guy because anyone who has a sense of medicine knows that the body is all related to itself. That’s what comedian Lue Deck is. A really funny dentist. No, that’s a joke. Lue Deck is a comedian who has done it all and done it all excellently and learned and worked with the best in the business. And that is usually an expectation of a comic polymath.

Starting as Comedy Store doorman and MC, Deck cut his comedy teeth at the legendary club under the tutelage of the one and only legendary Mitzi Shore. There, he created The Comedy Channel, was the in-house Improv director, a Comedy Store activist, a Paid Regular, in charge of Video and personal assistant to Mitzi.   As an act he holds the world’s record for performing in 100 cities in one year, 10 years running! He’s opened for everybody from Carrot Top to the Dixie Chicks. Performed extensively on USO tours in 17 countries, over 100 cruise ship gigs. As a writer, Lue Deck is a CSPAN Essay winner. (Featured in 10 major newspapers across America), was a featured stand-up in “I’m Dying up here!” by Bill Knodelseder, which was turned into a very interesting Showtime series by exec producer Jim Carrey. His own book, “Stand-up Decoded: Be as funny as you think you are!” is a popular E-book published by Xlibris.com.  Like I said, Lue Deck – comedy polymath

Lue has also been a dear friend to this comedian and writer. I thought it time he got a little extra spotlight, as usually, and especially in “this town”, it’s hard to get out of the shade of the latest giant comedy monsters casting their overwhelming shadows across us all. I caught up with Lue as I was awaiting trial for attempted laziness.

H-Dog – Tell us about working for Mitzi.

Deck – She knew the ingredients to a successful act. You accepted her advice or left! By the time you could do what she wanted, you could sell your act. Working for her was relentless. From doorman to mc to act, she would pile opportunity and responsibility on you until you couldn’t handle all of it. Video director to consultant to personal assistant. You gave her your thoughts and followed her crazy orders. Looking back, she was right on 95% of her decisions. NOT counting her choice of lovers!

H-Dog: What was it like being the opening act for Ollie Joe Prater?

 

Deck: It was like driving a Wells Fargo stagecoach for a real life Yosemite Sam! We did 87 cities the first year. He liked one-niters because they paid more. Never saw another act who was wanted by ALL the bookers any week! He was the most explosive, reliable, and sold out acts we ever saw.

H-Dog: What was The Comedy Store like back in its heyday?

Deck: It was impressive, like Cape Canaveral shooting comics up every night, 3 or 4 stars destroying crowds. Then, one would beg you for a drink coupon on a late Tuesday. Robin (Williams, of course) knew I didn’t use coke so he’d hide his stash on me. Anything to suddenly be his pal. After I had an office, names would seek ME out to hide there! Andy Kaufman, Richard Pryor, Rodney Dangerfiled. I had to kick Sam Kinison out of the dungeon several times!

H-Dog: You’ve done a lot of cruise ship gigs. Did you ever any kind of quarantine situation like we have now?

Deck: Common to a miss a stop on a 3 stop tour because of dysentery. But, nothing like this! But, cruise ships have always been Petri dishes!

H-Dog: Your radio show “Poor Lue’s Almanac!” was nominated for a Peabody Award. Congratulations! Tell the Hollywood Dog about all that.

Deck: Well, first of all, thank you. In 1997, I was laid up with a broken back and was only selling jokes to Jay Leno. Sold 1 out of 60, 2 out of 40. I had 97 jokes not doing nothing and so I copied Poor Richard’s Almanac model from Ben Franklin. I used Publisher to go digital. Then when I got better and went back on tour, I sold my Almanac for 10 bucks to radio DJ’s. Which led to an offer from Net Radio Live to do 25 episodes before streaming. They nominated me, but I lost out to Bernie Mac.

H-Dog: Tell us about entertaining out troops with the USO and The Department of Defense?

Deck: They were all overseas tours. I found my grandfather’s grave at a gig about 20 miles northeast of Manila. Which was a grounding moment for me because I hardly knew him.

H-Dog: I understand you were the first comic to perform in North Korea!

Deck: Same spot as Trump and Un! Also in building, where the armistice was signed. Tour guide invited me step across the 38^th Parallel, which when I did, the entire tour group yelled “BOO!” I jumped on the table, scared the guards, making them all pulls guns! I “surrendered”! Everybody laughs at my playfulness.

H-Dog: You married a cop? Did she have a sense of humor?

Deck: Her gun was bigger than mine! Google “The Cop & The Comic!” Or look in my book or on my timeline! The evidence wont’ stand up in court!

H-Dog: You were also the first comic to perform in Cuba?

Deck: ’93, my ship stops to do harbor scanning, we went at pier to exchange freight, food, cigars, but no disembarking. At a freight hanger door, I made friends with customs & teamsters by making them laugh. I begged them to let me go to end of pier & touch real Cuba, and so the Cuban customs guys let me. I dashed, told three jokes, and sauntered back, until the dogs rushed up the pier & chased me back into my ship. applause from all but the dogs!

H-Dog: You bio says you innovated the cruise ship toilet lizard. Would care to expound?

Deck: It’s a visual trick with suction toilet. I tell the crowd after show, to go to their room get toilet paper, baseball sized ball on toilet, stream out 10-12 feet, then flush! Tail streaming disappears down toilet, whooooosh! Now, imagine: the flaming lizard!

H-Dog: I would, but I’m too busy crying over what a waste of toilet paper, especially these days! What position did David Letterman play on The Comedy Store Basketball team? You were center, right?

Deck: Starting center and Dave was outside forward; he wasn’t the best at rebound, but had a great shot. Jimmy Walker was good, so was John Witherspoon. We played at the Forum during halftime at a Lakers game.

H-Dog: Who was the opposing team and did you win?

Deck: Pizza Hut and yes we won.

H-Dog: Pizza Hut vs. Comedy Store! That’s hilarious. Moving on. You performed in four states at the same time? How does that work?

Deck: I was offered this gig to perform at a private party at the Four corners landmark, the demarcation quadripoint where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet.  I thought it be cool to leave stage and do 5 min from the landmark.

H-Dog: Okay, my favourite fact about you is that you smoked ganja on Bob Marley’s grave?

Deck: Yes, but buried in 9 mile, up mountain from Ocho Rios. They buried Bob in his front yard inclined with a face visor, so you could see his face, he could see the sun. Been moved to Zimbabwe.

H-Dog: Finally, and I wanted to thank you for your time.

Deck: It’s been my pleasure!

H-Dog: What did Mitzi Shore mean to you and to comedy?

Deck: Mitzi deserves it as a leader in the biz, suffragette, and unique prominence in a man’s world!

H-Dog: Thanks again, Lue Deck. You’re a great man, comic and friend. And certainly the doctor I’d choose!

Deck: Keep positive!

H-Dog: I’ll try my best. (*puts mask back on)

Follow Lue Deck on Facebook

Lue Deck – comedy polymath is the author of the definitive book on stand-up. Available online somewhere.

For The Hollywood Dog, this has been Steven Alan Green.

Jack Zullo grew up not just watching, studying and loving John Belushi, but indeed actually being John.   His college days were filled with party-on philosophy and action and yet, Zullo maintained a keen observational overview that allowed him to study very carefully what in fact made the late John Belushi so beloved to begin with. John’s unabashed never quenched thirst for life.  And by life, we’re talking partying and making comedy. Of equal value. Sure, many other comedians have had their party days, but Belushi was equally as defined by his drinking and drugging as he was by his comedy. And that’s what made him even more compelling to watch. Because you just never knew when it was his final performance. The talent of full on participation and simultaneous keen observation is what makes a true artist and Jack Zullo is the best of the best.  With his newly revised show review, “With a Little Help…It’s John Belushi!” (a critical 2016 Hollywood Fringe success originally branded “Live From the Grave…It’s John Belushi!”), Jack brings back, in intense and accurate detail, exactly who John was at and on each stage of his early career and therefore what he was as a performer at and on each stage throughout his life. As we follow the storyline of the little big man from the suburbs of Chicago go from bit player to the biggest comedy star on the planet, we are given a keen insight into precisely what it took and indeed how much Belushi believed in himself and his talents before anyone ever did.  In as much as anyone in showbiz must endure and overcome obstacles to make it, as portrayed, John Belushi walked a very fine line of pissing off his allies and colleagues, which only a true chaotic comedy genius not just could, but would. Like The Marx Brothers showing up at Louie B. Mayer’s MGM offices completely naked to protest censorship or even just for the fun. John Belushi was so confident in himself and his talents, to an almost but not quite, arrogant degree. And even when he was unabashedly arrogant, his charm was always there to rescue and recuse him out of any awkward situation, whether it was convincing his girlfriend Judy with a kiss or displacing friend and life partner Dan Akylrod’s frustration by simply picking up a harmonica and blowing the shit out of it.  To step on or over anybody to get there, but to not be stepped on himself, as demonstrated when he confronted National Lampoon head Matty Simmons or defied an early Lorne Michaels’ cold indifference, which was bolstered by a tagging along GIlda Radner, by simple persistence. As far as a comedian advocate, John Belushi was the unintentional original. And the comedian he advocated for the most was of course himself.

The show opens with a raucous top-notch world-class blues band, helmed by Robin Russell and the Crazy Tomes Band, which tells us the audience immediately, this is gonna be a very fun night and indeed it was.  What the show is basically is a switchback template between narrator Zullo/Belushi telling us the audience what was next for him, then cutting to vignette and scene and then back to the center mic for a roaring version of Rubber Biscuit with sideman Dan. The idea here is actually quite unique, and this writer has never seen it anywhere. Jack starts the story at when John discovers his love for comedy and ends it at the height of his career, leaving out the nasty unfortunate stain of John’s tragic and way too soon Hollywood death.  What makes this show fun is that we’re taken along the journey to success from minute detail to minute step up.  From John first going to see Second City and asking his friend Dan to get him an audition, to John making up on his feet he’s part of an improv troupe called The West Compass Players.  He practices his Joe Cocker at home to the behest of Judy who wants him to come to bed.  Joyce Sloan from Second City admonishes him not to steal from their touring show. John is warned not to do “even a whisper of Second City material.”  So there is tension and set up for the underlying drama and when we see John forging ahead no matter what, it’s nothing less than inspirational. Rounding out the cast are a bevvy of wonderful young actors, as well as a few seasoned ones.  I’m not gonna pick and choose who I liked in particular, but if you imagine the creatives behind the scenes such as Tony Hendra, Lorne Michaels, as well as National Lampoon’s Matty Simmons, you get the idea that we’re also on an educational journey that informs the audience, that genius cannot exist with one man alone.  And indeed the show itself is exactly the same.  Context is everything in art and John’s first television appearance is him getting hit with tear gas at the ‘68 Chicago Democratic convention.  CUT TO: Belushi and cohorts doing one of their classic Second City sketches mocking police intimidation. John walked the walk in life, then talked the talk on stage.  That alone is the textbook definition of journalistic comedy and it should be memorialized, and Zullo does just that. John Belushi was no Bluto. He was a very smart political satirist who actually put his life at risk in real life and dealt with things through his comedy art.

“With a Little Help…It’s John Belushi!” lands smack in the middle of Hollywood history, as it prepares its ultimate journey to the Belushi Valhalla known as Theatre 80 in New York City this December, where it will be directed by Levy Lee Simon with a mainly new cast.  This show remembers the great John Belushi for his lust for life, not his playing with the devil which ultimately lead to his early death. And that alone makes “With a Little Help…It’s John Belushi!” as entertaining and daring as the man himself.

Cast members include: Jack Zullo as Belushi, Keith Saltojanes as Danny, Stephanie LeHane as Gilda, Joya Mia Italiano as Eugenie, Samantha Jane as Billie, Christopher DeMaci as Tino and Del Close, Carly Hatter as Judy, Kennan McCarthy as Lorne, Steve Whittle as Brian, Riley Schuett as Harold, Louie Mandrapilias as Bernie, Chad Little as Matty, Mark Towns as Dan Payne and Tony, Adam Lau as Steve and Christopher, Bryce David Harrison as Phil and Chevy, Chrisi Talyn Saje as Joyce, Ray Chao as Joe, Jeremiah Benjamin as Jim Fisher.  LA staging, documentor and director Eric Michael Kochmer, Lindsay Castillo-Dilyou Stage Manager, Rehearsal Tech and Show, Rachael Stein Stage Manager, Tech and Show.

For The Hollywood Dog, this is Steven Alan Green

September 27, 2019

Indeed, so many choices; where do I begin.  Since the person asking me for my best worst story is a comedian friend of mine in England for a book he’s completing, I thought I’d kill two comics with one stoner.   And, since it’s a London project, let’s start with probably my worst gig I ever had in England.  Now.  Many of my followers know of my incessant ranting and panting of how great the London comedy scene was and how I rode the wave as long as I could, and was ultimately brought down by British agents, who really only needed to push me a little further on my own petard.

New York Said Fuck YOU! 

After moving to NYC in 91, initially to interview the great comedian Alan King for a book I was writing at the time, I decided to spend a month in the city of my birth, although I was born in Long Island.  But, Manhattan was the core of the boroughs and through an odd connection through the Sex Pistols film Sid and Nancy, I ended up getting an apartment/converted hotel room at the world infamous Chelsea Hotel, or as the insider residents called it, the Hotel Chelsea.

Sandy Baron was a comedian, actor, and improviser, whose role as Charles ‘Chuck’ Hookstratten in the 1966-67 NBC series “Hey, Landlord”, and better known to my generation as indeed himself as the corned beef roundtable narrator of Woody Allen’s 1984 ode to small time entertainers “Broadway Danny Rose,” but was also returning character Jack Clomps on Seinfeld, as well as famously playing legendary comedian Lenny Bruce on Broadway.  But for me, there is only one role.  That of Stanley Bard, the manager of The Chelsea Hotel in Alex Cox’s 1986 film “Sid and Nancy,” which was about the last days and death of the Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious (as brilliantly portrayed by “Churchill actor” Gary Oldman) and his knife-wielding live-in girlfriend, Nancy Spungun, Oscar worthy-ly portrayed by Chloe Webb.  It was Sandy Baron who recommended me to Stanley Bard, the manager of the Hotel Chelsea and whom Stanley was portraying in the film. My 30 days at the Chelsea extended to an incredible 14 years maintaining apartment 507 and included living with my then girlfriend Kathrine and getting to know all sorts of other residents such as Dee Dee Ramone, a wonderful artist for Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine, Richard Bernstein, and Viva one of Warhol’s so-called “Superstars”. During that time, I met in various stages of passing: Woody Allen, Arthur Miller, Keith Richards, Angelina Jolie, Drew Barrymore, and Ethan Hawk. Living at the Chelsea was a purposeful change-up from literally 10 years banging around The Comedy Store and indeed was my entrée into a writing career. I’ll need to devote entire chapter to my Chelsea life whenever I get around to writing that book people keep suggesting I do, but for right now, I want to focus on my worst comedy gig. Or one of them anyways.

The only break I got stand-up-wise in New York of consistent comedy spots, was Silver Friedman, who took-over the Improv at 44^th and 9^th, it’s original location when Budd moved west; where Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Andy Kaufman and Carol Liefer launched their fine careers.   Like Mitzi with The Comedy Store, Silver got The Improv as part of her divorce settlement, and rumor had it her lawyer got Budd to sign a covenant that he couldn’t open an Improv within 100 miles of New York. So when Silver’s incarnation of The Improv shuttered, mostly due I assume to overdevelopment in the Times Square area, I literally had no other clubs to work. Lucien Hold at The Comic Strip kept teasing me how good I was but never gave me work. I did a big bringer at Caroline’s, brought over 60 people thanks to Katherine who was working Comedy Central at the time, but I never got actually booked at what would soon become the big business sucking out of the smaller clubs NYC comedy flagship. And, although I signed with a really good New York book agent, and did a play or two, my father, who was ill, implored me to “go back to London” once more. For him. And, so in 1995, I kissed Katherine goodbye and that I’d “be back in 3 weeks” and there I went.

Again, it’s entire chapter about my London comedy life and how great it was, everything I’ve always dreamed of and more. But, for the purposes of the book for my friend William Wilding, I’d like to tell you the tale of “Stage Death”.

 Cosmic Justice

The Cosmic Comedy Club was a really cool comedy club. At 177 Fulham Palace Road in Hammersmith London, it was just a train or short cab ride away. I had already done something there before I ever did comedy there. I was in a film playing “the American big time TV producer”; the Cosmic being the filming location of an important scene. And when I first started doing comedy in London again (I first played the London Comedy Store 3 times in 1982) I did a gig which happened to award 100 Pounds to the best act of the night as voted by the audience, and I won and won against all the local British comics on the bill. That contest was at The Cosmic. So, I got known a little bit by the owner of the club, a woman named Joss. She started giving me regular spots and I don’t remember how many I did, but I do remember the last time I did a gig there.  Believe me; I wished I didn’t.

It was a Friday night and I started my gigs that night at Simon Randall’s Ha Bloody Ha comedy club in Ealing, which was like doing an early gig in Pasadena then doing another gig in Santa Monica. And these things never time out right. One gig starts late, you call the second gig, they say they’re running behind, then after you hang up, the next comic doesn’t show so they put on the headliner. Total chaos unless there wasn’t.   I did my little “stormed it” in Ealing, then got a cab straight to Hammersmith to do my spot at the Cosmic Comedy Club.

When I got to the Cosmic, it was a packed house. 350 men and women in the crowd, drinking and laughing. What I didn’t know about was who they were laughing at. Comedian Noel Britten from Bath, England. And what I didn’t know about Noel was that his act at the time was largely based on “how stupid Americans are”.   Now. Going back to my touring Canada days, playing every Yuk-Yuks from Toronto to Moose Jaw, I already had my built in opener, which was designed to “let the steam outta the room” a little up front and to show “them” that I knew their game.  I would always open my touring act this way:

“Good evening. My name is Steven Alan Green and I am from Hollywood, Los Angeles California, the United States of America!”

Then I’d just stand there like Superman. Every single time, the audience would do a mass “boooo!”. I would then feign trying to figure it out and then say:

“Ah! I know where I went wrong. Let’s try this again. Please welcome Steven Alan Green!”

To my delight, the audience would applaud even greater this time and then I would say into the mic:

“My name’s Steven Alan Green and I am from London!”

The crowd would cheer; then I would strike a second time…

“So. Do we have any Americans here tonight? I hate those bleedin’ wankers.”

The crowd burst into laughter every single time and loved me from then on out throughout my set. But this time, this night at the Cosmic Comedy Club was quite a different experience indeed.  Remember British comedian Noel Britten and his anti-American act?

So, by the time I got to The Cosmic, Noel was finishing up a rip-roaring storming killing set. I wasn’t paying attention to it because I had to get ready for my set, which was to immediately follow. Noel finishes to a virtual standing-O and leaves the stage. And not his fault whatsoever, he leaves the stage empty. This was because the emcee, a comic named Wara, was nowhere to be found. I mean the stage was empty with all that great comedy inertia generated by Noel just dissipating, having nowhere to go other than that bad place. After an interminable 3 minutes, Wara hastily returns to the mic and says without any sort of professional encouragement to either me or the audience: “Please welcome your next comedian. He’s from America.” Didn’t even say my name. The crowd began to boo even before I hit the stage.

The crowd began to boo even before I hit the stage.

Thinking (stupidly, as it turns out) that, “Ah HAH! This will play right into my opening gambit’s hands, I felt more confident than ever. I leaned into the mic and said with all force and bravado: “My name is Steven Alan Green and I am from Hollywood, Los Angeles California, the United States of America!”. Well. This was akin to literally throwing gasoline on a fire. The entire audience of what must’ve seemed like 350 office blokes, all started to shout back at me, and heckle me and put down America and they just wouldn’t even give me a chance. I tried to let them get it out of their system, but the more I did nothing, the more they spewed drunken venom at me in particular, simply because I was an American. I finally called them all “cunts” and left the stage. I passed the night manager, some uptight stupid office type girl who rather than giving me a shoulder to cry on, she scolded me even more. I left dejected, hurt, confused. I tried to straighten it out with Joss days later, but wasn’t having it and maybe months later I called her and apologized, even though I didn’t think I was entirely at fault here, if even at all. Her response, and I’ll never forget this. Joss said to me on the phone: “I accept your apology, but you can never work my club again.”   Great. Cosmic justice. Couple of years later at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I would run into Noel Britten, who was doing a show at the same venue I was. I remember we sat and talked and what a nice bloke.

The worst part of this story? Now that I’ve written it and remembered it, it’s not by far my worst ever gig. Having said that, it’ll do for now.

This is Steven Alan Green and I’m an American!

For The Hollywood Dog,

This has been Steven Alan “Whoofy” Green

Sag, The Naked Blogger, 4/22/18

stevenalangreen.com

Well, just when I not only thought I was losing again, but with the advent of the closing of iconic comedy venue Nerd Melt last week, along comes The Eggemon Comedy Festival.

Then again, the newest eggemon comedy flag is the brainchild of eggemon comedy wunderkind Danny Lobell.

And, for a guy who when he was just a kid, befriended Jackie Mason, and since passing through the maturation process, his eggemon comedy testies have grown and dropped to the point of Danny becoming synonymous with some of the most famous and respected comedians in the business, well, let’s just say we expect nothing less from now on from the boy.   Just back from a successful run of his one man show “Broke as a Joke” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, Danny not only continues to turn the heat up on his long running main creative venture, his podcast, he’s starting a eggemon comedy festival.

Modern Day Philosophers

….is Danny’s podcast and in it he interviews guests with a close and careful eye and asks them to answer the unanswerable based on the host’s choice of philosopher or deep thinking writer.  For me, Danny chose “Mr. Cheerful”, the wonderfully talented ex-Vaudevillian, Franz Kafka.  When I did it, Danny asked me about my infamous “Jerry Lewis adventure” and really got into the psychological underpinnings as to why Jerry affected me so deeply, and not just in my pockets; but in my heart.

Whatever’s left of it after that bastard Lewis tore it up into a million pieces and never even thanked me!  OY!  A sampling of the previous guests include Fred Armisen, Colin Quinn, Brian Regan, Gad Elmaleh, Bill Burr, Lewis Black, Maria Bamford, Marc Maron, Aisha Tyler, Jackie Mason, Reggie Watts, Mayim Bialik, and Robert Klein.  Seems any comedian of import passes through MDP as a matter of ritual; kinda like a podcast Bar Mitzvah.   Danny also books oddballs by evidence of my own appearance on MDP last year.

Danny’s a Jew

And there ain’t nothing wrong with that.  Hell, I’m a Jew myself and have been since a week after my birth, they cut off the end of my dick like I was so much sandwich meat at the deli.  So be it.  But, Danny’s a practicing Jew and in all this time, after how fluently he reads from the Torah on Passover, and how much he knows tradition, he wouldn’t need to practice anymore, but I digress into bad punery.

Names, Names, and some Not So Much Names But Good Solid eggemon Comedy Talent Nonetheless

While truly great comics like Charles Chaplin, Peter Sellers and Groucho Marx are still unavailable, Danny and co-producing partners Micha Bleich and Genevieve Joy (both creative working comics), along with Danny’s wife and partner in his wacky life in eggemon comedy, Kylie (who does the PR), have created a festival without a quote unquote professional venue.

True to Danny’s form of “Why not?”, the first (annual?) Eggemon Comedy Festival will be held in Danny and Kylie’s backyard.  And it would sound am-dram, were it not for the incredible comedians who are actually on the 3 day event.  Including yours truly.  I don’t mean I’m “great”; I’m just trying to finish this blog so I can grab lunch.

Todd Glass, Jenny Zagrino, Erica Rhodes and Mark Schiff; to name a few top notch even famous comedians 

These are national headlining comedians, all who’ve been on the magic box of television and yet, still maintain credibility.   Why on Earth they’d be willing to risk their fine reputation by performing in a backyard says as much about their light sense of humor about everything, as it does about Danny’s unending nerve to stand up before compromise and flick its tenuous eyebrow.

I caught up with Danny as he was running away from me on Robertson Boulevard and shouted a few questions at him:

TUE 3:56PM

Steven
I’m writing a blog about The Eggemon Comedy Festival. Will have it published by tonight. Have some questions. I’m doing a conference call soon. Can we talk in a couple hours? Just a few short questions, which I can also send to you in messenger. And thanks for your call just now.
Daniel Lobell
Thanks; thats great, sure, what are the questions?
Steven
Is this another Danny & Kylie production? And if so, what is her role and what is your role?
Steven
I have about 5 questions.
Daniel Lobell
It’s run by me, Micha Bleich and Genevieve Joy
Micha and Gen are also both comedians.
Steven
Ok. Is this a first of an annual festival?
Daniel Lobell
Correct spelling is Micah bleich.
Steven
Is the plan to eventually move it out of your home and into a public space?

Daniel Lobell
no plan yet
Steven
Ok
Daniel Lobell

Maybe to move it into a bigger yard.
Steven
Is there a particular philosophy to the festival?
Daniel Lobell
No just wanted to put together a fun weekend of shows in my backyard.
Steven
Ok. How do the neighbors feel about eggemon comedy?
Daniel Lobell
We will find out!….hahha.
Steven
I noticed on the website there’s no venue or address listed.
Was that my oversight?
Daniel Lobell
Its only given out to people once they buy tickets.

Steven
Gotcha. Ok. One more question.
Daniel Lowell
Yes.
Steven
What is the meaning of life?
Daniel Lobell
Giving.
Steven
Thank you. Interview over. Oh yes. Does Kylie have a credit in the festival?
Daniel Lobell
Haahah
Steven

And goodnight.
Daniel Lobell
Shes helping me with PR for it.
Daniel Lobell
Its sponsored by Stand up! Records and One Table
Steven

Thank you for your time and I can’t wait to perform on “Bookshelf” at your festival May 11.

Danny Lobell

I’m looking forward to it as well.  I consider you the funniest comedian in Los Angeles. 

Steven

Really?

Danny Lobell

No, but you’re the one controlling the keyboard to this blog. 

For more information

on The Eggemon Comedy Festival and to purchase tickets, simply go to their website.

Read my review of Danny Lobell’s one-man show “Broke as a Joke” here at The Jewish Journal.

Hear Danny Lobell interview your not so humble writer on his podcast Modern Day Philosophers.

For The Hollywood Dog, this has been Steven Alan “Whoofy” Green, the Naked Blogger.

Sag 4/17/18

StevenAlanGreen.com

Well, first of all I’m naked. That’s my thing.  In order for me to write my best, I need to be naked. Got me thrown out of Starbucks but hey; we all have our creative methods. Guess they didn’t approve of my laptop; ha bloody ha. For most of my childhood and adult life, nothing has been more important to me than comedy. Comedy got me through a very rough childhood, where yelling and divorce and never seeing mommy or daddy ever again; and then rinse and repeat over the course of 10 years, yeah; you too would be as fucked up as me.

However, I learned very early on, that the best thing you can do for yourself in this lifetime is to choose your fucked-up-ness.  It’s gonna happen anyway.   Nobody is so-called “normal” and we don’t trust them anyway.  They voted in Trump, remember?  No.  My chosen reality is to see life as a comedy, ’cause if I don’t, then it’s just way too boring.  Which finally brings me to comedy showman Ron Lynch.

Ron Lynch is the Comedy Devil Incarnate

There are nice people in this town and I should introduce Ron to some of them, because after all, he is the epitome of a nice man.  As the voice of “Ron” on Carton Network and Fox’s Bob’s Burgers, Mr. Lynch is somewhat the Billy Bob Thornton of comedy.   His singular late night creation, The Tomorrow Show, is insiders comedy for the outsider.   Imagine Soupy Sales asking the kids to send him a tittie magazine, rather than a dollar.  Add some Terry Gilliam’s surreal madness and throw in a little Andy “Is he for real?” Kaufman, and you pretty much have a slab of dead flesh and I’d call the cops and split if I were you.

But, if I weren’t you (and I assure you; I’m not and wouldn’t want to be, no offense) I would catch the next Tomorrow Show.  That is, if you can.  The show tends to sells out nearly every Saturday, but I think you can get tickets in advance; I’m not sure and they’re not paying me enough for this blog review to look it up, or as you kids say, “Google it”.

Rita Hayworth was married to Orson Wells

And I have no fucking clue if that has anything to do with this story, other than The Tomorrow Show Starring Ron Lynch ended its successful multi-year run at The Steve Allen Theatre as the city of Los Angeles loved The Tomorrow Show so much, they demolished the building.   Now, The Hayworth Theatre on Wilshire is in danger as Ron Lynch and his incredible eye for the oddity talent has relocated to the brand spanking new bitched up venue.   Dynasty Typewriter – is the grand overseer, the venue runner, the curators of great new comedy.   In fact, some upstart comic, Adam Sandler is his name as I recall, well he did a run there a few weeks ago and my sources tell me Messer Sandler is planning his Netflix special to be filmed at Dynasty Typewriter.  Don’t quote me, but that’s what I heard and again, I’m not Googling it.  I’m naked. Isn’t that enough?  Former artistic director of the Hollywood Improv, Jamie Flam is the man behind the vision of the rebirthed and rebranded venue.   And with the recent sad demise of Nerd Melt on Sunset, as well as the ever growing popularity of Chick-fil-A, this is assuredly happy comedy news.

“Ron Lynch is the Walt Disney of Weird and the world he creates every week is far beyond our collective unconscious to fully understand.  But, like all great entertainment and art, it’s worth a try.”

— and you can quote me!  Steven Alan Green, The Hollywood Dog

With polymath talent extraordinaire Martin Olson

on the keyboards and on stage as Lynch’s literal comedy lynchpin, he’s like Paul Shaffer to Ron Lynch’s Adolf Hitler.   ‘Cept Ron ain’t no Shicklegruber; no sir.  Ron is like Dan Rowan if he was secretly dosing himself through his whisky and soda with LSD, meanwhile the comedy soul of Buster Keaton tied up backstage, with Ernie Kovacks in his earpiece feeding him genius lines and moves.  Every Tomorrow Show is different.  All of them have guests, both musical and comedy and there’s always sketch comedy that seems to come out of nowhere.  Forth wall?  We don’t need no stinking 4th wall, as Lynch will literally count then juggle 200 sets of eyeballs and somehow make magic with all of our minds whether we go kicking and screaming or willingly like lemmings off the comedy cliff of death.   Olson, another genius polymath, is best known for his head writing on Disney’s Phineas and Ferb; but if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find a modern-day Ambrose Bierce as evidenced by Olson’s brilliant satirical tomb The Encyclopedia of Hell.

What the hell else are you gonna do on a Saturday night at midnight? In LA?  Hello?

What?  Sit at Canters and try and count the age lines on Rodney Bingenheimer’s forehead?  Listen.  This is the place to be.   The Tomorrow Show Starring Ron Lynch at DynastyTypewriter at The Hayworth Theatre.  It’s only 10 bucks and plenty of parking if you walk a block or two you lazy Angelino fucks.  Perfect date.  Bring your tattoo buddy to a DTLA food truck, dine in style, see a movie, feel sorry for the homeless, then get to the The Hayworth and see and be part of what always feels like comedy history.  You never know who you’ll see on stage or literally in the next seat.  It’s a real Hollywood crayzo interesting “celebrity” magnet.

FOR MORE INFO, DATES, SHOWS, HOW TO GET TICKETS, ETC, THEN CLICK HERE, THE GREEN BIT, THE ENTIRE GREEN BIT

But Steven.  Do you guarantee that we’ll have a great time?

No.  Fuck no.  You’ve never seen anything like The Tomorrow Show and I guarantee you never will.  Take a Saturday afternoon cat nap and get there.   Trust me; I’m a doctor.

For the Hollywood Dog,

This has been Steven Alan “Woofie” Green

The Naked Blogger

4/6/18 

STEVEN ALAN GREEN DOT COM