Moontower Comedy Festival Pre-Show & Day 1: Seth Meyers & Nick Offerman

This blog is usually about my bicycling journey, including the people, places and things I see and thoughts I think while cycling. It’s also about writing my book and blog, creativity, and the occasional movie or book review or political observations. This post is about the Moontower Comedy Festival. I missed out last year and decided I could use a few more laughs plus I didn’t have enough t-shirts (just kidding on the latter). But after working for South by Southwest for two years, and seeing a good bit of the comedy which wasn’t many shows, I signed up for the much smaller, comedy-only festival. So far I’ve seen two headliners and it’s barely begun. Here are some thoughts about these shows.

Continue reading

Jake Johannsen:  I Meet the Professional Comedian, Sex Robot and LA Bicyclist!

Former cyclist Saurabh (“Do you even bike, bro?” No.) and I hit Cap City Comedy Club for a sweet Wednesday night delicious yuk-fest.  (Do you see what I did there?)  The opening act from Austin, who just moved to Atlanta, was named Austin.  The second act was from St. Louis and drats if I can’t find his name.  Both are funny gentlemen.  But the headliner was a familiar face, a comedy stalwart (who has no actual warts) and was on the Late Show with David Letterman a whopping 46 times, has HBO and other TV specials, podcaster and nice guy who had us laughing uncontrollably.  He’s also a sex robot and rides a bicycle… in LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA!  Here’s a little post about Jake Johannsen.  You might also enjoy… Jake Johanssen*.  You can’t win them all, but I felt like a winner tonight!  (*The title of one of his comedy specials.) Continue reading

SXSW Day 8: Blood Fest, Doug Loves Movies and Rosemary & Garlic

I was going to title this post “A Comedy Podcast, Music Showcase and a Horror Film (Walk Into a Bar)” but then I decided the names were more interesting.  And because many people wouldn’t get the bar joke.  Also it’s really late — so late it’s no longer Friday — and I’m exhausted from attending six bands and a movie about a band on Thursday.  On top of that, the internet seemed to have stopped working so I lost the first half draft of this post.  So I’m not in the mood (for love or for redoing this.)  Let’s just get right to it, shall we? Continue reading

SXSW Day 1: Legend + Party + Film = Fun!

Today kicked off the real festival(s) and conference(s), so I put my free badge earned from the many volunteer hours I worked by attending three events.

Introducing Comedy and TV Legend Dick Cavett

Dick Cavett exiting stage right.

I’m not old enough to have watched his original show and probably missed subsequent ones, but I certainly know who Dick Cavett is.  He took over the Tonight Show from Jack Parr, and since 1959 has been on television more than off un.  Considered “the thinking person’s host” due to his pedigree from Yale and intelligent questioning, he has an identifiable voice and droll sense of humor as well as an acerbic with.  This was on display tonight at Esther’s Follies, as the first comedy event of the festival.  I was lucky to get in and sat next to a cyclist from New York who said he brought his bike and had ridden 140 miles in two days.  Wow! Continue reading