Roast Battle Is Officially in New York City! Plus News From Judah Friedlander, Andrew Schulz, Liza Treyger and More From NYC Comedy Clubs

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Jeffrey Gurian is a writer and comedian in New York who loves to Jump Around. Follow his regular column, right here, to find out what’s happening in comedy, and who Jeffrey Gurian ran into this week in and around New York. This week, Jeffrey stopped by to see everyone at New York Comedy Club, The Stand, The Cellar, Tank, and Gotham Comedy Club.


Rell Battle’s Roast Battle New York Premieres at New York Comedy Club

New York now has it’s own incarnation of LA super hit comedy show, Roast Battle. The show was co-created by comedian Rell Battle, (he swears it’s his real name and not just for the show!)  and New York Comedy Club’s Emilio Savone was really excited to have his club chosen as it’s home. The show was originally created in The Belly Room of The Comedy Store in LA. It made the cover of LA Weekly and was featured in the Huffington Post, and right here on The IBang,  and has had judges and guests like Dave Chappelle, Russell Simmons, John Mayer, and Brett Ratner, so I was honored to have been a judge this night along with Dante Nero and Monroe Martin. Matt Richards was the big winner of the evening, and owned it as soon as he took the stage. He did his homework and wrote real Roast jokes which is an art form by itself. You can’t just get up there and try to insult the other guy. It doesn’t work that way. Matt showed he knew what to do and he did it! He starts taping today, the day you read this for MTV 2’s Joking Off, the show hosted by DeRay Davis.  Dante, who you saw last season on NBC’s Blacklist and who will be on again in the new season.  Monroe Martin will be in town until Auggust, and he said it was his very first “non-broke summer” and he was having a ball in New York having friends and being part of the comedy community. Monroe is such a great guy, I’m sure he’s welcome wherever he goes.

Later Emilio, myself and a bunch of comics all went over to Ricky Velez’s crib to hang out for a while. I left around 2:30 A.M. because my parents didn’t know I was out! Ricky has a very cool duplex, with a nice terrace, and I was glad to see my man doing so well!

Andrew Schulz Has a New IFC Show, Chris Distefano Has Two! Judah Friedlander Has a New Book Coming Out, and Louis CK Dropped In at Comedy Juice for a Low Key Set

Comedy Juice was CRAZY this week. It’s always strong but the line-up this week was insane. Andrew Schulz showed up without a hat and I almost didn’t recognize him. He also had a boot on his foot cause he sprained his ankle. but he didn’t let that stop him from being his usual funny self. He just sat on a chair on stage and made up stories about how it happened, like he used his leg to stop a bullet! After his set he told me he was doing a TV show called Benders, which follows a bunch of guys who are obsessed with their men’s hockey team, The Chubbys! The only problem is that none of them are any good. It comes out on Thurs. Oct. 1 on IFC and coincidentally Andrew’s friend Chris Distefano is also in the cast as one of the hockey nuts. It’s a Denis Leary/Jim Serpico production.

judahfriedlanderWhile I was sitting at my usual table watching who came in, I saw Judah Friedlander come in.  When he left after a few minutes, I realized who he had been talking to, … Louis CK. Now usually when a star comes in of that magnitude the host gets the audience all psyched up and excited in his intro. Louis had asked the host James Mattern to give him a very low key intro so James just said something simple like, “And now for your next comedian, a guy who performs all over, Louis CK”, and it took the crowd a moment for it to register and then they went insane. HUGE applause. Louis made no secret that he was trying out new material because he was openly referring to his pad of notes. He did a story about a guy named Jeff and I wondered if he used that name because he had just seen me, but I don’t think so.  And the interesting thing was that he was being kind of hard on himself, judging his material, while the audience laughed heartily at everything he said. Then after he got off stage he hung around for a bit watching some of the other comics. Very chill!

Then Pete Davidson came in, and the crowd was excited to see him. It happened to be a very young crowd that night. Pete said he was in a weird mood, and announced that he got the results back and he didn’t have Herpes. Pete can get away with saying the most serious things and still find a way to make them funny. And then to my surprise Judah came back. I guess he had just come in earlier to find out what time his set was. He was into doing crowd work that night and he’s one of the best at that. He did however take the time to announce to all the foreigners that America is the greatest country in The United States. And after he got off he told me he was looking forward to the release of his new book If The Raindrops United which will be published by Hachette. Another artistic side of The World Champion who Tina Fey calls “one of the all time great weirdos!”

Mike Cannon Gets Guest Spot on Larry Wilmore, and Why It’s So Hard To Park in Front of a Comedy Gang at The Stand

On one of my trips over to  The Stand this week I found a spot right in front, and I saw a comedy gang hanging out outside, watching and evaluating my parking skills. They were making me nervous, and I really messed up, but tried not to make a big thing out of it cause of my date. I had left my car at a very weird angle kind of sticking out in the street very far from the curb and when I got out, it was to a chorus of remarks from Ricky Velez, Mark Normand, Dustin Ybarra, Ben Gleib, Mike Vecchione who had run over from Gotham to do his spot, and Mike Cannon, who all advised me to re-park because they said that the way I was parked was like a big F-U to the cops who have a precinct right around the corner. So I took their advice and I did!  Mark Normand told me that he had just done Opie with Jim Norton on SiriusXM and that on July 24th a showcase he taped at SXSW would be airing on Showtime at 11 P.M. with W. Kamau Bell, Matt Braunger, Nate Bargatze and more.

The Stand had a double host that night and the duties were split between Alexis Guerreros and Mike Cannon, both funny dudes. Ben Gleib was excited about having done the Today Show for his third time in the last four months, this time with Hoda and Jenna Bush. He made fun of women’s ugly shoes like Birkenstocks and then Ben got to take off Hoda and Jenny’s shoes and put them into Jimmy Choos!  Ben’s show Idiot Test is airing new episodes every Wednesday on GSN and he writes and works on the tests, and produces the shows. He says he helps to improve the tests so he can make fun of people with authority.

And Mike Cannon told me about his fascinating podcast called Deep Inside The Rabbit Hole, in which he talks about “conspiracy and consciousness-expansion.” He described it as “unraveling deceptions and infusing them with personal dysfunction and humor; discussing mind-blowing truths that flip the un-awakened person’s world upside down and infuse it with humor so you don’t jump off a bridge.” He said he wound up as a guest on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore because Ricky Velez and the writers of the show are fans and so he got to do the show with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who I’ve always wanted to meet. Mike said he got to sit with Neil for about 20 minutes, while Neil told him what a big fan he is of comedy.

Liza Treyger on Tour with Sasheer Zamata

I popped into The Cellar and ran into Dov Davidoff who told me he’s working with Bruce Helford as the show runner for a half hour show he’s working on tentatively called Village Genius. Bruce was the co-creator of The Drew Carey Show, and the show runner and creator of Anger Management which he has said he sold to FX with only a pitch and no script. Dov’e new special should also be out in a couple of months. Meanwhile he spends his time making people laugh all across the country, and performing at The Cellar while he’s in town.

The Cellar was packed that night with talent even more than usual, with “the table” crowded with the likes of Keith Alberstadt, Michael Che, William Stephenson, Derek Gaines, Des Bishop the Irish comedian who lived in China for a couple of years, and learned to speak Chinese, and Wil Sylvince who was hosting and laughingly said to a female audience member who talked back to him, “I guess White people are not as afaid of Black people as they used to be!” Hilarious!

Liza Treyger came out and blamed everything bad in the world on weird dick guys. After she got off stage and before she left the room Wil asked her what she considered a “weird dick” and she yelled out, “like a Gonzo nose” and Wil and the audience broke up! Liza LOVES performing at The Cellar and said she’s getting ready to tour with Sasheer Zamata. She also advised her audience, “if you’re a White man and you’re not successful, walk into the river!” Racial humor is as big as ever, despite the P.C. crowd, especially reverse-racial humor where the comics joke about their own race, because everyone knows it’s just in fun and it brings people together when they can laugh at stereotypes and themselves. Des Bishop talked about the Chinese sense of humor, and broke down the typical Chinese stereotypes, by having the audience call them out and derailing them with actual facts from his 2 year Chinese sojourn.

Kaytlin Bailey Debuts One Woman Show Cuntagious

cate-weinberg-alison-klemp-kaytlin-baileyI ran into the triumvirate of cool comedy girls, Cate Weinberg, Alison Klemp, and one of my personal heroes Kaytlin Bailey on my way to my car this week.  Kaytlin was debuting her first one woman show in the next couple of days at The Tank, called Cuntagious. In this show, which I had the pleasure of seeing a couple of nights later, she tells the gripping story of how she was a high end escort starting at the agie of 17. At times graphic enough to make me uncomfortable it was a more than honest portrayal of what her life was like during those years and how she came to New York to establish herself as a comic. These days when the papers are full of stories about personal bravery relating to people who share parts of their lives that were before then hidden, I consider her to be one of those people. She managed to tell her story with dignity and grace. I hope she takes it further. Kaytlin and Alison co-produce the monthly show called I’m Fine, … Probably, and she often performs at The Creek and The Cave, one of her favorite places to be!

And I would be remiss if I didn’t give a big shout-out to The Tank for providing a FREE space for performers to use to put on one person shows like this. That is an amazing thing to do, especially in New York where the cost could keep lots of potential stars from performing. So major kudos to The Tank for doing something very rare and special. And in the audience of Cuntagious I ran into Big Jay Oakerson who looked great. He’s in the midst of an image transformation, in which he’s lost around 70 pounds and also lost his ponytail in the process. He’s really excited about the hour special he’s got coming up on Comedy Central. In the meantime he’s doing his podcast Legion of Skanks.

Race Wars is on SiriusXM and More From New York Comedy Club

New York Comedy Club is continuously doing fun things thanks to the amazing energy of owners Emilio Savone and Scott Lindner. I had been hearing about their monthly Melting Pot show for a while, and how successful it’s been. It’s produced by Mike Merkovich, Melissa Diaz, a very funny comic I met while performing at the international youth hostel on the upper West side, and Keith Hudson a rapper and musician. It goes down the 2nd Friday of every month and mixes in a little music, and other kinds of entertainment with the comedy. It’s like a comedy variety show. Katie Haller came out as a rapper named T-Spoon and when White people rap you never know quite what to expect, but Katie was GREAT! Adorable, really funny, and a really good rapper!

I got to catch up with Daniel Tirado at the show. He was telling me about his baby son Kenzo who is now 15 months old. Daniel’s wife is Egyptian and Japanese which is an amazing mix, and he is Latino so he said with that mix they were obviously trying to make a superhero! Daniel will be performing in Haiti soon for his third time and this time it will be with Mark Viera. Sherrod Small popped in to do a set, and was excited that his podcast Race Wars with Kurt Metzger is now on SiriusXM every Wednesday, and then the next day will be available on iTunes as a podcast.  I got to do a cool guest spot on the show following Mike Merkovich’s set.  After the show Mike told me about a comedy event he was producing on July 18th for a wonderful charity called Roses From Linda whose goal is to help the families of terminally ill people travel to visit them if they can’t afford to do so. It’s going to be at the Long Island City Flea Market.   I will be there performing as well, and you can read more about the charity on their website www.rosesfromlinda.org.

Jim Gaffigan and Jeannie Gaffigan on SiriusXM’s Unmasked

I stopped by Carolines to see Jim and Jeannie Gaffigan  do an hour interview with SiriusXM’s Ron Bennington which was of course amazing, and they talked all about their new TV Land show, The Jim Gaffigan Show.  After the show I wished them luck with the show which debuts this week. And I got to see Jim fooling around with a huge puppet in his likeness out in the street. It was hysterical, and Jim was a good sport about it. Jim is soon starting his 30 city tour!

jim gaffigan and jim gaffigan

I ran into Nikki Glaser at The Stand, and congratulated her on getting her own show on Comedy Central. She thought it was premature since it’s not starting till February, but I said it’s never to early to congratulate someone. The show, which will be called Not Safe With Nikki Glaser will be a half hour on sex, dating and relationships, and will have social experiments, and a rotating comedian panel. The pilot had T.J. Miller and Ali Wong. Producer/Director Abby Russell of Letterbox Pictures tells me our documentary film Eat, Drink, Laugh: The Story of The Comic Strip, the follow up to my book Make ‘Em Laugh, is now available on Vimeo on Demand. Featuring interviews with all the biggies like Billy Crystal, Arsenio Hall, Colin Quinn, Gilbert Gottfried, George Wallace, Larry Miller, Ray Romano, Susie Essman, Jay Leno, and more, and Exec. Produced by Chris Rock, it’s a film you should see. I was a co-producer along with owner/founder Richie Tienken and I was even in the movie, but somehow my scenes seem to be missing!

I think that’s enough for this week! I got things to do! I’m OUT!!!


Jeffrey Gurian is a comedian, writer and all around bon vivant in New York City.  Subscribe to his YouTube channel. Below, photos, Jeffrey Gurian with Ben Gleib, Jim and Jeannie Gaffigan and world champion Judah Friedlander.

jeffrey gurian with ben gleib jeffrey-gurian-jeannie-gaffigan-jim-gaffigan jeffrey-gurian-judah-friedlander

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Jeffrey Gurian is a comedy writer, comedian, author, producer, comedy connoisseur, comedy journalist, and an all around bon vivant. You can find him on red carpets, at comedy events across the country and hosting Comedy Matters TV. He’s the author of the book Make ‘Em Laugh with an intro by Chris Rock”. You've seen him on Comedy Central's Kroll Show and he's a regular on SiriusXM's Bennington Show and it's predecessor the Ron and Fez Show. He's also A BIG BELIEVER in Happiness and Love.
Jeffrey Gurian
Jeffrey Gurian
Jeffrey Gurian is a comedy writer, comedian, author, producer, comedy connoisseur, comedy journalist, and an all around bon vivant. You can find him on red carpets, at comedy events across the country and hosting Comedy Matters TV. He’s the author of the book Make ‘Em Laugh with an intro by Chris Rock”. You've seen him on Comedy Central's Kroll Show and he's a regular on SiriusXM's Bennington Show and it's predecessor the Ron and Fez Show. He's also A BIG BELIEVER in Happiness and Love.