The night began with Iowan performer Arish Singh who had a short, yet often provocative set that was very political. He spent much of his time talking of his love of Ilhan Omar, the Ellen Degeneres/George W Bush friendship, and cancel culture. When he began talking about the later, I tensed up in anticipation of the Seinfeldian school of thought that comedy is being held back by “woke culture.” Luckily, this was not the case and Singh had an even handed and original take. His most memorable line thanking Ellen DeGeneres for making cancel culture more inclusive now that a strong, lesbian woman can get cancelled in 2019.

Singh then introduced New York comedian Sam Taggart, who sauntered on stage with obviously feigned surprise that had the audience chuckling hard. The woman behind me who seemed to have some sort of sneezing and/or breathing problem sounded like she was wheezing at this part. His look, complete with a light pink sweater and khakis, fed directly into his character as the most awkward gay man you’ve ever met.

His set ran the gamut of jury duty and every single anxious thought he’s ever had in his life and was all extremely endearing. Taggart’s personality, which felt much more like a character than Singh’s, carried him through his set. Even with small technical difficulties, he vamped his way through and moved into a lovely little Halloween song about falling in love with an off-brand character. When he ended his set, I was wishing his was a little longer, but also ready for Torres to weird it up.

Julio Torres has recently begun exploding in the New York comedy scene and comedy in general. Torres is currently a writer on SNL and often contributes weird, dreamy sketches like these. He is also a writer and star on HBO’s Los Espookys along with Fred Armisen, one of my favorite comedians. Torres also had his first stand up special released recently on HBO, the prop-comedy extravaganza My Favorite Shapes, which transcended the demeaning title of prop-comedy. Having seen this stellar work previously, I was excited to see Torres in person.

Torres’ performance was a surprisingly laid back affair. He began the show with a dizzying set of anecdotes and thoughts that had seemingly no connections. Stories about trying to use his mother’s bible as a spell book was quickly pushed away as Torres delved into why the letter q was too early in the alphabet. This disorientation was difficult to get used to at first, but Torres’ hilariously deadpan approach and witty material saved it.

The set was meandering but never listless. He slowly scrolled through his iPhone, the new one as he pointed out before saying his tax returns in 2011 were $50, to find new bits in what he called “the well.” Consulting the well, he would come up with random, yet very detailed bits that had the woman behind me literally choking on air instead of her usual sneeze-cough. Highlights include an excerpt from Mike Pence’s diary and a long and surprisingly emotional screenplay between a crow acting in Madonna’s “Frozen” music video and his boyfriend in Nebraska.

The audience ate it up and were the expected assembly of off-brand Iowans. At one point in his set, Torres referenced America’s Next Top Model and said, “I hope you’re following, and if you’re at my show I assume you are.” The crowd was obviously excited for him to be there and when he ended up cutting his set a little short as, “the well is only giving me seaweed and rocks,” they were eager for the Q&A section he offered.

Torres ended his show by asking the audience for a piece of advice. An audience member answered, “Lick the corn.” A response that pretty much sums up the audience. Torres took the advice with hilarious befuddlement and compared it to the Twin Peaks line, “the owls are not what they seem.” Before awkwardly, yet endearingly shuffling off the stage. He brought what I and the audience expected and hoped for: a weird, relaxing end to a long Halloween weekend and Witching Hour Festival.

The post Witching Hour: Julio Torres @ The Englert Theatre 11/2 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Tonight I got the privilege of watching Aparna Nancherla on stage after seeing her on talk shows, Amy Schumer’s Inside Amy Schumer and TV shows like Master of None.

And she’s shyer than I ever knew. She came out on stage with a blue cardigan atop a dress decked in birds. She walks with her hands by her sides, and she looks down to the left speaker near her feet during her entire show.

When she does look up, you know its a moment you’re going to burst. She conditioned me so that when she lifted her eyes to the balcony during the show, I knew she was about to declare a killer line that would leave the Englert loud.

Nancherla makes shy jokes, too, like her FOMO: Fear Of Missing In. “I wonder what my apartment is doing while I’m gone” and her need to keep her coat on during parties so that she can make a quick escape, and keep warm since, you know, she runs a little cold. “I love to wear enough layers where people go, ‘does she have a figure at all?’”

When she finally did make a political joke, she apologised for it which only made the crowd laugh harder knowing how rare it was for her to come outright and say it. 

Nancherla ends her set with a hilarious powerpoint including excerpts of emoji issues, her parents texts to her, and online dating screenshots.

But perhaps the most laughter in the crowd came from her simply reading off absurd Yelp reviews in her own tone.

You cant help but have a good and wholesome time at Nancherla’s show. Most of her jokes were clean, and honest, two things that can be more rare than ever in today’s comedic scene.

The post Witching Hour: Aparna Nancherla @ The Englert 10/21/17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Hannibal Buress is a unlike any other comedian out there today, and because of that he is wildly successful. Awards aside, Hannibal acts on the show Broad City, is featured on FlyLo Radio in GTA V, has directed “NaNa” by Chance the Rapper, and now has his own special “Live from Chicago” that was aired last weekend (clips can be seen here). Further credits include a starring role in FX’s “Chozen” and his new show “Unemployable,” which may or may not have been okayed for a ten episode pilot season.

Knowing all of this, and seeing him come onto the Englert’s stage was a rapturous experience. Hannibal nailed Iowa City street jugglers and Molly’s Cupcakes, businesses he didn’t seem to think were that lucrative. He “knows nothing” about Iowa City, and said that he won’t be back for another six years because “you know why.” His stark, realistic attitude struck the crowd well. He was killing it within the first two minutes.

Hannibal, noting that the crowd was primarily white, went on to talk about racism he’s encountered. His highly intelligent and intuitive crowd-reading skills allow him to captivate the audience and make them care. Along with his outstanding awareness, he knows how to put hecklers in their place. A woman shouted, “Two for two,” after one of his jokes, a seemingly arbitrary claim, to which Hannibal waited ten seconds and replied, “Fuck you for making me feel confused. You can’t make me feel confused! I can say some weird shit too! Cantaloupes and cashews!” The crowd roared.

After the audience calmed down, he went on to talk about how it “is a weird show” for him since it was so close in proximity to the nationally aired “Live from Chicago” special. This didn’t seem to curb his style at all, as he continually left the crowd in comedic awe.

After talking about blackjack and drinking, he dissected multiple rap songs that talked about morning wood. His use of a DJ worked to his benefit and spontaneously, before his set ended, he made his own ridiculous, purposefully inaudible rap about “killing bitches” and “chicken dinners,” as ballerinas danced in the background. The crowd could not have been more pleased with his performance, as he walked off stage to a standing ovation.

Hannibal’s cross-platform routine, depicting a culturally eclectic world, helps bridge the racial and social gap in society. His genius is only outmatched by his quick wit, allowing him to be appreciated by a comedically diverse audience. If there was anything to take away from this performance, it was to look out for the name “Hannibal Buress,” because it seems like anything he’s associated with, turns to gold.

The post Mission Creek: Hannibal Buress @ The Englert, 4/2/14 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Friday night 37 year-old actor, screenwriter, producer, and more importantly, stand-up comedian Nick Swardson came to Iowa City for his sold out show.

The CAB comedy show was originally scheduled to take place on Friday December 13th, 2013, but due to unspecified conflicts, the show took place Friday January 24th in the Iowa Memorial Union Main Lounge at 10 pm.

Swardson is best known for his writing and roles in films and TV shows like: Grandma’s Boy, Malibu’s Most Wanted, Benchwarmers, Reno 911!, Just Go With It, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. Nick started out doing stand up comedy at the very early age of 18 and began making a name for himself in the Minnesota comedy scene.

But before Mr. Swardson graced the stage with his new material, comedian and opener Josh Mann took the stage. While Mann truly did make me laugh on multiple occasions, his material overall lacked originality. It seemed as though the less rehearsed the jokes were, the better the reaction from the audience, (Such as his jokes involving the Ped Mall). His stage presence was awkward at best, mainly due to his incessant sipping of an unidentified Starbucks beverage. His demeanor was somewhat off-putting and definitely did not help the delivery of his material at all. All in all I have to say I wasn’t impressed with Josh Mann.

As disappointed as many may have been with the opener, that quickly changed for the better when Minnesota native Nick Swardson took the stage. Greeted by a roar rather than applause, Swardson took the stage with his classic funny man swagger. Dressed in a Young & Reckless t-shirt and snap back, along with neon Nikes and blue jeans, he greeted the audience by shouting, “What the fuck is up Iowa City?!”.  If such language is bothersome to you, then Swardson’s act was definitely not for you. Like many stand up comedians, most of his jokes were somewhat vulgar and profanity saturated. I say that in the most complementary way possible, because literally he had me in tears. His material covered a wide range of topics. Anything from cats, to the first man to experience a brain freeze, to ice skaters with diarrhea, were all fair game. The material was relatable and original in every way possible, and the crowd loved it.

Check out a pic a UI student snapped at the show by clicking on the Tweet below. Nick then retweeted it to his 500,000+ followers:

“@nellym2011: First row in Iowa City! @nickswardson Throw me a retweet. #IOWA pic.twitter.com/O1axpZyGmd” am I albino? Wtf? Haha

— Nick Swardson (@NickSwardson) January 25, 2014

Like any comedy venue, the IMU Main Lounge had it’s share of hecklers, which Swardson handled like a real pro. One young woman, got irrationally upset when Swardson was a telling a joke involving a woman performing oral sex. She yelled from the back of the room in a moment of silence, “Women are not objects!”. To this Nick responded jokingly with “No, you’re just alcoholics.” and then proceeded to tell more jokes aimed at women to make a hilarious point. Again, those sensitive to such topics are advised to avoid Swardson’s shows, because he is crude and fully proud of it. I completely enjoyed his set, along with the hundreds of others in the IMU Main Lounge. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand, and delivered much more than our money’s worth.

Swardson seemed to return the pleasant sentiment with the Tweet following the show you can read below:

Iowa U was dope. Such a fun crowd w/ great energy and some hammered folks. Love ya! Driving out to Des Moines tonight. Rain check the party

— Nick Swardson (@NickSwardson) January 25, 2014

To keep tabs on Nick, like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

The post Nick Swardson Brings Colossal Laughs to IMU appeared first on KRUI Radio.