Sat Feb 19 11, Makeout Room

(Evan Karp)

This week’s pick is hilarious, notable not only for a mastery of timing and content but for its repetition and genius one-liners. Funnyman Alex Koll performed this set at Writers With Drinks last week. Jew jokes? Yeah, not going out of style. Also: “I’m intimidated by writers.” I have a friend who says comics aren’t poets, and while that might be true I think they often have a lot in common. A deliberate use of language for effect is artistic and even magical, even if constructed with conniving intentions. You’ve heard the term con-artist (the “con” is short for confidence). What about com-artists?

I made my 1000 dollars in gift cards at my Bar Mitzvah and got the fuck out of the business.

You could be on fire here, in this city, and people are like “Would you leave him alone—that’s his choice, goddamnit.”

Your friends get on the sports train, and they get real into it, and then that train leaves the station and you’re just a little chubby mystery running behind the train like, “Hey, my sandwich is on there, I think!” And I never got on it. And as an adult, there’s too much good shit on Netflix to catch up now. Like I got other things to do. I realize I’m missing a lot of great life metaphors, but fuck you. Six Feet Under is still good.

Anton! Anton! Anton! And then the Giants score a homerun and everybody in the bleachers is totally convinced that these two events are completely related.

Sleeping is broken! Is Rainbow Grocery open because I think organic figs and flax will fix this shit, but I don’t know.

And that’s what’s happening: people are going crazy and eating crickets at the ballpark.

Alex, along with Bucky Sinister, Sean Keane, and Chris Garcia bring The Business every Wednesday at 8pm until anywhere from 10-11:30, depending on how many guests they have. They now have a blog, too. At only $5 in the tucked away Dark Room, this is one of the best weekly events I know about. These guys have been doing this for almost ever now as a way to flesh out new material and they’ve really hit stride with it; already they were each talented and with loads of experience, but all together they’re a real grab bag of Ways To Laugh. You know how Munchies give you 4 ways to enjoy that salty crunch you sometimes crave? The Business is the Munchies of comedy.