ANOTHER LEVEL

Andrew Santino is a pal of mine but he’s also one of my favorite stand-ups. He’s a monster. I’ve never once seen a show he’s done that’s the same, or not a side splitter. His new Netflix special, Cheeseburger, is really one of the best specials I’ve seen in a long time. I put it up on the shelf with last years ‘Jew’ by Ari Shaffir, and Dane Cook’s ‘Above it all’ two great recent specials that hit hard with laughs and took each of the comics to another level.

CHICAGO BOY

I have to say, Santino is just a midwestern fucker through and through. No matter how long he’s in Los Angeles the guy just smells like Chicago and the midwest. That’s why I think every comedian I’ve ever met that knows him loves the guy. He’s just a Chicago mook who’s talented as hell, has paid his dues, loves what he’s doing and has gotten really good at it. Cheeseburger is the by-product. Sit down, call up Netflix, hit the remote, watch it, have some big laughs. It’s that simple. You’re in good hands.

THE PODCASTS

He also has two fantastic podcasts that happen to be two of my favorite podcasts. No shit. When I take road trips I listen to both of these religiously.

WHISKEY GINGER

BAD FRIENDS

The one he does alone is ‘Whiskey Ginger’ which I love mainly because he’s a damn good interviewer, he gets his guests really relaxed and they get loose and talk real. You get to know his guest in a very cool way and learn a lot of interesting shit you normally would never know.

The other is ‘Bad Friends’, which he does with my pal Bobby Lee which is hysterical. It’s a train wreck waiting happen an hour or so at a time and it’s fucking fantastic. It could also be called ‘retards in a bottle’ because these two come off like two complete morons sometime and they’re so funny together. Some of the places they go together is just so silly, and so weird sometimes, but you also always feels the love and the deep care for the friendship. It’s really special.  Check them both out. They’re really awesome.

Also, by the way, they’re taking Bad Friends on the road this spring so go out and see them both live. Get info on that here;

https://www.stubhub.com/bad-friends-podcast-andrew-santino-bobby-lee-tickets/performer/150042708/?AffiliateID=49&PCID=PSUSBINARTBADF7C99F02F493&AdID=81295257832901&gclid=fc49145cab2c1e834f56778df81d1240%2cfc49145cab2c1e834f56778df81d1240&ps_p=1%2c1&ps_ag=1300722691974005%2c1300722691974005&ps_tg=kwd-81295408873261%3aloc-190%2ckwd-81295408873261%3aloc-190&ps_bua=1&ps=&ps=&ps_c=470093848&ps_ad=81295257832901&ps_n=o&ps_d=c&gcid=C12289X021&keyword=1300722691974005kwd-81295408873261%3aloc-190_c&creative=&utm_kxconfid=s2rshsbmv&utm_campaign=470093848&kwt=nb&mt=e&kw=Bad+Friends+Podcast&ap=&ploc=79627&iloc=&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=paid-search&utm_sub_medium=prospecting&utm_term=nb&utm_content=default&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=fc49145cab2c1e834f56778df81d1240

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I had a damn good time working with Rich Hall this week in Las Vegas at the Tropicana Hotel at The Laugh Factory. Rich makes me laugh, hard. He’s so damn likeable onstage, which is not easy to do when you’re a world class curmudgeon. He’s such a smart writer and storyteller and works the crowd in a way that very few others can. Very few others can get away with.

MULTI- TALENTED

It’s an overused word these days maybe, but that’s because the best artists have to wear a lot of hats and Rich wears a lot of hats. (in fact, oddly, he wears more hats than any other guy with a full head of hair I know does, shrug) but he writes, performs, his shows, plays, he’s done films, he’s a damn fine singer songwriter, he can deliver baby calves and sheet metal skyscrapers. I may have made up the last couple of those but the guy wears hats, trust me. He’s truly multi-talented.

SNIGLETS

His first shot to fame was with a little known verbiage he created called ‘Sniglets’ on HBO’s ‘Not Necessarily the News’. ‘Sniglets’ were names for things that didn’t have them yet. That needed names.

When your dog leaves slime on the window; PUPKUS.

Then he did a season on SNL. This is one of my favorite sketches from that year.

Here’s a good piece of stand-up he did on the show, which by the way, was rare for a cast member to do.

THE UK

Years later Rich went over to the UK and did really well. He’s a regular at the Edinburgh festival and on British ‘telly’ for ages now. Not long ago I was there and we met for dinner and walking through the streets we didn’t get ten feet without folks wanting to say hello and take a photo with him or ask what he was up to. He tours there regularly and has a place in, I believe, Shepherds Bush.

TOM CRUISE

This is one my favorite of his stand-up bits.

THE EX-PAT

I love this piece as well. He’s great over there playing the American trying to help them understand us.

I will say if you ever get the chance to see Rich live make a point of it. He puts on a great show. He loves it. He’s a hell of a guitar player as well.

Rich Hall

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*NOTE; This is a reprint  of a reprint of the chapter on Ali Mac from my book ‘Standupworld- Essays on the World’s Greatest Artform’. Download it FREE when you sign up for our newsletter. It’s also a reminder that she’s on the show with me this Sat. Night at The Ice House in Pasadena at 8PM and that she’s one of the funniest and sharpest comics working. I met her when she was working the door at the store and she’s gone on to be a genuine big shot. Read about her. Again. I think she’s awesome!

ALI MAC

Ali Macofsky makes me laugh. I’m not alone. She’s been making a lot of people laugh. Whether it’s killing at The Bellco in Denver opening up for Joe Rogan, or playing some iconic music centers on tour all over the country with St. Vincent last summer where she had these amazing sets that a couple of my friends called me to tell me about.
I mean it was like a minute ago my son and I and the crew were filming her as one of the pack of the ‘Door-man’ staff at The Comedy Store’ for episode five of the doc we did. Now she’s on fire. Joe Rogan had her on his podcast and she killed it. It was clear he got a kick out of her, which isn’t always the case. He’s not a pushover.

I loved how she cracked Joe up when they were talking about there being no jobs during the pandemic.

 

If you watch the episode she did with him, you get a sense of her potential. She’s innately confident in spite of all of the insecurity, insanity, and self doubt that comes baked into the reasons why we become stand-ups in the first place. She’s actually listening. Silence doesn’t scare her. She is, as she says, sort of droll, low key, but that’s because she’s real. Unwilling to paste on a facade. Trust me, in stand-up, and entertainment that’s not always going to be a plus. You have to be willing to flash bright objects in one way or another. If you’re not going to show skin you better fall down or juggle and if you won’t fall down and can’t juggle you better have something special to say in a way that’s never been said. If not buy a puppet. Teach it to talk.

My point is Ali has her work cut out for her. She’s not in the slightest way a panderer. She’s not coming out and spinning plates, yet at the same time, she’s damn good and she’s smart and likeable. You get a great sense of her appeal and her promise watching a few episodes of her podcast. (*which I believe she’s no longer doing.) It’s just not even worth describing. You have to watch it. There’s no real there there, yet it’s truly fun and watch-able. It’s eavesdropping.

She did a set not too long ago on ‘Just For Laughs’ that went viral with over three million views, which is a shit-ton. That stat right there tells you everything about her appeal.

“ALI; When I was young I once Googled ‘How to tell if you’re bi-sexual’, and Google was like, ‘if you’re looking this up, you probably are.’ Now, as an adult I just look up things like ‘How to tell if you’ve cum?’, and Google is like, ‘If you’re looking this up, you definitely haven’t.’

 

I’m really looking forward to seeing what Ali’s first hour looks like. I’m always eager to get behind any ex ‘door-person’.
If Netflix or HBO or someone is smart they’ll sign her up quick.

Here’s some links to get more ‘Ali Mac’
https://alimacofsky.com/
https://twitter.com/notalimac
https://www.instagram.com/notalimac/
https://www.altpress.com/features/ali-macofsky-interview/”

 

If you’re in L.A. this weekend I’m at the Ice House in Pasadena for Mike Binder and Friends. There’s still some tickets left. Not a lot, so get them now. It’s going to be a great show.

https://www.showclix.com/event/ice-house-mike-binder-and-friends-july-1-8-pm/listing

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A FANTASTIC new special from Adam Rowe. Free on Youtube. Also take the time to discover his podcast ‘HAVE A WORD’. It’s pretty damn great. If you’re in the US and don’t know about Adam yet, find out. He’s easily the hottest new comic in London right now. His podcast is a hit and his shows are on fire. I met him when he opened for Burr at Royal Albert Hall when we did Paper Tiger. He was great then and he’s gotten ten times better.