A Very Special Literary (and Spooky) Edition of The Drink at Work Show

Once again, Drink at Work is teaming up with literary malefactors Yankee Pot Roast to bring you a night of short comic readings, booze, an unhealthy Bea Arthur fixation and another awesome performance by local sketch heroes (and finalists in The Great Sketch Experiment) Elephant Larry! Plus, in celebration of the coming of the Great Pumpkin we'll be having a costume contest and everyone is invited to participate. The winner will receive a Bea Arthur t-shirt from Yankee Pot Roast and a flask plus drink tickets from Drink at Work!

Scheduled to read/perform:

Sean Crespo (FUSE, Office Pirates, National Lampoon, Drink at Work.com)
Kambri Crews (Love Daddy, Comedy Central Insider)
Eric Gillin (Esquire Editor, BlackTable.com co-founder)
Wayne Gladstone (Yankee Pot Roast, Cracked)
Carol Hartsell (Drink at Work.com)
Jack Kukoda (Kukoda.com, Yankee Pot Roast)
Francesco Marciuliano (Sally Forth, Medium Large, Drink at Work.com, Print)
Mick Stingley (Hollywood Reporter and Metal Edge)
Todd Levin (Tremble.com, The Morning News, Salon)

Plus, a performance by sketch group Elephant Larry

Monday, October 30th
8:00pm
Ace of Clubs
9 Great Jones Street
$5

Practice Voting with The Great Sketch Experiment at Jib Jab

The elections are coming up and we've all got itchy trigger fingers. So to sate your thirst for democracy we suggest you toddle on over to Jib Jab and take part in The Great Sketch Experiment. Jib Jab gathered six of the best sketch groups in the country — including two of our favorite New York based troupes, Mark & Ari (pictured) and Elephant Larry — and teamed them up with director John Landis to create six short comedies based on a police theme. Now you can go to the site, watch the videos and vote on your favorite. The winner gets $10,000...and freedom.

While all the videos are fun and we love Elephant Larry and Mark & Ari equally, my sentimental vote is going to Mark & Ari. Not only are they two of the most brilliant improvisers/sketch artists I've seen, but I took a class once with Ari and he's just about the nicest, most talented guy I've ever met. Plus, he cohosts The Shark Show. 'Nuff said.

Now, YOU choose.

Drink at Work Does Time Out

You might notice there's something a little extra awesome about your issue of Time Out New York this week. While putting together their special comedy issue, TONY asked your friendly neighborhood bartenders to whip up a smart shaker of satire to go along with their features on local comics and clubs. And thus, "So Hip It Hurts" was born. Inspired by Crespo’s classic TONY parody, Time Out New Amsterdam, Drink At Work, along with TONY's own whip-smart Jane Borden, created a faux neighborhood guide that begins on page 25. Written in the same self congratulatory style of smarm-verité as the real deal, the section features such up-and-coming 'hoods as Bostown, TarMart Heights and Midtown Manhattan.

Plus, you’ll see your favorite DAW’ers posing in their own Public Eye segments. First, the eagle-eyed among you will recognize Drink at Work head writer and Medium Large cartoonist Ces Marciuliano on the cover, posing as the latest resident of an up-and-coming 'hood...



Next we have the dapper Sean Crespo, dressed to his townie nines as a resident of Bostown, which "consists entirely of postgrad liberal arts students and the salty locals who serve them, resulting in an economy based on either potential or barely concealed hostility."



Then we have the always handsome Craig Baldo, working it under the flourescent bulbs as a resident of TarMart Heights, which "runs from the hardware to the home-decor sections on the north side, and from the patio-furniture plaza to the Snack Shack on the south."



And finally, a pile of recently uninhabited clothes as a resident of Midtown Manhattan...Post-The Rapture.



Here are the full inside pages. Click the images for a larger view.

Don't forget to stop by The Drink at Work Show every Monday at Ace of Clubs, 9 Great Jones Street, 8pm, $5. Next week is our monthly reading series with the folks from Yankee Pot Roast featuring hilarious writers and sketch group Elephant Larry, and then we return to stand-up comedy on November 6th with headliner Christian Finnegan!

Moonwork presents An Evening of Original Works Saturday Night

Ok, we admit it. We're really, really into comedy. I know. We've been reticent to be upfront about this. Truth is, we all have our dirty little comedy secrets. When I was a kid I loved — and often emulated — both Gallagher and Howie Mandel. When Gallagher talked about the way women drive or give directions, man...no one could touch him. And I spent hours upon hours perfecting Mandel's Gizmo voice.

Less embarrassing was my earliest comedy love, Bill Cosby. My dad had three of his albums, or "records" as we used to call them, and I remember lying in the floor of our den giggling at the stories about Bill's childhood, his brother Russell and his parents. I fell in love with comedy probably because it was one of those things that both my dad and I really, really enjoyed. I fell in love with the Beatles for the same reason.

As I got a little older I began looking forward to shows like Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime or Comic Relief as THE events of the year. I even began to like some women comics: Elayne Boosler, Rita Rudner, Paula Poundstone and Ellen DeGeneres were heroes. I came across Bill Hicks on HBO one night and thought I would die. Then in high school, Denis Leary's No Cure for Cancer came out and the idea of comedy as art exploded in my head.

When I moved to New York, it didn't occur to me right away that comedy was something I now had the opportunity to go enjoy in person. I never thought of going to comedy clubs and had no idea that there was something called an alternative comedy scene. Then one day, a guy Ces and I worked with invited us to go see a comedy show a friend of his produced called Moonwork. At that show we saw Jim Gaffigan, Tom Shillue and the late Rusty Magee for the first time. It was smart, funny, original and I walked out forever changed. Comedy was a real, living, breathing thing and I've wanted to be a part of it ever since.

So all of that is to say that in many ways, New York comedy begins and ends for me with Moonwork's Evenings of Original Works. They've got another one tomorrow night, Saturday and I highly recommend you check it out.

Moonwork presents
An Evening of Original Works

Saturday, October 21st at 9pm

Andrés du Bouchet
Craig Baldo
Matt Higgins
The Daily Show's John Oliver
and more...

The Phil Coltoff Center at Greenwich Village
(same place...new name)
Children's Aid Society
219 Sullivan Street
between Bleecker & West 3rd

Childhood Responses to Classic Trick-or-Treat Candy

* Charms Sour Ball: "I'm not allowed to accept candy that isn't wrapped or doesn't suck."
* Mike & Ike: "Christ, lady."
* Necco Wafers: "What is this? The Soviet Union?!"
* Bit O' Honey: "Balls!"
* Ring Pop: "Stunning...simply stunning."
* Candy Buttons: "You know, I accept change, too."
* Good 'n Plenty: "Well, they're half right."
* Whoppers: "Oh, I think we'll be doing business again."
* Candy Corn: "I'm...I'm going to bed."
* Chiclets: "Jesus, who do you have to blow to get some decent candy around here?!?"
* Pixy Stix: "I love you."

How to Celebrate Fall on the Cheap

* Update fall wardrobe by writing “2006” on all your old sweaters with a Sharpie. Ensure trendy look by hot-gluing current calendar page on back of all clothes.

* Take family apple-picking in neighbor’s yard. If caught, repeatedly exclaim, “Fruit belongs to no one man!” as you violently try to yank the apple tree from the ground.

* Play a rousing game of football with the family in the backyard. Make it interesting by placing a wager on the game’s outcome. Make it even more interesting by dividing the teams into “Adults” versus “Toddlers.”

* Wile away the hours by naming and getting to know every single leaf on a tree. Sob uncontrollably each time one of those leaves falls off a branch and dies. Vow never to give your heart to another again.

* Be both cost-conscious and inventive when it comes to your children’s school supplies. When kids later ask why they have to use magazine subscription card inserts as notebook paper and charcoal briquettes as writing implements, make numerous yet purposefully vague allusions to “The Man.”

* Train pet cats to Greco-Roman wrestle each other so you won’t be bored during football commercial breaks.

* Gather the family and tell horror stories in front of a roaring fireplace. Make the tales particularly effective by naming each of the stories’ murderers after an adult your children might know in the neighborhood.

* Get drunk on Halloween and go trick-or-treating as “That Asshole Neighbor Who Peed in Our Rose Bushes and Took a Swing at Our Mailbox.”

The Drink at Work Show is Tonight!Free Tix! More Free Booze!

The Drink at Work Show has always been about supporting the comedy community. We've also been about becoming the premiere comic-friendly, experimental showcase room in the city. That's why we want to encourage more of you to come hang out with us at our shows, try out new ideas, hone your current material and develop your performance style as well stick around after and talk about your work with us and your fellow comedians.

To that end, we proudly introduce the comic comp list for all of our shows! That's right! If you've done the show before or if you're booked on a show in the future, you can get in free! Simply email carol at carol@drinkatwork.com before the show with "RSVP" as the subject and we'll add you to the list so you can enter free of charge! Carol can also get email on her phone so no worries if it's a last-minute decision, either. This offer is good for anyone who has done a spot with us whether it was at Siberia, Rififi or Ace of Clubs.

(Special Note: It's important that you RSVP before arriving. The person at the door can't possibly remember everyone who has done the show and so he won't let you in for free unless you are on the list.)

Finally, while we are not a bringer, Ace of Clubs has generously offered to kick in an extra drink ticket for anyone performing on tonight's show who brings 4 friends or more. That means we're talking to the following great comedians on our show this very evening:

Jesse Joyce
Anthony Devito
Matt McCarthy
Joe Powers
Bricken Sparacino
Jenn Hyjack

Plus special host: Sean Lynch!

Not to mention DAW regulars Craig Baldo, Sean Crespo, Francesco Marciuliano and Carol Hartsell.

Free show for previous, current and future performers! More free booze for tonight's performers who have friends! What more could you want from a show? Free rocket ponies? Well, give us time.

The Drink at Work Show
Tonight! (And every Monday)
8:00 P.M.
Ace of Clubs
9 Great Jones Street
(Below ACME)
$5 Cover
(Free for those who performed on our show before, are performing tonight are are booked for a future show)

Francesco Marciuliano's Eye Opener

Last-Minute, Less Expensive, Least-Impressive Halloween Costumes
Francesco Marciuliano

Full Article

Carol Hartsell Is Only a Man

The Beginning of Something
By Carol Hartsell

I always followed my brothers around, begging them to let me play army in the woods with their friends, roughhouse and watch TV. They were often forced to remind me that I was a girl, and a little girl at that, so I couldn’t hang out with them. The Morgan boys next door who were closer to my own age played with me for a while, that is until they got much more interested in a game called “Go in the Closet and Take Your Clothes Off then Open the Door for Half a Second.” That got old. My status as a female quickly became very limiting. I was either too weak and prone to tears or too potentially naked to be one of the guys.

Full Article

Tom Shillue: It's All About the StoriesCatch It Tonight!

The New York Times described him as "inspired and subversive." The New York Post said he's "brilliant." He was voted by viewers the "#10 Favorite Stand-Up Comic" in the Comedy Central Showdown. And now Tom Shillue brings his unparalelled storytelling skills to Ars Nova Theater tonight and next Wednedsay evening with a full-length show of personal tales as part of the Festival of Cool Voices program.

The comedic cornerstone of NYC's essential Moonwork Show, Tom has appeared on Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and his very own Comedy Central Presents show.

But what really makes Tom stand out is his commitment to the story as the basis of all humor. While some other comics may rely on disjointed one-liners, easy pop culture references or tired, ironic detachment, Tom actually speaks to--connects with--his audience, courtesy of exceptionally well-crafted, exceedingly evocative stories that are particular to his Massachussetts youth but universal in their appeal to everyone who remembers the dizzying highs and lows of childhood, of adolescence, of adulthood and of parenthood.

Tom never panders to his audience. He never tries to simply win over the favor of a particular demographic. Instead, he remains true to his voice and to himself, creating an aura of stage confidence that is not cocksure, that is not bravado but is sincere, is winning, is charming and is preceisely what comedy audiences have been waiting for over the past ten years.

Tom is not a comic of the moment or of an attidude. He is a comic who fully understands that what resonates most is laugh-out-loud yet insightful humor drawn from memories, from hopes and from the human condition. His comedy will resonate for a very, very long time but, alas, he's only playing two more dates at Ars Nova so catch him tonight!

Tom Shillue: It's All About the Story
TONIGHT, Wednesday, October 11th
8:00 pm
Ars Nova Theater
511 West 54th Street, NY NY
Tickets: 212-489-1908 or
www.smarttix.com
$15

Come Support DAW's Sean Crespo at the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival Showcase Tonight at Gotham!

The big doins around town right now as far as comedy is concerned are the HBO comedy showcases. The showcases are the first step in the process of being selected for Aspen, the biggest comedy festival in the country. It's not that being chosen for the festival will necessarily make you a star, but it's pretty damn sweet and a huge leap in the right direction for a comic. Plus, there's the bragging rights: "Oh, you did a bringer last week? Yeah, I didn't do much...just Aspen." "Oh, you're going to the grocery store? Did I tell you I went to Aspen?" "Oh, your mom died? Well guess who didn't die at Aspen..."

At any rate, these showcases are a big deal for comics and I'm always thrilled to hear that someone I know got a spot on one. You rarely get to say, "Congratulations," to up-and-coming comedians...it's a pretty dejecting job. So I'm incredibly psyched that a lot of cool comics are showcasing this year, especially Drink at Work's own Sean Crespo! So if you don't already have plans tonight, come on down to Gotham Comedy Club and see some of the best young comics in town and cheer on our comrade-at-arms.

HBO Aspen Comedy Festival Showcase
Tonight at 7:30

Gotham Comedy Club
208 W. 23rd St. (btw 7th and 8th)

$12, two drink min.

Featuring Tom McCaffrey, Pete Holmes, Michelle Buteau, Sean Crespo
and more.

For reservations call 212-367-9000.

Sean Crespo Will Teach You Satire

Crespotivational E-Cards 2 & 3
By Sean Crespo

Full Article

Shameless, Self-Aggrandizing Moment

My review for PRINT Magazine of the new Fantagraphics book Comics As Art: We Told You So can now be read here. Just scroll down to the second post on the page.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled comedy.

The Drink at Work Show is Tonight!Laugh! Cry! Mood Swings!

Comedy is hard to pin down. What makes one person laugh uproariously while the other person can only focus on the bloody gunshot wound? What makes one person slap their knee with glee and chortle merrily while the other person can only see puppy after drowned puppy? What makes one person cackle with sheer delight at a town of little orphans celebrating the first morsel of food they have found only to be torn to shreds by rabid wolves wielding machetes while the other person can only realize that they have befriended a sick, sick bastard?

Yes, comedy is subjective. That’s why it’s our objective at The Drink at Work Show to help you find the funny. And help you we have! We’ve put together a stellar line-up of stand-up comics who will make you laugh harder than seeing a lung collapse, featuring:

Jesse Popp: Comedy Central, Beauty Bar Comedy Show
Ann Carr: Giant Tuesday Night, Winner’s Circle, Comedy Central’s Motherload
Poppi Kramer: Suddenly Stand Up, NBC’s The Biggest Loser
Rob O'Reilly: Boston Comedy Festival, XM Comedy Channel
Nick Rutherford: The Laugh Factory, The Comedy Store

Not to mention DAW regulars Craig Baldo and Sean Crespo with your producer and host Carol Hartsell.

So whether you like your comedy light, dark or searing, The Drink at Work Show is your sure ticket to fun, fun, fun!

The Drink at Work Show
Tonight! (And every Monday)
8:00 P.M.
Ace of Clubs
9 Great Jones Street
(Below ACME)
$5 Cover

Live in NYC? Want to Happen upon a Monty Python Member Today (Wednesday) ?

From Aint it Cool News...

"Terry Gilliam will be stalking the streets of New York City [today]. He’ll be handing out flyers for his new film TIDELAND [OFFICIAL SITE HERE], talking to anyone who will talk to him, signing autographs and generally hobnobbing with the city folk.

One really good place to find him? 733 11th Ave at 51st St. -- he'll be there around 4:45pm (which is my not so subtle way of saying: THIS IS WHERE AND WHEN YOU SHOULD GO LOOK FOR HIM!). This is where the line cues up for THE DAILY SHOW with Jon Stewart. He is not appearing on the show – he’ll just be there saying 'Hey' to the line people and should hang around for 30-45 minutes."

Tune in tomorrow when we remind you to meet up with the ghost of Peter Sellers, who'll be in the produce aisle of the Union Square Food Emporium between 3:00 and 3:25 pm, just shopping for leeks and saying "Howdy."

Youthful Indiscretions: A Showcase of Emerging Stand-Up Comics

Do you like comedy? Do you like the youth of America? At least the funny ones? Then come out tonight, Tuesday, and help support the emerging humor voices of tomorrow. After all, if you're not part of the solution then you might be the very reason Robin Williams is still considered "fresh" and "edgy."

Youthful Indiscretions: A Showcase of Emerging Stand-Up Comics
Produced by Carol Hartsell and Drink at Work

Featuring:
Eric Andre
Sean Crespo
Dan Curry
Mike Dobbins
Lucas Held
Jon Lang
Susan Prekel
Ashley Strand

Hosted By:
Becky Donohue

Tuesday, October 3 (Tonight!)
9:00 PM
D Lounge
101 East 15th Street
(Basement Level of the Darryl Roth Theatre)
$5, two-drink minimum

They need your love. You need their comedy. Comedy needs love. It all comes full circle.

Hope to see you there.

That Was My Yesterday

Yesterday morning while getting breakfast I saw an elderly man calmly redirecting traffic right in front of our apartment building. He was making certain no cars would run over a seagull, which apparently had broken its wing and was now lying still but alive in the middle of the road. While the man did this his wife came outside with a large blanket in which to wrap the bird. It was a sad, surreal yet heartwarming scene that for some strange reason I could not quite grasp. Perhaps it was the sheer immediacy of it all. Perhaps it was seeing a seagull in the middle of Manhattan. Perhaps it was the rather matter-of-fact response on the part of the man and the unperturbed way in which the drivers slowly made their way around the bird.

Only later did I see the entire scene for what it truly was--an omen. For shortly after that incident, three things happened to me yesterday:

1. I violently sneezed while shaving, causing me almost to slice off my lower lip and leaving what could best be described as a "blood soul patch" on my chin.

2. As I was on the sidewalk a nun angrily and very loudly told me to get out of her way, pushing me in the process. It was the second time that has happened to me this year.

3. While getting lunch a pigeon flew straight into the side of my head and broke its wing. A little while later I found myself at home, blankly eating a sandwich.

I think I'll stay in today.

Sean Crespo Will Teach You Satire

Crespotivational E-Card
By Sean Crespo

Full Article

The Drink at Work Show is Tonight!Now Tainted by Scandal!

We originally assigned the PR for tonight's big show to a Drink at Work student page. But then said page (in truth an 83-year-old man who re-enrolled in college to get his AB degree) started receiving rather indecent emails from a Drink at Work staffer. Then we tried to supppress any and all information about the unsavory correspondence, somehow the liberal media decided to report the facts for once and now our entire site is under double-secret probation.

But we've earned our lesson and promise to clean up our act. Of course, that won't stop us from putting on the best darn, dang, by golly-gum gosh comedy show possible, gosh darnit! And that's possible thanks an all-star lineup headlined by the incredible Tom Shillue of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Conan O'Brien and Comedy Central Presents fame!

Tom Shillue
Joshua Grosvent
Mike Burns
Dan Goodman
Mike Birch

Plus Drink at Work regulars Craig Baldo and Sean Crespo along with your MC Carol Hartsell.

So break out the church clothes, bring your best gal or guy, buy a big ol' glass of Ovaltine and get ready to chuckle heartily, my friends!

The Drink at Work Show
Tonight! (And every Monday)
8:00 P.M.
Ace of Clubs
9 Great Jones Street
(Below ACME)
$5 Cover