Fred Armisen Sings for Doctors Without Borders; Tom Rhodes Tommy Chong Hit Up New York City Clubs (UPDATED)

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JUMPING AROUND WITH JGURIAN

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 spent the week with international super star Tom Rhodes. 

I hooked up with international comedy star Tom Rhodes who’s in town for a week and actually crashing with me at my place in midtown, so this will be a very Tom Rhodes themed column this week.

Tom Rhodes Hit the Cellar

We met up at The Comedy Cellar, where everyone was so excited to see Tom they gave him a walk-in guest spot which is really kind of rare. You have to be really respected in the comedy world in order to get that kind of treatment. It was fun seeing Tommy kill it in that special room, along with Big Jay Oakerson, Wil Sylvince, Mark Normand and Dave Attell who was really excited to see Tom. He said that the first time he went over to Amsterdam to perform, Tom took him around and introduced him to people and really took good care of him. People don’t forget things like that. Tom knew his way around because he had his own show on TV in Amsterdam for a couple of years, and has performed all over Europe. Basically all over the world, except I think for Africa. Tom has not had a home base for the last 9 years because he travels constantly.

comedy tableDave Attell usually closes every show because he’s so strong. Attell is just so quick and sharp, it’s almost like he was born on stage– he’s that comfortable. Dave has the respect of all the comics so it was so cool seeing how he reacted to seeing Tom.  After Tom did his set we hung out at “the table”, and by that I mean the special table in the back of The Olive Tree Cafe, which is right above the cellar and reserved for Comedy Cellar talent. We were at “the table” along with comics Sherrod Small, Godfrey, Attell, Sheng Wang, and Joe List, and that’s where I ran into Bob Zmuda and how I discovered that he was actually alive, contrary to internet rumor (read more about that here). Joe List admitted after the photo I took of him, that it was his first kiss from a Black man!

How Hasan Minaj Got Hired for The Daily Show

Tom Rhodes joined me to check out Comedy Juice, cause that’s always a good show.  Plus I get to connect, or re-connect with some of the LA comics that come in to do the show that I don’t get to see too often.  Like Amir K., who I met when I was out in LA doing Kroll Show. He just recently wrapped the MTV prank show Jerks With Cameras and will soon be seen as the lead in a suspense thriller feature film called The Pyramid from the guys who did The Hills Have Eyes.

hasan minajI had a nice surprise when my boy Hasan Minhaj showed up. He’s the new correspondent on The Daily Show.  He’s so excited about doing The Daily Show and living in New York City.  He told me he just got back from Utah’s Sundance Labs where he’s developing a film with them called Paint The Town.  It’s a real story he told while touring with The Moth, taken from his life , and I promised not to divulge the details but let’s suffice it to say that it has to do with a disappointing prom date that changed his life.  And it ‘s a great thing to be able to take such a negative experience, and at some point use it to create a positive experience.  He also confided in me that Jon Stewart hired him on the spot at his audition.  He was in the Green Room picking up his laptop bag, when Jon stopped him and said ” I’ll see you Monday right?”  And that was how he found out he was hired!  He said all the other correspondents have been so nice and supportive.

Later, at The Comedy Cellar we met Tom’s his friend Lucie Pohl, she of the hit off-off Broadway comedy show Hi, Hitler, which I made a promise to myself to see!   Lucie is a German born NYC raised actor/comedian/writer  and solo-show performer who’s show had a sold out debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a sold -out debut on London’s West End, a sold-out off-Broadway preview run at 59E59, and a sold-out OFF-OFF Broadway run at IRT Theater. She’s a German-Jew, and Bertolt Brecht’s real-life niece, with a fascination with Hitler.

Ron and Fez’s Thanksgiving Special

The next day we were both excited to attend the taping of SiriusXM’s Ron and Fez Thanksgiving special at The Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. Tom and I drove over together, or at least we started to, but I got stuck in cross town traffic and Tom jumped out and ran 15 blocks to get there on time. Tom, Big Jay Oakerson, Luis J. Gomez, “the Puerto Rican Rattlesnake”, and Dave Attell joined host Ron Bennington at a big Thanksgiving table along with about 80 close friends and listeners to share turkey, trimmings and of course, comedy. It was lots of laughs, but I’m not allowed to give anything away, but it was an amazing night. A comedy Thanksgiving dinner for 80! One guy told me he flew in with his wife from Florida just for this party, and that the expense was worth it.

Fred Armisen Sings For Doctors Without Borders

fred armisen piano doctors without bordersJena Friedman’s packed comedy benefit for Doctors Without Borders was at Irving Plaza this week.  Jena is a field producer for The Daily Show and had Jim Gaffigan, David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, and Fred Armisen as well as musical guests perform.  I got there in time to see Janeane, who doesn’t Tweet or have an internet presence at all.   She’s almost like Bill Murray in terms of getting in touch with her.  
Jena introduced a musician who she said changed her life and he was actually a few minutes into his song before I realized he looked familiar to me.  It was Fred Armisen in character.  He did a funny  character who sang a song called “Wine and Cigarettes” and it was very funny.  Then he took off the wig and did a few minutes as himself, doing impressions of how people speak in different areas of  NYC, like the Upper West Side, Washington Heights, Astoria etc. It was very different and original to say the least, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Fred!
I wasn’t able to make the after-party was at The Breslin at The Ace Hotel, but I didn’t go cause I tried to get back to The Hard Rock to catch the end of the Ron and Fez party, however Tom Rhodes  told me it was already over.

 

Cristina Cote Has a Big Secret Project

This week I also saw Cristina Cote. She’s the comic and producer of the Gilda’s Club comedy benefit called Hersterical, which was a very big show on the New York Comedy Festival at Carolines on Broadway. Anyway, she stopped by to get me caught up on a big project she’s working on, with some major names that I promised not to divulge just yet, and to discuss a video project we are working on together. Details to come! If you missed my column where I talked about her show at the New York comedy festival, you can read that here.

Tommy Chong Can Get Fucked Up Again

tommy chongSo I jumped on over to catch Tommy Chong host AXS TV’s Gotham Comedy Live in the final show of the season, and it was a great finale to a great season. Yes that Tommy Chong, the one with six gold albums, seven films and a 9 month prison stint. Major kudos to the Killer Bunny guys Dave Goldberg and Rob Cea who produce the show. Can’t wait for the new season. They said they’ll let me know when it’s going to start. Tommy Chong wanted everyone to know that the only time he’s stopped smoking pot over the last 50 years or so was when he was on Dancing With The Stars. He just got eliminated in the 10th week of the season and didn’t want people to think he got eliminated because he was high. But he said the night he got thrown off the show he was so happy, because he thought to himself “Now I can go and get really fucked up!”

The audience loved Tommy and I went to say “Hi” after the show. He looks great and credits a lifetime of working out with weights to being able to handle the stress of DWTS at 76 years of age. Also on the show were a couple of real stand-outs like Erin Jackson, Brian Scolaro, who had been a recurrent character on Steve Byrne’s Sullivan and Son, and who I had always heard of but never met before, and Roderick Paulette. He’s based outside of New York but wants to move here.

Having Tom stay with me has been like going to comedy camp. I haven’t had a jumping around partner since probably NEVER, so it’s been so cool hanging out with him, and swapping stories, hitting the clubs and catching up. He has performed all over the world and he has the thickest….. passport I’ve ever seen.  ( What did YOU think I was gonna say?)  I think he told me they had to add two extensions to it!

I got to watch Tom do a set at The Village Underground, which is part of The Comedy Cellar; a great move by owner Noam Dworman. I went to the original Cellar first and sat at “the table” with Ryan Hamilton, and Estee Adoram, who has been the club’s legendary booker for the last 30 plus years. She started out in the club as a hostess and then when co-founder Bill Grundfest left after two years to write for Mad About You, the owner at the time, Manny Dworman, made Estee the booker, a position she’s held ever since. She just got back from a trip to Israel and she and I sat and talked about all the wonders of that beautiful country. We were joined by Marina Franklin and Gina Yashere two of the funniest women on the scene.

I got to the Underground just in time to be greeted by Noam Dworman himself, who is the ultimate host, and who showed me to a seat.  Tom took the stage dressed all in black which is another reason he reminds me of a gunslinger from the Old West, and proceeded to get huge laughs. No surprise at all.

I’m gonna miss Tom when he leaves! That’s it for this week! I’ll be back with next Monday with a new column full of updates.

| Visit Jeffrey’s website at comedymatterstv.com | Visit Jeffrey’s Youtube |

Pictured Jeffrey and Tommy Chong, Jeffrey and Jackie Martling, Jeffrey and Christina Cote, Jeffrey and Tom Rhodes, and Jeffrey, Tom Rhodes, Mark Normand and Steve Fabricant. 

jeffrey and chong

jeffrey and jackie

jeffrey christina

jeffrey and rhodes

comedy table

 

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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.
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.