INTERVIEW: The Paper Machete's Christopher Piatt
By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 30, 2012 5:30PM
January will mark the third anniversary of The Paper Machete, the popular and entertaining “live magazine” combining music, comedy and improv, performance, and hard journalism. (Disclosure: Many Chicagoist staffers, including myself, have read at The Paper Machete.)
For founder and host Christopher Piatt, the growth of The Paper Machete from its beginnings at Ricochet’s in Lincoln Square to show’s new permanent home at Green Mill has been rapid, yet organic. The lineup for tomorrow’s show at Green Mill will feature poet and This American Life contributor Lisa Buscani, comedian Hans Holsen, Samantha Irby of food blog Bitches Gotta Eat, and musical guests Fatbook and a cappella group Faces for Radio, who played at the inaugural Paper Machete show nearly three years ago.
Chicagoist spoke with Piatt (a former theater critic for TimeOut Chicago) about the Paper Machete’s growth and evolution in three years, who to expect at upcoming shows, and the differences between being a theater critic and a performer.
Chicagoist: Can you take us back to the first Paper Machete show at Ricochet’s?
Christopher Piatt: The first show had no comics in it, which is remarkable because we've become known as this comedy show and now half of Chicago’s comedy community has participated. We had no bands at Richochet's, only Faces for Radio. The show back then was much closer to the Lower Links shows of the late 80s, like Brigid Murphy’s Tilly’s Orchid Show. The early shows were in a performance art/spoken word vein. That's still important but we've developed a comedy show identity, which I had no idea would happen.
C: When did you begin to integrate comedy into the show?
CP: Within a couple months into it there was a (comedy) presence that exists now. Our first few shows were with friends who were in the comedy scene and it became clear that they're uniquely trained for this type of show. Unlike improve, where actors work on suggestion, comedians work well on assignment. And there's still serious content, as you know, and it winds up being a better show for having that balance. Real journalists and comedy are a good mix.
C: As you mentioned, The Paper Machete is known for the comedians that appear, like Marc Maron and Julia Sweeney. What footwork happens behind the scenes to land them?
CP: I mainly used the emails I procured through my years as a theater critic. For every Marc Maron who says yes, there are five comedians who won't write back. With Maron, his publicist politely declined, so I emailed him directly. He wrote back and said he was interested. Julia Sweeney’s publicist said yes. Cecily Strong, one of the new Saturday Night Live cast members who will be on our Jan. 5 show, we booked because I reached out to her via Facebook. I’m always thrilled with celebrity headliners.
C: Was there a similar progression in integrating musical acts into the show?
CP: Yes. I loved performing the shows at Ricochets. It had a good vibe but no sound system. But once we booked (orchestral pop act) The Paper Thick Walls (orchestral pop) we realized we needed a sound system, which precipitated the move to the Horseshoe. Green Mill is a similar move as they have house instruments, like their piano and organ, which give us more variety in terms of genre of acts we can book.
C: Another high water mark for The Paper Machete was when selected monologues were recorded for podcasting on WBEZ. How did that come about?
CP: That happened bass ackwards. WBEZ approached me about being a theater blogger. I had just left TimeOut and had little interest in returning to criticism, so I suggested doing monologues as long as they tape the shows.
C: You mentioned the move to Green Mill will allow you flexibility in booking musical acts. What other advantages will the move have for the show?
CP: We’ll be using both stages at Green Mill—the main stage and the one behind the bar. We'll also keep the improv-based scenes that seem to break up the show. The improv community is embracing that. Again, it gives the show a greater depth and breaks it up from being a simple spoken word performance.
C: How has the show’s vibe changed from Ricochet’s to Horseshoe, and from Horseshoe to the one-off shows you did at Green Mill that led to the move?
CP: Ricochet's was like a party— it was just a guy in the back of a bar with a microphone with a crowd around him. At Horseshoe, the audience was more spread out, but no less energetic. I loved the end of the bar across from the stage and the way it was shaped like a horseshoe. It worked perfectly for some scenes, like whenever Chad the Bird would appear or some of the comedy readings.
C: Who would you consider to be your first major coup to read at The paper Machete?
CP: I think it was William Ayers. He has a soft spot for projects like this. He brought Bernadine Dohrn along with him and the essay he wrote was beautiful. We had a Joan Crawford impersonator for that show, as well. Six months later we got Michael Shannon.
C: How did the regular cast—your “staff”— come about?
CP: The staff are writers who came into the show, instantly identified the live magazine style, and kept their unique voices. Consider it the spoken word equivalent of a theater ensemble.
C: How is producing The Paper Machete different from when you worked as a theater critic?
CP: The Paper Machete isn’t like a standard theater production, because show changes every week. Mainly, I've gone from being the guy who writes about fringe companies to running one. Part of me knew one day I'd make my own product, and the Machete takes my love for theater and passion for journalism; I’m hustling a lot more these days. And things like this interview are a coup for the show, because your readership is reading this and you're interested in writing about it.
C: You did a series of special shows at Green Mill over the summer. When did you reach out to (Green Mill owner) Dave Jemilo about moving the show there permanently?
CP: After the third show, I sat down and wrote a proposal to Dave, who said yes. Dave’s a classic Chicago guy, in accent, demeanor. Having run Green Mill as long as he has, he also gets how artists function. I also need to give a huge shoutout to (slam poet godfather) Marc Smith, who signed off on us going to the Mill.
C: You mentioned Cecily Smith will be performing at one of the upcoming shows in January. Are there any other headliners on the horizon?
CP: We have Paul Brittain and Bill Ayers on Dec. 22, Hannibal Burress on Dec. 29, and I can now announce Jeff Garlin will appear Dec. 8