10.27.2006

Nerves,

I suffered an extreme case of claustrophobia to get these. Shoved in the back of a pancake house. To get pictures of comedy. With a zoom lens.


I took alot of our boys and didnt get into "the flow" until Prescott got up. I should have tried shooting Summer and a few others. My camera still scares me.


Tonight, I decided I want "business cards" for Christmas. Or at least a few pieces of paper with my info on it. I feel helpless when someone wants the link to this thing and I have no idea what it is.

Tried colour again. Still hate it. I guess colour photographs of comedians (to me) are like vegetables to little kids. Gross but neccessary.


The energy in that room was intense. I liked it. Two prime examples:























A few after-show black and whites:


No more tonight. The sun is coming up.

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10.25.2006

Yesterday's Apathy.

I'm somewhat blocked this morning. I cant figure out how to start the write. I'll keep it image-dense and word-meager.

I met up with Kristy yesterday on the first brown line train-car at the Damen stop. We headed over to Weeds for the "People Under The Stares" showcase. We got there quite early. I grabbed pizza from the place near the train station while Kristy gabbed with the mouthy Native-American bartender.

A few of the performers got there late and the show didnt start until 9:30 with a sparse crowd. I failed to edit these because I dont have much time today.

Another image for the "Empty Venues."

Oh, dear. I'm a terrible photojournalist. I didnt catch the name of the host!

Vanessa Fraction.

Brady Novak practicing his "16 years Improv Classes."
Hannibal.
Dan Mintz.

I liked the lighting in this room but the band was in an awkward spot and I should have moved around. It was my first time actually trying to work my camera properly; figure out all the bells and whistles and I struggled for a while. The images could only be shot on the smallest resolution because my memory card doesnt have the capacity for larger images.

I didnt feel myself yesterday. Kristy talked to me about industry stuff (which I usually love hearing and learning about) but somehow, I was out of it; I couldnt pay attention. To anything. The time, the trains, my food.

Everyone has been talking about Kristen Ames and I'm not sure what to think about it. It's exciting and scary. For all involved.

After Weeds, K-rock and I mosied over to ChUC to find a small group of kids hanging out. Tony Sam, his girl Deb, Fojas, Mike D and Angel. We did absolutely nothing and I managed to get 20 some songs on the jukebox for free, only to find everyone leaving right after I sat down.

I got home, uploaded the pictures and read some Myspace messages. I was bored yesterday afternoon and instead of doing something productive (like learning Photoshop) I browsed the Myspace pages for Toronto comedians. I came across this fellow and loved his stuff. His strange observation and abstract ideas just killed me. Kristy can vouch for me when I say I talked about him almost all day. It turns out, he's friends with Thomas Middleditch and they were in a sketch group together in Toronto. Small world.

After I plugged in my camera, I recieved an im from him. We ended up talking about the Toronto/Chicago/NY/LA comedy scenes until very late. I wish I had saved the conversation.

That's all for today. More stuff Friday.

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10.23.2006

Voicemails.

Allison Leber called me up today while I was at work (I forgot to call her back, damnit) and left me a voicemail. It went a little something like this:

"Hii-iii Krystle, it's Alli. I was just calling to see if you were busy tonight cause'...well, I uhh... wanted to know if you had time...if you could...uhh-take pictures of the bump on my head..."

Funniest voicemail yet. I want more.

I would really like to see/shoot more of Allison. The idea of taking pictures at the Common Ground Collective volunteer trip just thrills me.

Surprisingly, no Mix tonight. Just a Sarah Silverman dvd which somewhat disappointed me.

Not to copycat The Bastion's opinion(s), but I'm disappointed that not enough comedians are online.

I tried to google one comedian's name (Ron Lynch) and I got nothing. Just a link to a cartoon show he did a voice-over for, which I already knew about. They need a way for people to find them and find out about them.

Jesus Christ. I uploaded the three pictures from Friday I took at The Lodge and I'm convinced my camera is a dream.

I shouldnt divulge too much because I'm an "artist" and you have to be discreet and modest about this sort of stuff but I'm really astounded. I'm very lucky to have this...power...of sorts.


I was sitting at the bar when I took this. If you know The Lodge, you know the bar is pretty far from the stage. I put the camera down for whatever reason after Kumail finished. My memory card only holds about 20 pictures. I really need to get a new card with a capacity for many, large photos.

I might have been afraid to take more; I'd get carried away and end up sitting, deleting unwanted pictures to make room.

I hope to make it to the Weeds show tomorrow night. I should read the camera manual, see what I can learn.

Edit: Flattered to learn that more than four people read this thing somewhat religiously. Cute. And sort of terrifying.

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10.20.2006

My Delivery Is Great

It's weird when I meet someone new at a show and they ask: "Are you a comedian?"
I laugh and stumble: "No, no...I'm just here." One of these days I'll lie: "Yup. I am. Have you seen Jay Harris? My stuff is alot like his. Only my stage presence and material is better."

I'm dirt poor. We're talkin' negative balance, here folks. The move has sucked me dry.
I want to go to The Lincoln Lodge tonight to test out the new cam.
Today, one thing is for sure: I'm certainitely not staying home listening to GD Heart and watching George Lucas movies all day. Like yesterday.


New apartment, new camera. Good stuff.

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10.16.2006

Oct. 15th.

October 15th. The first day of my lease.

After moving boxes around, unpacking and still living in between two places, I looked forward to a cozy night at Bad Dog like every Sunday. It was totally worth the wait.

The show was fun. I came in and stole Lauren Bishop's seat next to K-rock. Lauren stood next to us with her red wine (trademark Bishop item while at the bar) and we had a frightening conversation about hypocondria. The show went on and K-rock fed me drinks made of Christmas* all night.

During the show, K-rock and I spoke very briefly about her ventures in promotion. It made me want to squeal. She mentions that 2007 will be awesome and I'm on her "roster." It's hard to keep my excitement in when she talks about this. I act childish when it comes to things like that. I just cant wait for this stuff. It's sort of like Christmas-time when you're a kid. You know you'll get awesome stuff and play in the snow and drink hot chocolate and sled down the big hill and decorate the tree, but you want it to happen NOW.

A nice email was passed along to me from K-rock giving me hopes to actually start calling what I'm doing work. Do I have to wait another year before I'm allowed to talk about it like that? Do I have to have a year of "Fan-girl" status before that happens? Whoa. I just referred to myself as a "fan-girl." Yikes. I'll be honest...Sometimes I feel like K-rock's little monster. Protege? No. I like "Little Monster" better.

Anyway. Lauren did her set, finishing the showcase. The open mike started and I was finally relaxed. Jay Harris did almost his entire set three inches away from my face. Terrifying.

I'm positive that Amy Clark(e?) is my new favorite female stand-up comedian. So squirrelly. You cant understand most of what she says and you dont know precisely what's going on; it's all over the place but somehow it's organized and still hilarious. She knows exactly what she's doing.

After the open mike, we all milled about the dj area. There was Ricky C., K-rock, Angel, Fojas, Lauren Bishop, Mike Holmes and James Fritz was behind the bar. We're all chatting and TJ Miller walks in, looks around the room and displays a look of utter agony and disappointment. He missed it. Jordan V. Roberts walks in behind with a humongous camera. They ask permission to film and Andrea allows it. Now, K-rock has mentioned "The Energy" before and I never really believed or felt it. Somehow it just popped up last night. They came in, filmed, had a drink and left. It was almost like it never happened. Like they were phantoms. While everyone else rolled their eyes, K-rock and I sat there in a stupor watching these kids do amazing things. Maybe we were in awe. Or maybe it was Jordan's crazy-ass, bright-camera-light. K-rock, as if to torture me, pointed out that this situation "makes for a great photo." Aaaruggh!

Wednesday! Wednesday is the day dreams are born.
Haha.

So, there's that. After having a boring, tiring, no go-out weekend, one night at Bad Dog made up for all of that.

Here's something: My new room is beautiful, humungous, etc, etc. There's one thing; I have really ugly, wooden closet doors. I've got a few fliers from shows I want to cover it with, but not nearly enough. If you have extras from any shows you may have seen me at or for any shows coming up, give em'!


*Vanilla Stolli and Diet Coke

10.15.2006

Tech Stuff.

I am currently reading "back-issues" of 5DM and cracking up.

Warning: I'll be talking about techie stuff this post...

I dont have any pictures for you because I moved boxes up and down three flights of stairs all day yesterday, unpacked a bit, wiped out on my bed, slept all afternoon, woke up and realized just how broke I am.
Consequently, I missed The Birds Nest. Unhappy.

I took a trip to Best Buy on Friday to figure out what was going on with my camera:

(Crap)

So, because it was the fourth time I had taken it in for repairs, I qualified for Best Buy's "No Lemon Policy," which basically means I get a new camera (from the store) worth the price I paid for the orginal. Turns out, none of the Canon A models out now are worth four-hundred bucks. So, what can I get instead?
(Magic)
I've talked about this camera before (see previous post). It's a step up from what I had. While looking at my receipt, the girl asked me which camera (worth four-hundred bucks) I wanted. Without hesitation, I pointed at the S3. She laughed and said "I guess she knows what she wants!"

I have to pick it up on Wednesday and it wont get here soon enough. I warned K-Rock that I'd be talking about this for the next week or so. I cant mess around with this one, though. I treated my old camera like shit but this time it'll be different. No more abuse.

The thing about this camera: it has an image stablizer, which means I can shoot a few stops slower and its just DARN perfect for the lighting situations I'm always in. It also has 12x zoom.
I cant wait to see the images I'll get with this. Expect little squeals of joy as I experiment with it's options at shows.

I have to thank Angel (over and over) for letting me use her camera. I really appreciate it.

I'm looking forward to relaxing at Bad Dog tonight. I look forward to Bad Dog every Sunday. It's just the perfect way to end the week.

10.10.2006

Names.

Went to The Mix last night. No pictures because as I explained last night, Monday is my "off-night." Sunday at Bad Dog is also a "no-picture zone."

It started with Wings at The Rail with Kristy, Bradley Fojas, Brendon Mc Gowan and Dean Carlson, as it often does. 10c wings, a plate of french fries, one-drink minimum and more sports, or, rather, SPORTS.

Fojas got called back for the Las Vegas comedy festival, which is awesome. He had to head out early to Zanies to take care of that. Angel met us up, ate her wings and we waited an eternity for our check. A little Hall and Oates was requested on the jukebox and Angel pointed out that "Rich Girl" is probably our "song of the year" or something like that.

K-Rock, Angel and I headed over to The Mix for the open mike.
Mike Bridenstine hosted and I think we had a little banter moment.

I recieved my first tormenting in regards to Always On Silent, but I guess that's acceptable...
You create a blog spun-off of 5DM, it's inevitable. I guess if you create a blog at all, it's inevitable.

Edwin something-or-other was causing a bit of trouble. I'm not sure if he was drunk or just an asshole. Period. His set was a mess and Kumail got the guts to go up to him and ask him to quiet down. Josh Cheney addressed the issue on stage and Edwin left screaming nonsense.
Uncomfortable moment.

Robert Buscemi gave Angel, K-Rock, Bridenstine and I a ride to our respective homes, but not before a visit to the Mc Donalds drive thru.
Buscemi noted that the chicken in the snack wrap picture resembles brains.

I'm still waiting to hear back from Best Buy about my camera. I'm hoping for a trade-in so I can finally stop worrying about getting Ol' Gramma fixed. I'm also worried I'll end up with a camera I dont even like.

This is silly; my mum and dad are coming at the end of the month and I'm really looking forward to taking them to a Lodge show. Silly? Having my parents come with me to a place where I frequently booze myself and laugh at ridiculously funny talent?
It'll be the weekend that Allison, Sean and Brady are up. Raunchy?

I say I'm not going to ChUC tonight but somehow...I dont believe it. Sadly, I'm bound to end up wandering over there.

10.08.2006

SPORTS.

I'm trying to figure out how I should post pictures on this thing. I'm absolutely bat-shit-terrible when it comes to formatting layouts and everything always ends up all bunchy. It's like Yearbook class all over again. Maybe I should just limit myself to ten photos a post or just post five, plus the link to Flickr.
Well, here's some for now.

More pictures of The Press, as promised:


Lincoln Lodge 10-6-2006

Friday night was magical. Lincoln Lodge fez-tivities were full of over-sized drum-sticks, new cast-members and a felicitous energy.

The press conference took awhile to get underway, and maybe it was a little short, but it's all about quality, not quantity, right? I hated that giant black partition thing they had on the stage.


The show followed the press conference almost immediately. It's impressive how fast they can disassemble that stage.

Host Steve O. Harvey.

Jared Logan.

Dwayne Kennedy.

Poet Robbie Q.

Afterwards, new cast member headshots were done and everyone headed over to local favorite post-lodge dive: Resi's.

New Castmember Alison Leber.

Now, the Demon Show:
Jesus Christ. 211 pictures and a full memory card. I shot from a different perspective this time. Very close. Sometimes sitting that close doesnt neccessarily mean a good result. Although I may have lucked out this time. Lets just say it was a little more challenging than usual.

Dr. Kumail.

Mike and Duane are insanely photogenic.


I had to be quick with the shutter when it came to Kumail, tonight. Unbelievably frightening facial expressions and alot of movement. Kumail is quickly becoming my favorite comedian to shoot.
Dr. Kumail (Possessed).

I thought this bit was funny at the time because Becky Garcia had just finished telling me how she doesnt like it when in horror movies people shake their heads really fast (like they're possessed.)

Apparently, Jason Fever loves the camera. Sitting in the front row with a camera can have it's consequences.
Jason Fever.

The thing I love about the Demon Show, is that I can shoot in colour and not be bothered by it. The lights are so harsh, it makes it easier and the colours really pop.


I decided I dont like taking pictures of people in masks. I feel fake when I do it. Especially if the person is fake masturbating.


I'm sorry all these images are centered. I dont feel like coming up with a more aesthetically pleasing layout. Lazy. I really want to post more pictures of Duane and Mike, but there are too many. Just visit the links to see them all...

So, today was interesting. Busy, colourful. Surprising. Despite my newness to the sport of football, I joined K-rock at Delilahs for a Bills/Bears game. The Bills got slaughtered. It was fun to be in the bar and eat chicken wings and listen to the rally song the time the Bills prevented the shut-out...Just learned what that term means today, by the way; "shut-out."

We stopped by a bar (which I cant recall the name of right now) not far from Delilahs to visit with CJ Sullivan and both he and Adam Kroshus were watching an Eagles/Cowboys game. Also a Cardinals/Chiefs game and possibly a Packers/Rams game. SPORTS.
Pat Brice strolls in almost ten minutes after we show up.

I think I had had enough football for one day. I may have gotten a headache from it. That sounds ridiculously air-headed, but I was not happy anymore.

I was telling someone, I wish I knew more about the technicality of the game. Perhaps if I spent an hour a day playing Madden on the Xbox 360 (that I dont own), my knowledge would improve.

I went home, tried to nap, worked on pictures for two hours, my roomate force-fed me a mixed tequila drink with three advil, went to a CVS in a zombie-like trance, avoided buying mint-chocolate-chip ice cream, went home and then decided to go to Bad Dog. As usual.

K-Rock, Angel and Mike D, were milling about the bar and it seemed like I missed the showcase and several other goings-on that evening. I gave up asking by midnight. I almost passed out on one of the couches in the bar and took a shot of bourbon with three tough-guyse.

The weekend is over. I'm done drafting this post.

Here are the respective links to each show:
Lodge.
Demon.

10.07.2006

Lincoln Lodge Season 7.

I really couldnt wait. Four thirty in the morning? Ok.

Favorite picture of the night:
I have alot more work to do on these pictures...Expect more after the Demon show (?)

10.04.2006

Useless.

I do not like the way Blogger works.
It's impossible for me to edit my post's properly.
Help!

Walk Before You Run

Chicago Underground Comedy 10-3-3006

I think I'll be taking Gramma into Best Buy tomorrow to see about getting her replaced. It's sad, but necessary.

I went to ChUC last night. Out of a shit-ton of pictures, only two came out decently sharp.
I basically went to shoot Bridenstine and Alison (and to talk to Alison about the possibility of volunteering for Common Ground). The best picture I got all night; a dude I dont even know.

Mike Bridenstine tried talking to me about comedy and the media and the internet, but I think he may have intimidated me a bit. I'll get to the level, dont worry; I just have alot more "thinking" to do. I dont know how K-Rock does it.
I'm a little in awe of these people. I'm scared to open my mouth sometimes, in fear that I'll say something totally ridiculous.
"Stick to takin' the pictures, Roll."

After all that, Angel caught up at Gunther Murphy's and we hitched a ride with Alison and Mike Olson (or as I like to call them, the Olson-Leber Experience) and we headed over to the Town Hall Pub to see my favorite local country western band, Devin and The Straights. The Olson-Leber Experience departed after only a few songs, but soon Fojas, Brendon McGowan and his sister Francie joined us.

I learned something last night; McGowan is terrifying. DO NOT chime into conversations with him if you know NOTHING (or even half an inch) of the subject. He'll call you on your shit. Mortal Kombat? Street Fighter? Ninja Turtles? Ex-American Presidents? Done and done. No pictures were captured of this fella' and his bright red sweater vest.

On the drive home, a stop to Clark Dog was demanded and the men-folk purchased Philly Cheese steaks. Another safe drive home, thanks to Fojas.

See you Saturday with Lodge Pics, Ladies and Germs.

Post Script:
Random, non-comedy related photo/story from last night:

Town Hall Pub 10-3-2006

I've seen Devin and The Straights a few times, and I'm amazed every show. The band has an intense energy on stage. They never miss anything. The first time I went to see them was completely on a whim, after a comedy show. I went not expecting anything and was totally surprised. I spoke briefly with Francie about the band. She said that she and her brother came to the THP with Fojas after the show at Playground; she wasnt expecting anything and was totally delighted. Next time, I'll have to get closer and bust out the camera.

10.01.2006

Some Questions.


There's another shot for my "Empty Venues" series, or rather, "Series."

Should I take this project seriously? Probably not. I might actually re-shoot this venue (several times) until a more promising shot surfaces. I go to ChUC enough, I'm sure I'll take enough GD pictures of that stage until I'm finally happy. I can do better.

Speaking of being happy with pictures; I need to figure out the situation with my camera. It's just not cutting it anymore. I think I need to put her down...She's getting batty in her old age. It could be "sensor dust," too.

I plan on selling my Grandmother's antique table. Perhaps with the money aquired from that, I could hook myself up with a decent camera. Look at this beaut:
It does have an image stabilizer, which is perfect for dark venues and fast-moving comics. I guess I'll have to see about the warranty on my current excuse for a camera.
Ok, ok, enough with the boring technical minutia.

Did I go to Bad Dog tonight? Sort of. It was called, not on account of rain-rather-Bears.
It's funny how every Sunday, I always argue with myself and end up in that room, ordering water from Andrea. Even after a six-hour train ride from Michigan. Sad. The apartment I want is two blocks away from said bar. Even more sad.

I'm looking forward to this Friday like it's my J-O-B. It very well might be. Will I have a camera? I hope so.

I shared Brunch today with my roomates at the Lincoln Restaurant and they complained about how Brady Novak and Mike Bridenstine always have the same "bits." I could do nothing but smirk over my O'Brien potatoes. That was funny. That comment has got to be up there with the "top annoying things audience members say and do" list. Try working four rooms a week+ and have new material every time. I'm no comedian, and true, it is a nice surprise to hear new (successful) bits, but come on, man.

Did I enjoy last night? To tears. It was my first visit to Pressure, and boy was I bummed that I hadnt brought my camera. Great lighting, great red curtain, awesome tea. Dont get me started on the awesome conversation(s) with K-Rock, Blanco and Fojas at "Memories" afterwards; "Fuck, Marry or Push off a cliff?"
Completely unrealistic game. Ridiculous. I refuse to believe that I got the ball rolling on that game.

Leave, withdraw.

The Phone Is Always Quiet Now.

I'm starting to get used to the smell of second-hand smoke on my clothes and all around me...

In fact, I think I like it.