Ask AOA: The Tompkins 300
Ryan emails with, well, not a question exactly -- more like a request:
So, professional comedian Paul F. Tompkins (of Best Week Ever fame) is saying that if any city can get 300 people to promise to attend, he will perform a show there.
Obviously, people have been gathering through Facebook groups. He's already done a "Tompkins 300" show in Toronto. Dallas and Nova Scotia have reached 300 and Paul is looking to book shows there. I say, if Nova Scotia can do it, Albany can, too! We rarely get high quality comics in the area, but now is our chance. I started a Facebook group where people can promise to attend.
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Comments
Okay, I joined... so if we get 300 people, can we determine what venue he'll play at? Cause I'm kinda hoping he'd show up at Revolution Hall...
... said Chuck Miller on Nov 16, 2009 at 3:26 PM | link
"We rarely get high quality comics in the area, but now is our chance."
AOA, come on, clearly you haven't been paying much attention to the Albany comedy scene.
The Comedy Works has great comedians every week. Check out Eddie Clark on 11/27 and 11/28. He's a local who plays there every few months, and he's hilarious. I've seen him there twice.
The regulars at the open mike night hosted by Greg Aidala every Sunday night at Lark Tavern are great every week.
And that's not to even mention the national acts who have come/are coming through in the past year or so: Jim Norton (one of the best shows I've ever seen), Brian Regan (the best clean comic in years), Dane Cook (a hack, but he's popular enough to play the TU), Artie Lange (I'll be there this week), Jerry Seinfeld, Louis Black, Jim Gaffigan, and last but not least, hands down the funniest comic in the world right now Louis CK, who brought Todd Barry with him when he visited the Egg in February (not Louis' best show, but still very good).
So be careful to slight Albany's comedy scene. I don't think Louis CK has ever played Nova Scotia.
... said JP on Nov 16, 2009 at 4:29 PM | link
Thanks for joining the group, Chuck. I was worried it was just going to be one sad member (me) for a while.
PFT says on his site "I am looking for small theaters or nightclubs, civilized places where people can sit down like human beings instead of standing around like veal." So, yeah.
... said Ryan on Nov 16, 2009 at 4:50 PM | link
>"We rarely get high quality comics in the area, but now is our chance." AOA, come on, clearly you haven't been paying much attention to the Albany comedy scene.
@JP: Those were Ryan's words, not ours. You make a good argument, though.
We just thought Ryan's campaign sounded fun.
... said Greg on Nov 16, 2009 at 5:12 PM | link
If you haven't heard Paul Tompkins' 'Impersonal' album, you are missing one of the best stand-up albums of the past decade.
Also, Ryan is correct, as in factually correct. When you can name *all* of the good quality comics that have been through Albany in the past five years in one small paragraph (and have to throw in Dane Cook to fluff it up), well yeah, that's bad. ;-)
In all seriousuness, here's hoping we can get the 300.
... said fiveoneeight on Nov 16, 2009 at 5:26 PM | link
Nobody's mentioned Ralphie May, Comedian Bob Marley, Daniel Tosh, Neil Hamburger, Stephen Lynch, Robin Williams, Carlos Mencia, Jim Florentine, Demetri Martin, John Valby, Jackie Martling, Kathleen Madigan, and many others were all here less than a year ago. In the next few months or so, we've got Robert Schimmel, Bill Cosby, Jimmy Fallon, Jim Breuer, Jeff Dunham, and the Blue Collar fools all coming.
There's even a radio show completely devoted to playing stand-up and interviewing local and national comedians right at the SUNY Albany radio station! You may not love all of them, but Albany could be a lot worse off for comedy.
Just because we're not hurting for comedy quite as bad as some of you may think we are, it doesn't mean Paul shouldn't come! I went to see Paul in NYC a number of times over the past few months and he's truly one of, if not the funniest and most talented, comedian out on the circuit today.
Let's get Paul in Albany! (Paulbany)
... said Comedy Fan on Nov 17, 2009 at 11:06 AM | link
Sorry to slight Albany's comedy scene. It was late at night, and I didn't do my research!
... said Ryan on Nov 17, 2009 at 5:20 PM | link