Cornfed Comedy
An archive of stories from a comedy-lover's former blog, capturing the comedians and lives bringing a stand-up comedy culture to the Midwest.
In 2011, I dug into the book, "Sataristas!" by Paul Provenza, which interviewed several big-name comedians about their life on the road, their rise to comedy stardom, and more. Dan Dion, a revered photographer, sat down with me to talk about his craft, comedians, and what brought him to photography. Originally published: November 2, 2011 Being on Facebook is much more to me than seeing what friends from high school are up to these days. It also gives me a chance to connect with outstanding artists and comedians -- my favorite kinds of people.
Dan Dion is the world's foremost photographer of comedians, and you can see his work in Paul Provenza's Satiristas!, an interview-style book with comics and comedy writers. Beyond that, he also is a lead photographer for San Francisco's legendary Fillmore Theater. Dan was gracious enough to let me Facebook him some questions about his craft, comedians, and what he loves about what he does. Here's what he had to say. CORN-FED COMEDY: Your photography is primarily other artists - actors, musicians, comedians, etc. What is it about these particular personalities that draws you in as a photographer? DAN DION: Although a lot of my subjects are celebrities, I’m not really interested or impressed with notoriety. It is people who’s talent I respect that I really like to shoot. I’m far more impressed with a comedian who writes all his own challenging material, an amazing songwriter, or an author than an actor. “It” Girls, Bad Boys, and heartthrobs do nothing for me. I’ll shoot them if I’m hired to, of course, but I feel no connection to them at all. Then there’s the fact that many of my favorite photographers- Arnold Newman, Richard Avedon, Jim Marshall- shot artists. CFC: You're the house photographer at The Fillmore - one of the most historic theaters in the United States, and certainly a hub of some legendary concerts and performances. Like subjects draw photographers, does working in an auditorium (not a mega arena like we have many of today) impact your work and drive as a photographer? How? DD: Shooting in a club that size (1200 capacity) is ALWAYS better than shooting in the EnormoDome. Performers are engaging with the audience more than creating a spectacle for them. And with The Fillmore, the musicians have a respect for the venue that they don’t at 99% of the places they play, which means they are much more likely to give me a backstage session- that’s huge. I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve shot backstage at an amphitheater. There’s no love for the setting at those places, and no context to speak of. CFC: I personally got to know your photography through the book Satiristas! with Paul Provenza. You are, in fact, the foremost photographer of comedians. What is it about comics that draws you? DD: As a teenager I was what later became known as a “comedy nerd.” I collected vinyl, had all of Steve Martin’s records memorized, and started seeing live stand-up when I was 14 years old. My locker at school was plastered with SNL characters while everyone else had rock stars. I liked to laugh more than dance. Was it worship? Not really- more like admiration and appreciation. Visually, when it comes to comedians- they have the greatest faces. I’d rather shoot Steven Wright than Kate Moss any day. CFC: There is so much emotion and rawness to your portraits of comics. Especially since many comic portraitures usually incorporate a microphone or a bar stool. What is your method for capturing them with a camera? Do you have anything you're trying to say - or does the subject say it for him/herself? DD: My style is a reaction against hacky headshots. It’s a conscious effort for me to not make a joke picture and I virtually always edit out shots where a comic is mugging for the camera. I say that my sessions are built for both comfort and speed. I put them in a set and setting that lets their personality come out, and don’t take so long that it gets forced. That said, most of the time the actual location/background is determined a few minutes before the shoot. It’s improvisational portraiture, if you will. God, that sounds pretentious. (laughs) CFC: What kinds of changes have you noticed in comedians over the years? The 70s brought some big-time names (even before the 70s) with Pryor, Carlin -- of course there's even people like Lenny Bruce, Phyllis Diller, etc. Have you noticed a change in the comedic landscape, or does the "song remain the same"? DD: “Funny is funny”, as they say. Boundaries of explicit language and permissibility have been destroyed along the way, but the emotional response and physical reaction to comedy hasn’t changed. I think we saw more unique comic voices emerge out of the ‘80s, guys like Sam Kinison, Emo Philips, and Bill Hicks, but that doesn’t diminish the great comedy that’s always out there. CFC: Something I like to ask any artist - especially photographers since I have such an interest in it -- What's one thing (or one person) you have not photographed but have dreamed about? Any ideal sitting session, any ideal place you want to see? DD: Musically I need to do a portrait of Tom Waits before I die. And I’d like to shoot Lyle Lovett as well. See a pattern? Great songwriters with amazing faces, and they’re both comics in their own right. In comedy I’ve shot almost all of my favorites, but there’s some legends I still need- Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart…that reminds me… gotta pursue these guys more….it’s like dating- half the fun is the pursuit- and I happen to be a predatory slut for jokeslingers. Photo courtesy of Dan Dion.
0 Comments
By 2010-2011, I was writing comedy features for Little Village Magazine, a free alt-weekly based in Iowa City. This article was a "roundup" of the happenings in the state when it came to the stand-up comedy scene. Originally published: July 12, 2012 Water, soda, coffee, notebooks. Lots of notebooks, filled with testing material, new jokes and maybe some new bombs. It’s a common scene at many open mic nights around Iowa City.
In fact, it’s a common scene anywhere for a comedian. As a comedy lover and Iowa City resident, I love that there are people in this world who want to take time out of their day to make me laugh. And who doesn’t love to laugh? I’m a frequent believer and supporter in stand-up comedy as a performance art, and watching comedians develop new material, test jokes, and feed off the audience can be electric. That being said, Iowa hasn’t exactly risen to the top of the comedy food chain. But it’s trying. While concerts and music venues are prominent in college towns, comedy is sprouting through the cracks little by little in Iowa City. Tom Garland, 24, is a stand-up comic who calls The Yacht Club home. Every Monday night at 9:30, he and other area comics looking to cut their teeth on new material get on stage and perform for whoever might be in attendance – whether it’s 10 people or 100. Garland, like many Iowa comics, are pushing hard for comedy to become a bigger trademark in Iowa, and particularly Iowa City, where for 9 months out of the year, the city doubles with incoming students. “There’s really no way to test it [material] except up there,” Garland says, sipping from a glass of ice water and waiting for the standard prop – a bar stool – to grace the stage. “Open mics are an opportunity for me to find out that usually only 10 percent of what I think or say is actually funny,” said Iowa City comedian and UI student Bobby Ray Bunch, 27. “Getting into stand up, you're going to bomb.” And that seems to be OK. It’s a chance to give everything a shot, see their friends perform and get inspired. In Iowa, it’s a community of sorts. “Watching other open mic guys is fun for me because I have gotten to see guys from their first time all the way ‘til now,” Bunch said, “and watching them develop an idea into a five to seven minute joke that makes the crowd roar is a beautiful thing.” At The Mill, Bunch is the commander in charge with his open mic night. An Air Force veteran, he jokes about everything from his service in the military to being a non- traditional student in a class of 19-year-olds. Though he just moved to Iowa City in August 2011, he’s making his mark and rounding up fellow comics from around the area and the state to take the stage. “I was fortunate enough to be able to put on my own show at The Mill, and I wanted it to be different than the rest of the shows in town,” Bunch said. While the First Avenue Club has boasted such names as MTV personality Steve-O and Carlos Mencia, and Penguin’s Comedy Club or Funny Bone in Des Moines hosts comics specifically, Bunch said his monthly hosting at The Mill gives him a chance to “handpick comedians and cluster them together to make the best show possible.” Recently, I watched Bunch, Iowa comedian Colin Ryan, and Iowa native and now nationally touring act, Scott Long, perform for a room of about 20 people. There weren't a lot of people there, the show was awesome with Long giving at least an hour long headlining set and absolutely busting me to pieces. On a June Tuesday night, Bunch took the stage with Des Moines comedians (and couple) Ben Herman and Caitlin Feral – very different comics but both with excellent sets, from the plight of a 20-something to the juvenile hilarity that are farts. “Farts are fucking funny,” Feral yells at the crowd after an awkward silence. She’s successful – the audience busts up laughing. To them, yeah, farts are fucking funny. At The Yacht Club on the Monday after a busy move-out weekend for grads, the audience is minimal, but the comics take the stage and perform like it’s packed, which really shows how much these people love what they do. But just like any live performance art, comedy faces the same challenges here as it would in Chicago or New York. Uptight crowds, unpleasant venues (like sports bars), and fewer comedy-only clubs are some of Iowa’s uphill battles. Bunch admits that coming from – and performing in – Iowa aren’t always a great gamble. “We aren't going to get much exposure doing stand up in Iowa and if a comedian is trying become well-known or ‘famous’ out of here, the odds are not in Iowa's favor,” he said. That being said, he also noted that many venues that used to focus solely on music – including The Mill and The Yacht Club – are now opening their doors for comedy shows. Even while jokes might bomb, audience members might leave, and silences might be heard, they keep pushing. I keep watching, cheering from the sideline. They try a 5-minute set that doesn’t work, and they try it again. There’s only one goal in mind, after all: Make ‘em laugh. Greg Giraldo, one of my top favorite comics and a legend at the Comedy Central roasts, died of an accidental drug overdose in September 2010. While celebrity deaths hurt when you're a fan, this one hurt because he was always a comedian I didn't only adore, but was anxious to see live. Rest in peace, Greg. Originally published: March 18, 2011
Although Greg graduated from Harvard and worked as a lawyer for a short time before crossing over to comedy and leaving an indelible dent in the world of satire, he also suffered from several addictions including alcohol and drugs. Eventually it's what put him in a coma for four days before his family removed his life support, according to entertainment sources.
It's heartbreaking that he died so young - at 44. Writer Dick Schaap for Playboy magazine once wrote on the death of Lenny Bruce, known then as the most obscene comedian and celebrity in his time: "One last four-letter word for Lenny: Dead. At forty. That's obscene." Greg's death at 44 is not funny, not satirical and not fair. It's obscene. But now Comedy Central, its writers and celebrities and comedians all over the industry - including Jon Stewart, Conan O'Brien and more - are paying tribute to Greg with a one-hour special, "Give It Up For Greg Giraldo," airing at 10:30 p.m. CST. I can't wait to make a date to see it. To laugh, probably with tears in my eyes, and remember one of my top five favorite comics. Mike Trainor is another comedian, like Denis, who stopped through Muscatine, Iowa while I was a reporter for the local newspaper. He sat down with me to chat about his life on the road. Today, Mike is a writer and producer for The Howard Stern Show, so life has definitely changed for both of us. Originally published: April 8, 2010 Photo credit: Gotham Comedy Club video There’s nothing sweeter in life than being a comic on the road. At least that’s the case for New York City comedian Mike Trainor.
Trainor, 29, appeared Saturday, March 27 at Plamor Lanes as the end stop of his month-long tour. “People are really friendly,” Trainor, a New Jersey native, said of his Midwest tour. “Sometimes people I know in New York City are surprised I’m coming to all these places, but people are great and very appreciative.” He got started in comedy seven years ago, he said, but grew up watching stand-up comedy and idolizing the profession. “It’s been a hobby and a passion of mine for a while,” he said. “I decided it was time to give it a shot for real, and it’s been great.” Trainor describes his comedy as “self-deprecating,” and said it’s an opportunity for other people to possibly relate to the “stupid things” he does on a daily basis. Though his comic stylings don’t match his inspirations like Bill Cosby, Denis Leary and Dana Carvey, he said it’s just a chance for people to have a good time and possibly relate. “As far as raw inspiration, I would say it comes from every day life,” Trainor said. “The chance to pal around with other comics you respect can be really helpful. That definitely helps me with new material. Though he doesn’t have an album out yet (he hopes to finish one this year), he does have a book, “101 Fat Things,” a compilation of cartoons, jokes and anecdotes about food. Trainor said he’s been making jokes about food for years and decided to finally put them together. Besides being on the road full time for the last two years, Trainor also has been serving as one of several regular panelists on Tru TV’s “Smoking Gun Presents: World’s Dumbest,” which airs on Thursdays at 8 p.m. The “green-screen show,” Trainor calls it, involves several comedians and celebrities commenting on stupid footage. He’s been doing it for about a year and a half and said the show has been picked up for another season. “We’re gradually getting more recognition for the show,” Trainor said. In the meantime, Trainor said he intends to keep doing comedy as much as he can and continue taping the TruTV show in New York, but he’s never shy about taking new opportunities. “I’m always looking out for the next best thing,” he said. Article originally appeared in the Muscatine Journal, 2010, Muscatine, Iowa. As a reporter at the Muscatine Journal, I didn't get a whole lot of features across my desk. I usually focused on local and state politics, crime, and small business. But when comedians did come to town, I made it a point to feature them and get to know their travels. Originally published: January 8, 2010
Donohue lives in New York, but plans on moving to California in June, and said “he’s not getting any younger” and decided it was time for a change.
He said his first gig was in Manhattan’s upper west side nearly 13 years ago, working alongside and as an opening act for comedy stars like Lisa Lampanelli and Jim Gaffigan. “These people were just starting to break out at that point,” Donohue said. His experiences grew from there. Donohue released his first comedy album, “Unholy War,” in 2007 and hopes to record a new album in 2010. His current tour is featuring a mix of his album material and new material, he said. “I think the funniest things that have happened are not on stage but in the car and planes going from place to place. Maybe my album will be half comedy, half car conversations,” he joked. “I really like performing in December,” he said. “For so many years I wasn’t able to do comedy clubs because of holiday parties, so they usually bring squeaky-clean comedians.” Donohue said adults “don’t (always) need G-rated material,” which has led him back to late-night comedy clubs and bars with his raucous blend of comedy. Between comedy clubs and bars, he also works the college scene, performing at more than 50 colleges a year, including the University of Notre Dame, Brown University and Villanova University. Article originally appeared in the Muscatine Journal, 2010, Muscatine, Iowa. Iowa gets a bad rap as a flyover state. Too many farmers, not enough to do -- no way could it be funny, right? Wrong. And it turns out, comics really enjoy coming here for the down-to-earth crowds who love to have a good time. Here I talk about ticket prices for big acts, and talk to a few comics who love Iowa too much to stop visiting. Originally published: November 20, 2018 Our happy corn state might not have too many clubs to offer the big names and struggling comics, but it hasn't stopped people from visiting.
Rates of pay for comedians range from as little as $300 for opening acts and up to $4000 for headliners at Penguin's Comedy Club in Cedar Rapids, but that was only once and rare for the club to pay that high. Many feature or opening acts come back two or three times in an eight to 12 month period, and many big headliners return as well. It’s a bargaining chip, Cedar Rapids' Penguin's Comedy Club manager Danny Franks said. “The agent may request $3000 plus airfare to fly him in, and we can come back with $2500 and if he does really well, a $500 bonus.” Franks said the "Bob & Tom" comics are frequent guests of Penguin’s, but he would like to see bigger acts make a stop. Jim Gaffigan and Lewis Black are great headliners, but only perform theatres nowadays. Other comics, like ventriloquist Jeff Dunham are “just too expensive.” The times I've seen Lewis Black, tickets have been no more than $30. Dave Attell was around $25 for both performances at Penguin's I attended. So does the higher the pay mean the better the act? Not necessarily. Regardless of pay for comics, Franks said he rarely sees a bad act. And even acts he thinks might be lukewarm at best turn out better than expected. A few years ago, owner of Penguin’s in Cedar Rapids and Davenport Jeff Johnson brought in Evan Marriott, the first “Joe Millionaire.” He was not a stand-up comic, but served as an emcee, answering questions from the audience about his reality experience. “Jeff said he wanted to bring in Joe Millionaire and I told him it wouldn’t work, no one would come,” Frank said with a laugh. “Turns out people really like that stuff. That was one of our most successful weekends. I guess novelty sells.” “Novelty,” Franks said, is a trend celebrity, or someone that’s popular at the time. He’s assumed the same with other comics like MTV's "Road Rules" Theo Von, who impressed him with a written act and great punch lines. Von said he seldom gets heckled for his MTV stint, something that surprises people that find out I've interviewed him. Von's friend asked if he gets "a lot of shit" for being on such a "lame-ass TV show." "I don't get heckled much," Von said. "If people heckle, they usually chill after a few minutes, once they see that I'm a real comic." The only time he was concerned about a rowel, he said, was when a man offered him a snickerdoodle after a show. "I didn't know what it was. I thought it was some sort of ' gay sex move', so I got a little defensive with him. Turns out it is a cookie," Von said, laughing. Von still holds true that he loves the Midwest. On his last trip through Iowa and Illinois, he stopped by the Coe College campus store in Cedar Rapids, his mother's alma mater, to pick up some merchandise. Meanwhile, "Bob & Tom" comic Mike Mercury is humble about his name in comedy, and said his time in the Midwest is always genuine and generous. "People in Iowa are always friendly and receptive to me. So even if they don’t think I’m especially funny, they’re nice about it," Mercury said. "In Chicago or New York if they don’t like you, they’ll just yell 'You suck!' while you’re still on stage. In Iowa, if they don’t like you, they come up to you after the show, shake your hand and say something like, 'Keep working on it! You’ll get there!'" In 2008, a historic 500-year flood ravaged downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Penguins Comedy Club, originally in a downtown basement location, found itself destroyed by the waters. Being a club favorite for big headliners, sitting out the cleanup wasn't an option, so a new location across town found a temporary home. Originally published: November 18, 2008 Danny Franks smiled with anticipation as his comedy club’s 42-inch flat-screen televisions arrived.
It’s been just over a month since Penguin’s Comedy Club in Cedar Rapids moved into its new home in the Clarion Hotel and Convention Center. After almost 20 years in the heart of downtown Cedar Rapids, the massive floods in June wiped out nearly everything they had except for their collection of signed comedian head shots, a few promotional items and merchandise and one computer. “Here come the TVs,” he said as he watched employees and construction crews weave the box between tables and chairs. “The finishing touches.” Franks just settled into the job, too. After a little over a month with the new club and nine years with Penguin’s part-time, he’s excited to settle down from his odd-jobs and brief stint on the road as a stand-up comic. Now with a wife and children, he’s glad to have such an opportunity. “It’s great. I get to be around comedy all the time and spend time with my old friends when they come to town,” Franks said about his stand-up comedy pals. “I’m no more than five minutes from my home.” In their new location, club manager Franks said traffic is better than ever. Visiting away football teams and their fans and families have stopped by, as well as other hotel guests. It’s clean, too, in comparison to what Franks described as a “dark and dingy” location downtown. The freshly-painted purple walls and small 120 seating is perfect for comedians that want the intimate audience connection, and expansion to over 200 is on the way in the next year. “Comedians like coming here because of the layout and the professionalism of the club,” Franks said. “A lot of our bigger acts, like Louis C.K. and Joe Piscapo, like to come here to knock out a few of these small clubs before a big TV special.” Penguin’s and its sister club in Davenport by the same name, has also seen the likes of Louis C.K., Andy Kindler and Dave Attell. And some now-headlining acts, like "Last Comic Standing" star Tammy Pescatelli, got their start in small clubs and were frequent performers of Penguin’s. He brings many of them back, he said, by treating them well. "We feed them for free, get them a nice room here and hopefully they remember that, especially if they make it big. Because they'll come back." Unfortunately the summer didn’t bring in too many comics, no thanks to the flood. But they came out of the woodwork to help raise funds. Franks said ten comics in particular performed for free to help raise money for relocation and clean-up costs. “The comedians helped out a lot,” he said. “Our goal right now is to show that Penguin’s is popular—we can pack the house if we just get a good show.” Iowa isn't where most people expect to find funny. But comics from the Midwest and beyond love stopping by for small-town laughs. Originally published: November 13, 2008 Iowans love a good laugh. It's true. And we need one. After months of politicians streaming through before the caucus and the tragic floods of 2008, laughter is definitely on the "to do" list. But I was saddened when I called Sioux City, Iowa, home of Bonkerz Comedy Club to find out they no longer have a comedy club in Sioux City at all.
"That's a company that's run out of Florida," the operator tells me. "I'm sorry, we no longer have a comedy club here." I'd never been to Bonkerz before, but I certainly won't have the opportunity now, which is sad but true. Fortunately near Iowa City we're graced with Penguin's Comedy Club in Bettendorf and Cedar Rapids. After emailing Nan Losasso for an interview request, I was pleased when she responded, "Yes, it sounds fun!" Fun is the key word, because that's what comedy is. So in the meantime I've done some investigating. Just what exactly brings comedians to Iowa, and what about comedians from Iowa? Theo Von, reality star from MTV's Road Rules-turned stand-up comic said small clubs in Iowa, like Penguin's, gives comedians the opportunity to be more real with the audience. He, too, has a connection to Iowa -- his mother attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids. "They are more patient, and they understand that you are a person as well, not just a jester," Von said. "They seem to have a general concern for you. As well, they get pretty ripped on booze, so they like to have fun." Booze is right. Before his December 2005 performance at Penguin's in Bettendorf, comedian and celebrity Dave Attell laughed and said it was going to be a rough night. "People send up shot after shot, and I drink them but tonight I might have to give a few away," he said in a backstage interview. "Gotta love 'em." For Grundy Center, Iowa native Chris Gummert, starting out was rough...especially in front if his junior prom as the stand-up comic. After attending Iowa State University, Gummert said he ventured to the Funny Bone Comedy Club in Des Moines for open-mic night, which got him a few local gigs. Now in Chicago, Gummert says the Midwest is "inadvertently always in your act." Von said he also likes to find things that are specific to the Midwest to joke about, which helps kick-start interaction with the audience. "I come up with more and more good insights each time I return," Von said. "I like the Midwest, because it is like a museum. Every time I come to places like Iowa and small city/town IL, I am reminded of where good people come from and how important family is, and how important Cool Whip is. People in the Midwest love Cool Whip." |
AboutCornfed Comedy started as a grad school project to build a blog on a topic I loved: in this case, stand-up comedy. ArchivesCategories |