I was not having a particularly good day before I went to 444 Battery Street in San Francisco. With my only experience with stand-up being Comedy Central, I was especially not looking forward to my evening. This particular night filled in the pieces for why these CC specials were not funny: they are censored.
During the week of the 22nd through the 26th, the club had Tom Papa, Joe Klocek and Alex Koll on its stage. Though not the main act, Klocek could have easily been the big font on the marquee.
Coming to the stage with long hair and leather jacket, Klocek was the night’s beacon. None of his material sounded rehearsed. A lot of it was his interactions with the audience, at one point describing it as “frosted mini wheat”: one side of the room laughing and the other not. His approach was more of a way of talking instead of orating.
Klocek’s comedy is perfectly equipped for an SF audience: he frequents the bus system, just gets by, looks like a drug dealer, and is liberal yet can’t stand other liberals. Because of this, his material is much more meaningful and specialized for a Bay Area performance.
He lampooned Marin County’s ostentatiousness; “the only time Ramen was ever delivered to (MC), it was mistaken for a loofah,” he says with deadpan disgust. He chronicled the whacky conversations one overhears on the bus (“…I guess that’s why I like being peed on”) and how hate brings people together in The City.
His most magical line of the night was his idea for a new drug; “half Viagara and half Vicodin, called ‘Viking!’”
Klocek’s first experience as a comedian was similar to my first night watching it: “a complete accident,” as he describes it. “I had had just come out of a bad relationship,” he recalls. “I was working at a restaurant with another waiter who did stand-up. He suggested I try an open mic to vent and it ended up being a rush…I never stopped chasing that high.”
Joe sees comedy as a great way of speaking one’s mind. “It’s much easier to make people laugh, lose their defenses and then sneak in new ideas or different viewpoints,” he says. Its comedians like Klocek that make comedy a sophisticated art and not just low brow humor; no topic is taboo, allowing for discourse.
Tom Papa, the official headliner, got his big break in 2001, landing a half hour special on Comedy Central. He was then hand-picked by comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, for the opening act of his most recent tour. Papa’s filmography includes Bee Movie (also with Seinfeld), The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, The Life Coach and Analyze That. Even if he had background, Papa was still phenomenal.
He came to the stage with a bitter, condescending smile like he had had enough of George Bush “imploding the United States.” The only thing to do now was laugh. His relaxed, self-assured approach was perfect for pulling off fake-out jokes. Just before you thought he was about to say something serious, he pulled a curve.
Papa also breathed new life into the tired “life as dad” material. The brilliant part about this segment was his experience with getting a drunken girlfriend in a car: he compared it to doing the same for his kids except after a day at the carnival.
There were hilarious anecdotes about his visits in the Southern U.S. His notable misadventures were at the restaurants where all meals came with an optional slice of cheese – even for pancakes!
Koll, the pre-opening act, was able to pull of many laughs and a memorable “five second rule” sexual joke. He was a little quick-paced and seemed anxious, unlike the other two. Otherwise, he has good, relevant material and the potential for becoming a terrific showman. With the economy in shambles, the war with no end in sight, and everyone’s house being foreclosed, there is no better time to head to the Punchline. You will be on the brink of tears in one way or the other. Why not make them happy tears?
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