Quote #2

When I see people punching each other. This is just unacceptable behavior. This is insane, unacceptable behavior. We're just not interested in having people punch each other. There's no fighting at these shows. 

We do not provide soundtrack for violence.

1,000 Words Worth A Picture #2 (SANDINO)

This photo essay series examines one photo, it's back story and what it means to me.

Sandino starting their Harold.

Sandino started doing the "Invocation" when they first debuted in April 2010 and did so for a number of months before switching to an organic opening. But the one thing they always did was before they even get their suggestion, one person would emerge from behind the curtain (in a spotlight), slowly start dancing and at the peak of the music would be joined by the rest of the group clapping in a rhythmic fashion, only stopping to strike a particular pose. At which point a member of Sandino will ask for a suggestion.

 

Now this is a personal opinion based only on a few experiences, but I think it says a lot about a Harold team when you see their first night on Harold Night. It's a unique night that can't be manufactured ever again. Your friends, your family, your peers, students and teachers are all there feeling pride, jealousy, hope and determination. A team that does well on the first night speaks volumes about their internal team chemistry. Not the chemistry you gain by practicing for months and months, but the chemistry you share deep in your bones. Michael Delaney said that all great groups (comedy, music or otherwise) come from the same primordial soup. It's an inherent gene that only lights up when certain atoms hit each other. And when their sensibilities are in check, firing at all cylinders, it's unlike anything else. This does not mean, necessarily, that teams with bad first Harold Nights aren't very good or can't be great. But they start farther behind than others. They have to build something together. I realize that the task of putting 8 performers together into a team is insane, but when it happens, it's magic. Needless to say Sandino had a great first Harold Night.

Sandino means a lot to me for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons is Aaron Jackson. I took a 401 class with Aaron and out of that class formed our indie team, Boy Butter. Aaron was always a talented performer and it wasn't a surprise at all when I had heard he was put on Harold Night. Most people didn't know who he was, but that changed almost as soon as he yelled in his devilish way to his child on his first Harold Night.

Sandino also means a lot to me because of what they did with Harolds at Harold Night. When I first started seeing Harold Night, The Law Firm held court every Tuesday night. Law Firm sets would range from a wildly unstructured mess, to a pitch perfect Harold, but either way I ALWAYS got a funny Law Firm set. They took the Chris Gethard Show motto to heart where their sets were either good or so bad, that they were amazing. Sandino is like that, but less on bad side. Sandino started with the "Invocation" opening and while they did perfectly fine performing it, they didn't really find what "Sandino" was until they started doing organic Harolds. They started as simple organic openings, maybe laying a theme or a motif down, until their Harolds asked for something else. Something more risky, but ultimately more satisfying. Ellena once tweeted "Sandino weaves worlds." which aptly described the organic phase of Sandino. Sandino made the Harold fascinating to watch and in a way that was completely their own.

It also didn't hurt that Sandino was just god damn funny. And they are relentless on that front. One of the funniest lines I've ever heard came from Brandon Gulya as the edit line for their first scene of the Harold. Two parents were frantically waiting for their child to come home and Brandon knocks on the door, exciting the parents that their child has come home, and says "What is this? Brick?" as he pointed to their house. Even though 8 minutes into a Harold is way early to be blacked out, it could have been done there and it would have been the greatest black out line ever. Sandino is full of those moments and I am glad I was there to see most of them.

Many teachers and performers talk about teams and shows from years before I had even heard about the UCB Theater, in a way that made me jealous that they experienced something so wonderful. I may never see The Swarm's "Slow Waltz Around Rage Mountain", or a Neutrino Cagematch, or a fwand Harold, but I can say that I have seen Sandino. And oh boy...

Breaking Bad

Tonight.

Screen Capture #11

Bronson

Adult Swim 11-10-06

Del Close Marathon 13: Day 2

Read Day 1 here.

Day 2 started out for me at FIT seeing Omlette Vision and Two Man Movie.

JZT LYING ABOUT SEEING THE STEPFATHERS.

Omlette Vision

DELANEY.

Two Man Movie

-They did a western. Anthony played a gunslinger who had a penchant for wearing disguises, which at the climax of the movie was utilized when he fooled the villain into walking into a coal oven by being in black face.

NEIL W. CASEY

The Benson Interruption

-James Adomian and Garfunkle and Oates were the guests. James Adomain proved (in person) the amazing talent that I already knew he was from the podcasts he has been on. He came out and talked with Benson for a little bit, before he seamlessly transitioned what they were talking about into a spot on Todd Glass impersonation. He then did a Marc Maron impression followed by an Andy Kindler impression. When Benson asked who he was doing to the crowd I screamed “Kindler!” in manic amazement. They spoke a little more and Benson said he should take requests for an impersonation. I screamed out "Lewis Black!" and Benson asked if he did Lewis Black. James Adomain said he did and promptly did his bit of Lewis Black reading from a little girl's diary, fidgety fingers and all. It was, simply, spectacular.

ADOMIAN ABOUT TO BREAK INTO HIS TODD GLASS CHUNK.

Director's Commentary LIVE!

-The movie this year was "XXX" with Vin Diesel. 

-Chad Carter was the stuntman, who yelled “Stunt!” every time a stunt was on the screen. 

-Horatio was Vin Diesel who sounded retarded, and kept saying “Bingo”. 

-Owen Burke was the director and spoke about how he wanted every scene chapter on the DVD to start with a shot of the XXX tattoo on the back of Vin’s head. “I wanted people to know that Vin Diesel has a back of a head.” 

-Mantzoukas was the set location coordinator and because he has a phobia of being further than 50 miles from his house, all of the locations in the movie are near where he lives in southern California. -When Vin is at a diner a waitress gives him a drink, not knowing that she's being held hostage, and when he picks it up, written on the napkin below it is "911" at which point Manzoukas says “Never forget.”

"BINGO!"

Improv Cult (Besser's Master Class)

- An improv class where they discussed taking suggestions from the audience. Neil had the best line when they were working on object work (specifically holding a gun) where he said while holding a tommy gun “Kill all the minorities!”

Match Game 76'

-Joe Wengert and Katie Dippold were the contestants. Chad Carter was the host.

The celebrity guests were: 

-A recently shot John Lennon (Atamunik) 

-Fred from the Mystery Gang (Rodgers)

-Columbo (Burke) 

-Sam Kinison (Delaney) and Patty Hearst (Axford)

-Dom Delouise 

-Phil Spector (Fogelnest)

-Joe Namuth (Besser)

-Young Osama Bin Laden (Manzoukas) 

-Boy from Deliverance (Gethard) 

-Brian Wilson (DC Pierson)

-And more that I forgot.

KID FROM DELIVERANCE GETTING DOWN.

John Hughes-prov!

Raider's in 15 Minutes

-Owen Burke describing Raiders of the Lost Ark, while drunk. He didn’t get very far, partially because he spent so much time taking the shots from the beginning of the movie. Just imagine a hyper active 7 year old try to recount his favorite movie. Just perfect.

The NY Mets Monoscene

-Bluvband as a seal with a hat on. 

-Riley just coming out as Vacation Jason at which point Gethard started a chant of “Fuck Vacation Jason!” which everyone joined in on. 

-Ben Rodger as a spot on Keith Hernandez look.

To Catch A Predator Improv Edition

-Riley got to be the kid this year which was amazing for so many reasons. But what really was great about this years edition was Neil Casey as Chris Hanson. No one does the pithy one liners for a show like that better than him. 

-“Looks like you are having trouble sealing the deal. (when Bluvband’s seal from the Mets monoscene tried to hit on Riley). 

-Shannon came out with a monkey mask on screaming “Yo donde!” which she was saying loudly from the booth during Improvisosos Peligrosos. 

-But the highlight/most disgusting moment was when Jesse Falcon asked the audience if he should drink his piss. Then he proceeded to pull his penis out and pee into a Poland spring bottle, repulsing everyone. But they weren’t as repulsed as they were when he proceeded to drink it and throw the empty bottle into the audience. For DCM and To Catch a Predator that was par for the course. Easy.

YEP. IT WAS THAT KIND OF SHOW.

Dar Silicon

-Kind of like Wicked Fuckin Queeyah the best way to know about Dar Silicon is to see it. This year Shannon goaded a shirtless JZT to dancing on stage at which point Rudel and a number of other folks took their shirts off (including DC Pierson) and began slamdancing on stage with Dar. Best part was when Jesse Falcon and John Frusciante came on stage shirtless and started to slow dance. Heightening by contrast, right? It got weird before long, but shirtless doughy improv nerds still couldn’t take away from Dar fucking Silicon. Nothing can. Still the best show at the Marathon, bit show and improv included.

PANCAKES.

RUDEL GONE IN.

FRUSCIANTE & FALCON.

Swoon

-After the theater cleaning it was pouring rain so I ran over to Urban where Swoon was performing. Or as I should say, where Swoon was being heckled by the audience. It was a weird combination of JZT being the hypeman for the audience between scenes, water bottles being thrown into the audience, Riley with a quarter Jameson bottle in one hand and a toy gun in the other, Rudel being booed mercilessly for doing a not completely committed puking move, Adam Frankel’s amazing monologue/dance/fake shooting grocery buying scene, Nate Min playing Nick Jaramillo and Aaron getting notes from the audience while his scene was still happening. Definitely going to become a DCM go to show for years to come.

"OH MY GOD." -AARON JACKSON

Boy Butter

-Our first DCM was exactly what I had wanted. It started off like the Swoon set. Fesh yelled out from the audience “Good move Ellena.” to which Riley replied “It’s not that kind of show Fesh!” causing Fesh and Phil Jackson to simultaneously yell back “Yeah it is!”

-I don’t remember much, but I do remember at one point a small piece of pipe cleaner was being worn by Riley as a headset microphone, which promptly got passed around to others for different scenes.