Chicagoist: Improv and TV are BFF's

thundercougarfalconbird

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 21:34:47 -0600

OK, I wanted to lace into you again, but you're all right. Fuck Charna and her name-dropping, credit taking ass. I want to reanimate Del Close's corpse just to haunt her. And again, you're right that the vast majority of the Chicago sketch/improv scene is pretty fucking clueless. I moved here from Vegas to concentrate on comedy and I quickly found myself more drawn to the growing alt.comedy folks(which in itself is heavily influenced by the improv scene) for my comedy jones. But even then, stand-up is still full of more people who care more about getting rich and being the next Dane Cook/Carlos Mencia/Larry the Cable Guy rather than worrying about what they really have to say. But it is an improvement. But locally, look for Andy Ross, Tony Sam, Jared Logan, Bradley Fojas, Hannibal, Fay Canale, Jeb Caldwell, Emily Dorezas... I could go on. But I think these guys (and gals) are more the next wave of Chicago comedy and almost all of them have io and/or Second City training. Also, "alright" is spelled "all right". :-)

writergeek

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 21:18:56 -0600

No, I'm not a frustrated Farley guy by any means. I also have a lot of friends who are improvisers and even they will tell you the world in which they live is ridiculously clique-ish (thanks for pointing out my idiotic typo). And I agree with the majority of what you wrote. There are some incredibly talented improvisers out there, people who are truly gifted and use their gifts wonderfully. But going back to the comment about Farley (and me being a wannabe), there are loads of people who explore the Second City Training Center or I.O. simply because someone once told them they were funny. Part of my problem with a lot of these people is that they do not think for themselves. If you ask them about world affairs, for instance, all they say is "fuck Bush." Well, I agree, but why do you? If you're going to make fun of the government, know what in the hell you're making fun of. Can you agree with this, please? And no, I never tried out for Touring Co. There are some incredibly talented people on TourCo and I can honestly say there are two people in the last 10 years that I didn't think should have been on the Main Stage (or ETC), but I will be the first to admit, who the fuck am I? Yeah, the little stages and classes exist for people to explore and discover. I give those people credit. But at the same time, watching things when they are bad is truly painful. For the record, I don't think anything of Charna. I don't know her, save for the four times I've met her. I've also heard her talk on several occassions, and I've never heard of anyone so full of hot air. She basically takes credit for Del Close and all the talent he produced when he's not around to defend himself. Am I right? How much name-dropping does this broad do? Really now? She's ridiculous! But back to the main point, I stand by my original assessment: Improv isn't back. It never went anywher. It just wasn't on TV until that Carey guy hosted that incredibly hokey television show on ABC. Can I say that, are you alright with that, can I do that in America?

thundercougarfalconbird

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 21:05:45 -0600

Gee, writergeek, you'd think someone who's a self-professed "writer" (and "geek" at that) would know how to spell "clique". Spelling Nazi lecture over, you're totally right in that the majority of improv sucks, but that's the nature of the beast. When it connects it can be magical. And with the right editing, anything can be made to look good (Hell, how many seasons was Paris Hilton on the air?) And your knowledge of some of the heavyweights in town sort of reveal that you could be yet another one of the hundreds of frustrated Chris Farley's in town. Are you just mad that you failed your TourCo audition too many times or that Charna wouldn't let you play in any of her reindeer games?

writergeek

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:50:31 -0600

Slowly making its way? Bullcrap! A lot of people just don't want to see it because when its not excellent, it's usually horseshit...And that's 90% of the time. The skills taught by Improv are an excellent tool and help actors and writers think on their feet, but so much of it is pompous bullshit spewed by SC and IO buffoons who live in their own little world of improv clicks. Further, it's about cycles. When Drew Carey had that horsehit improv show...Well...What was that, a precursor to the success of "Thank God You're Here"? Bullshit. They both suck and will continue to suck. The difference is that nobody has been sucking up the airwaves with improv for a while. I also mean no disrespect to any of the people in this town that are actually talented. And by that, I mean the Napiers, Messings, et al. But the shit that is going to be consumed on TV is going to be packaged to get ratings on TV and it will just suck.

E

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:12:43 -0600

I checked out TGYH this week. It's really strange. Not only are the performers constrained by props and costumes, there were a couple times when the cast "corrected" something the improviser said. My understanding is that in improv, you should build on what someone else says and not refute it. There were a few genuinely funny moments, but there's too much setup, too much of the host, and not enough room for the improvisers to stretch their skills.

Margaret

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:47:39 -0600

I still have to see the show, I'm hoping to post on it tomorrow, but I totally agree. The thing is, improv is slowly but surely making its way to TV. We need a little more of that to get The Annoyance on TV, or getting the public used to ASSSCAT. The Upright Citizens Brigade had a tv show, a funny one at that, but I'm not sure people were ready yet. I think everyone's still trying to figure out how to segue improv to television. It's not as easy as it seems. You throw up the Annoyance way of improvising and they'll be thrown off the air before you can say Don Imus.

John

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:33:31 -0600

correction: Thank God You're Here...

John

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:32:06 -0600

Thank God Your Here is using the gimmick of "stars" allegedly doing improv, in that they do not work from a script. I'd rather watch "blooper" outtakes from CSI, Lost, and Desperate Housewives etc. It is too bad that ASSSSCAT wasn't picked up after being broadcast on Bravo. It would be nice to see the Armando Diaz shows at IO on TV. And wouldn't it be great to see the folks from The Annoyance spreading their unique form of joy on HBO or Showtime etc. Using props in staged settings prohibits the performers from being able to make so many choices that it can hardly be compared to a truly improvised show - one in which much of what is "seen" is in the mind's eyes of the audience.

John

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:30:52 -0600