New York City PodFest, Going Inside ‘Inside Amy Schumer’, Rain Pryor’s New Documentary and More This Week in the NYC Clubs
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 checked in from NYC Podfest, Rain Pryor’s new documentary, and of course all the NYC clubs.
Back for another week of Comedy in New York, a little late today due to some site business, but the comedy never stops, so here is what’s happening.
Reporting from NYC Podfest, and It’s All About Inside Amy Schumer!
When I saw the schedule for Jeremy Wein’s NYC’s Podfest I knew I was gonna have to spend some serious time there and I did. Like four hours straight. And for a guy like me who’s used to jumping around, that’s not easy, but it was too good to leave. The first night was in Brooklyn and I didn’t get to make that, but the second day was at Fontana’s on Eldridge Street in Chinatown, and I drove down to check it out. I knew it was gonna be a good day when I found a spot right on the block. Unfortunately I got so excited I forgot to check the signs and came out four hours later to find a ticket on my windshield. But it was still worth it cause I got to see some great shows.
The first was Race Wars with Sherrod Small and Kurt Metzger. After being welcomed by Jeremy who did an amazing job lining up all these podcasts and producing this event, I went up to the green room to see Sherrod and Kurt and found a small band of people who were also on the show, Bonnie McFarlane, Rachel Feinstein, Kaytlin Bailey from The Naked Show, who’s doing another Naked Show at The Creek and the Cave on March 6th, a guy with very long blonde hair I had never met before who turned out to be Canadian comic/writer/TV personality Gavin McInness, and comic Keren Margolis who admitted to being a regular on the show as well as Kurt’s live-in girlfriend for 
the last 7 years. When I came in Gavin was sitting on the couch and from where I was sitting I could only see the long blonde hair which I actually thought was real, and honestly didn’t see that he was wearing a dress and fishnet stockings with high heels. The blonde hair was striking against his full beard and when we finally got to introduce ourselves to each other, and I noticed the full outfit, I didn’t really know what to say. I casually asked him if he always dressed that way. I didn’t want to insult him if he did, so I just tried acting very nonchalant about it. He said he’d explain on the podcast. So during the show Gavin explained that he came in drag in response to some negative stuff that happened to him recently. It seems he wrote something called Transphobia is Perfectly Natural and in explaining his views on gays and transexual people he inadvertantly upset enough people, that it got him fired from his job at Rooster. He didn’t come across as a mean-spirited guy, just a guy with an opinion based on research he said he had done, but it wasn’t received the way he meant it to be. During the podcast I think it was Sherrod who broke the news to him that dressing in drag wasn’t really effective since they were not shooting video and it was stricly an audio pocast.
Kurt Metzger who writes for Inside Amy Schumer told me that he feels so lucky to be writing on that show, and so proud that Amy thinks he’s funny. Kurt was the guy who wrote the first sketch of the first season, Two Girls One Cup. He said it was Amy’s idea and she said, “Kurt go write this!” Which he did. He said that once you write a sketch and it gets chosen the other writers get to punch it up or make suggestions, and he said he loves the way the writer’s room works. Head writer Jessi Klein who I saw later in the day gets the last say, and he said he likes when Jessi adds her touch to his sketches because he is always over the top. He said he always goes too far. He said the writers are all very different which makes for a very diverse group and that people are picked not because they write in the voice of the show but just because they’re funny. Some of his other sketches were Agent Butterface, and Clown Panties.
I also went to a panel hosted by Jason Zinoman from the NY Times, and the panel was Matt Braunger who I had last seen in South Beach doing @midnight, Julie Klausner who I last saw at the Jack and Triumph taping cause she’s writing for the show, and then there was a guy I had been hearing a lot about but hadn’t crossed paths with yet! I admit it, every so often that happens and I can’t explain why! It was Dave Hill who you see all over your TV! Usually when it’s on. Not just draped all over your TV, but on many shows is what I meant to say! At the end of the podcast they asked if anyone had any questions. I was the only one who raised my hand and my question was if they could say the names of their podcasts. That’s when Julie laughingly busted me on air for coming in late, cause she said they started the panel with that information. All I could do was apologize while trying to write Ding-Donger with Matt Braunger, The Goddam Dave Hill Show, and when Julie said, How Was Your Week With Julie Klausner, for a moment it didn’t register that that was the name of her podcast and I thought she was continuing our conversation and asking me a question, so I foolishly answered “Just great!” as if I had spent the week with her and was answering how it was! Fortunately I don’t think she noticed. Julie said she loves interviewing authors and documentary filmmakers, especially because she’s not getting paid, and so it’s even more important to keep it interesting and they are usually interesting people. She said if she suddenly starts hating a guest you can hear it in her voice. She totally turns and becomes sarcastic. She says “stupid is bad but boring is unforgivable!”
Matt said his last ten podcast episodes are finally getting where he wants them to be. And then I got a chance to bond with Dave Hill who’s a really nice guy. Dave got a lot of his inspiration from my old friend Dick Cavett, who is just so bright and told him, “make it a conversation not an interview”, which is what people have told me that I do on Comedy Matters TV. Dave Hill’s podcast is on every Monday from 9-12, and he told me he’s working on creating a pilot for NBC Universal, which will be produced by Steve Carell! That’s enough of a credit by itself. It doesn’t have a name yet but he’s writing it with Rich Fulcher from the English TV show The Mighty Boosh. It’s gonna be about the two of them as college campus security guards,and all the insanity that might entail. He and Dave will write and star and it will be shot somewhere on the East Coast. It’s all very new and you heard it here first! (LOL)
Dylan Gadino of LaughSpin had guests Katla McGlynn from The Huffington Post, Rachel Feinstein, Robert Kelly, Andrew Schulz, and Kurt Metzger, who always has strong opinions on everything he discusses, and when asked by Dylan who he was texting during the podcast, he copped to texting Jessi Klein his head writer on Inside Amy Schumer. He said she was in the back of the room. The podcast was supposedly themed to be about “Technology and Comedy.” The topic turned to getting in trouble for things they post on FB with Kurt saying he never posts anything he can’t back up. But then he shared a story where someone misinterpreted something he posted and complained to Comedy Central. Fortunately Kurt was able to beat it, but to hear him describe it it was kind of tense.
Finally, the last podcast I attended was Jessi Klein being interviewed by J.R. Havlan of Daily Show fame, for his Writer’s Bloc podcast, and when I saw her and said “Hi”, I immediately noticed something different about her. She was always very slim, but she looked like she had a little tummy and it looked like she was pregnant. But i know enough to NEVER ask a woman if she’s pregnant, because you can get killed for that. However during the interview, she actually announced that she was in the fourth month of her first pregnancy! Very exciting news! She’s the head writer of Inside Amy Schumer which will be premiering it’s third season on April 21st which is also very exciting. She had some great stories like when she was in development at Comedy Central, which is about when I first met her, she remembered Dave Attell pitching Insomniac to her, and she said it was a given that it would get done. She co-executive Produces Amy’s show with Dan Powell who at one time worked for her. And she loves the process their writing team goes through, where once they choose the ideas, one person gets assigned to write it and then afterwards the rest of the team gets a shot at making suggestions on punching it up. She particularly mentioned the sketches she did with Kurt Metzger, and corroborated his claim to always going over the top and needing to be reigned in. She also told about how they got to be able to use the word “pussy” on Comedy Central in the sketch where Amy finds herself playing a disgusting animated character with no pants! They argued with Comedy Central that it was ok to say “dick” so why not pussy and she said they were all amazed that Comedy Central saw their point of view! And that’s how Amy got to use the word “pussy”!
When Jessi came off stage we reminisced about the time I pitched a comedy news show up at Comedy Central to her and I think Rich Korson, but they didn’t want anything that might be considered similar to The Daily Show. Mine was really Monty-Pythonesque kind of news like “Rare Virus Sweeps Japan, Victims Too Weak To Bow”, and “Hunter Lost in Wilderness Saved By His Moustache” which were stories like I wrote for Weekly World News. But what can you do? She said she saw me earlier in the night and recognized me by my hair! From the back yet! (LOL) It was really great to see her again, and see her doing such major stuff! Congrats to Amy Schumer on her third season, which everyone is excitedly anticipating!
Rain Pryor Premiere’s Documentary
I got to run up to Columbia University this week to catch the premier of Rain Pryor’s documentary film That Daughter’s Crazy! Rain Pryor is so talented. She’s not only funny but she sings and is a good actor as well. The film is the story of her life growing up as Richard Pryor’s daughter, half Jewish, half Black, and she had some great footage of her beautiful little daughter Lotus, her mom and her Jewish grandmother who was actually very funny and clever. In case you were wondering which of her parents was Jewish it was her mom! The auditorium was packed with people anxious to see the film. She was surprised to see me, and came over and gave me a big welcome hug! Due to legal reasons Rain wasn’t able to use any actual footage of her dad but you didn’t notice because she channeled him so well in the film. When she imitates her Dad she actually becomes him. It was startling. His voice, his facial expressions, exactly! It was part of the African Diaspora International Film Festival and to order a copy you can go to www.thatdaughterscrazy.com
Rain is also the co-anchor of Arise and Shine the morning show on Arise TV and a lot of her Arise colleagues were there to support her. After the film they had a little meet and greet for all the guests with authentic African food, and it was reallly good. Everyone was congratulating Rain and she looked really happy.
And I was so glad to see comic Leighann Lord, who is so smart and so funny. She was an English major and it’s always such a pleasure to talk to her. She’s got a new book out called Leighann Lord’s Dict Jokes with the tag line, “Why look it up when you can make it up?” It’s a book of words where not only does she tell you what it DOES mean she tells you what it SHOULD mean! Like the word “elixir” should mean how a British man performs oral sex! But what she was really excited about was being one of the co-hosts with Neil deGrasse Tyson on Star Talk which will be Nat Geo’s first ever late night show. Nat Geo is really making moves and even has a comedy show I attended not too long ago called Duck Quacks Don’t Echo with Michael Ian Black, Seth Herzog, and Tom Papa. Leighann told me that this Tuesday which should be the day after you read this, she’ll be filming with Neil at The Hayden Planetarium, a place I LOVE to go to. Other co-hosts are Chuck Nice and Eugene Mirman.
And when I finally left, I left with three beautiful girls in my car, one a model and one from Vogue! I don’t remember where the third one was from but I’ll be sure to ask when I see them next time! It was a great night!
Paul Virzi Still Touring with Burr; Mark deMayo’s One Man Show
When I jumped over to The Stand this week I got to see my buddy Paul Virzi, who told me he’s psyched about being on Bill Burr’s All In tour where he’ll be performing at The Funnybone in Hartford, CT, and he said he was really proud he was chosen, because Bill chooses the comics he wants himself! He’s also going to be on Bill’s Monday Morning podcast along with Adrienne Iapalucci. He and Bill first met when he opened for Bill at Rascals in Montclair, NJ back in 2005. He said it was an Opie & Anthony Show crowd and he did well enough that Bill took an interest in him, and asked him to open for him in D.C. and then again at Carnegie Hall. Last year he toured all over Canada with Bill and did 22 theatre shows in 19 days. While we were talking Lou Wallach ex-head of Comedy Central, now head of Wallach Media popped out of the showroom to say “Hi” and popped right back in again! And ex-cop turned comic Mark deMayo was there adding new very topical material about protesters and the fun of looting to his act to eventually be added to his one man show Twenty and Out about his days on the NYPD.
In support and in honor of the victims of the Charlie Hedbo massacre in Paris Scott Blakeman has organized a stand-up show to raise money for the families of the victims, which will be held on Thursday Jan. 22nd at the Ethical Culture Society, 2 West 64th Street from 7:30 to 9:30 and will feature Scott, John Fugelsang, Dean Obeidallah, and a bunch more comedians dedicated to free expression without having to worry about being killed! Tix available here : http://bit.ly/1AF4QV0 Comics can use the code word “Comedian” for half price tix.
Jermaine Fowler Talks About Latest Projects and Pete Davidson
Comedy Juice is always a strong show and this week was no exception. While I was sitting at my table I saw what looked to be Pete Davidson from the back, but then I thought to my self,that can’t be Pete Davidson, he looks too bulked up. But sure enough it was Pete Davidson. And I thought to myself, man he’s maturing; I’m watching Pete Davidson grow up. I didn’t say this to anyone until I saw Jermaine Fowler, who came in straight from the airport. He got off a plane from LA and came directly to Gotham to perform on Comedy Juice. And he too is maturing, but him I told. And when I told him that he started to laugh, and said, “Talk about maturing, did you see Pete Davidson?” And I was like, ” Yes, I can’t believe you noticed that too!” And we both had a good laugh about the two of them growing up before people’s very eyes. Pete is kind of on a press lockdown from SNL so we just exchanged pleasantries. He’s killing it on SNL as the “Resident Young Person!”
Jermaine and I ducked outside the showroom, so he could tell me that he came back to New York to start shooting Season 2 of Tru TV’s sketch comedy series Friends of the People with Kevin Barnett, Jennifer Bartels, Jermaine Fowler, Lil Rel Howery, Josh Rabinowitz, and Kenny and Keith Lucas, otherwise known as The Lucas Brothers! Jermaine also has a new comedy special which he self-produced called Give ‘Em Hell Kid, and which he shot at the Washington, D.C. Improv. I asked him why he chose that particular club and he told me it was the first club he ever performed at. He has an identical twin brother named Jerome and when I asked him if Jerome was funny he said that everyone in his family is funny and that they’re all funnier than him.
Colin Kane Pranks Audience at Gotham
Colin Kane has a big following of loyal fans who usually know what he does, so he packed the room at Gotham over the weekend. I know Colin since we used to perform at The Village Lantern a long time ago when he was developing his confrontational stage persona, which was nothing like it is now. I don’t know how he does it but he says every disgusting thing a person might think of but never have the nerve to say, and then apologizes for it and comes off as a nice guy who just says disgusting things. He got one surprise though. He likes to prank people during his set, by taking someone’s cell phone at random and calling someone with a prank. On that night, he took this girl’s phone and called her Dad, telling him he found her phone, and then added that he saw pictures in her phone of her getting double-teamed by two guys, and the dad threatened to break every bone in his body. When Colin tried to explain he was only kidding the guy hung up! I wouldn’t have wanted to be that girl when she went home, or Colin when he left the club!
That’s it for this week. But there will be much more coming up next week as always.
Jeffrey Gurian is a comedian, writer and all around bon vivant in New York City. Subscribe to his YouTube channel. Below, photos, Jeffrey and Rain Pryor, Jeffrey and Robert Kelly, Jeffrey with Kaytlin Bailey, Jeffrey with Jermaine Fowler, and Jeffrey with Dave Hill.
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