You can't really blame a girl for taking advantage of certain situations now and again. I mean, if you had a weekly column where you could basically say whatever the hell you wanted week in and week out, wouldn't you sometimes be tempted to use your powers for evil, too? (And when I say "evil," I mean "purely selfish reasons.")

Not to toot my own horn here, but I think I do a fairly good job of being objective, concentrating on the music, not talking about myself too much... I mean, don't I? But every now and again, something or someone comes along where I can't resist pulling the "It's my column, I'll write what I want to" card. So here's fair warning, kids: This is one of those weeks. (And I can't say I'm sorry for it--you'll be a better person when it's over.)

Now I know that this is a music column, it's in the music section, and I generally write about, uhh, music. And while I do love rock 'n' roll (and punk and hardcore and hiphop... well, you get the picture) and I'm honestly convinced I couldn't live without it, my survival also depends on laughter. And I'm sure there aren't too many men in America who are much funnier than Michael Ian Black (right up there with him, though, is Jack Black... it must be in the name).

Have you watched VH1's I Love the '70s and I Love the '80s marathons? Michael Ian Black is all over the place, acting hilarious, sarcastic, and adorable. Ever since I got my first glimpse of him in the now-defunct MTV show The State, my heart has gone pitter-patter at the mere mention of the man. He's frickin' hilarious! I was happier than a puppy getting a belly rub, too, when I discovered his kooky character Philip Stubbs making regular appearances on the NBC show Ed.

All this talk of Mr. Black is leading to a very important point. The man is currently on tour with Stella, a comedy trio also featuring Michael Showalter and David Wain, and they'll be bein' all funny and stuff at Graceland on Saturday, October 25. I don't want to give Black all the attention, because Showalter and Wain were also a part of The State, and the pair cowrote Wet Hot American Summer. So we'll have three very funny men, all in the same club on the same night... you might pee your pants from laughing so hard. The early performance (which is all ages) begins at 7 pm, and it's $15. Fifteen bucks well spent, I'd say.

megan@thestranger.com

Need more? You can hear my personal picks for the week on 107.7 The End every Monday and Friday at 5:30 pm during DJ No Name's Afternoon Experiment.