Russ Williamson and Joe List @ Zanies this Week!

Joe List

Two outstanding comedians will headline at Zanies this week. Both shows are recommended!

Russ Williamson (Jan 15-16) has played Chicago's biggest rooms and works with comedy's biggest names. You may have seen him on the NBC show Chicago Fire or the USA network show Sirens. Russ was just named Best of the MidWest at Gilda's LaughFest. Russ Williamson is well on his way to becoming a household name, and once you see him perform you'll know why. 

JOE LIST (Jan 17-19) has been featured on The Late Show with David Letterman as well as multiple appearances on Conan. He’s featured in Season 2 of The Netflix Series “The Stand Ups”. In 2015 List was a finalist on NBC's Last Comic Standing and had his own Half Hour comedy special on Comedy Central. His albums 'So Far No Good' and 'Are You Mad at Me?' can be heard regularly on Sirius Radio. List is also the co-host of his own popular weekly podcast 'Tuesdays with Stories'. When not headlining comedy clubs all over North America, List is a regular at the Comedy Cellar in New York City.

Get your tix here.

Follow the rabbit hole...

Well fuck it... As long as the stupidest government shutdown in american history keeps going and financially bludgeoning millions of Americans - we are gonna continue to dive down the rabbit hole of black budgets and secret space programs (see Monday's post) which allegedly burn through trillions of stolen & untraceable tax dollars. Let's keep going down this rabbit hole shall we?

Des Bishop at Zanies (Jan 9-12th)

Des Bishop headlines at Zanies (Jan 9-12th) this week! Bishop is a massive star in Ireland - his multiple TV shows have propelled him into national stardom which allows him to tour all over the world performing comedy. Do not miss this global star on stage at the legendary Zanies Chicago - Recommended Highly.

Secret Space Program?

Happy New Years -
The government is shutdown with no end in sight, Trumps looks more unstable than ever and his shutdown could lead to millions of evictions and loss of employee paychecks which is leading to thousands of TSA agents calling out sick. - SUPER FUN.
So.... why not watch this via about the secret space program that burns through trillions of $$$ via unacknowledged "black budgets". 

Emily Galati at Zanies!

Former Chicagoan Emily Galati is a smart and not afraid to prove it comedian. Now living in NYC - Emily is known for her unstoppable wit, she brings together social awareness & sharp punchlines. Emily isn’t afraid to delve into jokes that are controversial — occasionally bruising some feelings along the way and then gleefully waiting for those shocked and chagrined reactions after delivering the punchline.

Emily has performed stand-up on the Conan on TBS, NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Comic’s Unleashed, Laughs, and Gotham Live. She has been chosen to represent Chicago in the "Best of the Midwest" Competition at Gilda's LaughFest, a semi-finalist in NBC's Stand Up for Diversity,and a finalist in the “Bob and Tom” Comedy Contest.

Emily will be performing all weekend long at the legendary Zanies Chicago Comedy Club.

5 Reasons Heckling Still Sucks

Heckling sucks. It's not funny nor cute nor helpful. Hecklers don’t make a show better. They stop a show cold and turn it into a bad high school play. Contrary to popular myth - comedians don't like heckling. They hate it, trust me on this. Believe it or not comedians really just want to do the jokes they've written and perform the act they've worked really hard on. Don't forget this is their job. Dealing with a drunk moron is not necessarily part of a comics game plan when they step on stage. Sure, most pros can cope with hecklers and shut it down when necessary, but that's comes from years of dealing with assholes who just don't seem to understand the basic concept that they should NEVER HECKLE.

Here's a list of 5 reasons why.

1. Your Not Helping.

The #1 misconception is that a shouted out, (usually drunken) verbal abuse/comment is somehow helpful to a comedians act on stage. This is pure bullshit. Heckling is not helpful or sought after. It doesn't make the show better and it's not showing anybody how clever you are. You want to help? keep your comments to yourself, clap your hands and most of all - just laugh dummy.

Legal Aliens # 1: Tales From The Hood

New Podcast alert - Veteran Chicago comedians Abi Sanchez & Joey Villagomez premiere their brand new podcast & prove once and for all that Puerto Ricans and Mexicans can get along....

Day Jobs & Stand-Up Comedy

Melissa Richelle

I was having a bad day at work. I didn't want to talk. I work as a leasing agent in one of the towers downtown, which is a lot of talking to strangers and being excited for their new job and/or new apartment. I was upset I had to use MY time at the 9-5 instead of creating art.

And then I decided to shift my attitude. This WAS my art - talking to these strangers and trying to sell them on an apartment is very similar to doing crowd work and selling yourself to the audience. A lot of the times my rentals end up picking our building over one of the very similarly priced ones because they like me. That human aspect we explore in art is what makes one product stand out from another that is very similar, and maybe even a better price! You have to make people care. The same is true with stand-up. Even if you are a more abrasive comic, in order to make people want to hear your point of view you have to make them care. There are A LOT of comics and other artists out there. The market is saturated, but why should they listen to your podcast, your album?