Not a real rat above the Keister.

Kyle Regan—a masochistic Stranger reader—has vowed to do every single thing recommended by the Stranger Suggests (movies, galleries, bars, concerts) for the month of January. Look for his reports daily on Slog. —Eds.

The Comedy Underground was the first place to actually feel like what I had always imagined a comedy club to be: a painted brick-wall background, bright stage lights, and an audience shrouded in darkness. Honestly, I liked the setup at People’s Republic of Koffee more. Maybe I’m turning into Capitol Hill scum, but the ramshackle PRoK just felt better. I’m clearly missing something about being plunged into subterranean darkness for my laughs. The place was understaffed: The upstairs waitress liked to disappear without warning and one poor lady served the entire crowd downstairs. Someone call the whambulance, yeah, yeah…

Not a real rat above the Keister.
  • Not a real rat above the Keister.

This was celebrity night, which proved how willing we are to stretch the meaning of the word. The star-studded lineup included KOMO Radio’s Alex Meyer, Almost Live!‘s John Keister, and The Stranger‘s Lindy West. Two of my favorites that night were people who don’t really do stand-up. Ryan Miller from Jet City Improv and Lindy West both did amazing despite not having much (if any) stand-up experience. I’m glad West did well. If she didn’t and I called her out, she would fight me. And I would lose that fight.

John Keister won the dickwagging contest of who could make the most Seattle references in one set. I missed Almost Live!‘s heyday, and never really saw it as anything other than a collection out-of-date Ballard jokes. Keister was excellent regardless.

It seems like The Stranger‘s influence has been stronger than in weeks past. When Dartanion London asked who had come because of The Stranger, a good third of the crowd responded. I’ve been really enjoying these shows, but seeing a movie tonight (Cars 3) will be a welcome break. Four days in a row of stand-up is almost tiring. I want to go look at art, goddammit. All the credentials that Jen Graves beat into me fade a little more every time I laugh at a dick joke.

19 replies on “Yesterday The Stranger Suggested: Celebrity Night at Comedy Underground”

  7. Almost Live was a great show that became irrelevant after the big influx of transplants in the late 80s and early 90s. The Seattle area lost its old character and the “sticks” (Kent, Auburn, Lynnwood, Everett, etc) became highly developed suburbs. The old jokes didn’t make sense anymore.

  11. I still can’t drive through Ballard without expecting to see a ’63 Plymouth with the driver’s lap belt dangling along the ground.

  12. I have a feeling that “the Stranger’s influence” for the comedy shows being stronger is directly to the comedy shows having bought this week’s Suggests.

  13. I used to call it Almost Funny. Most of the time, that’s what it was – *almost* funny. Occasionally, there was a really good bit. The Lame List was usually funny. John Keister doing a Kurt Cobain impression (singing, natch) was priceless.

  15. Unless you saw Gary Locke and the Presidents perform “Volcano” on Almost Live, you shut your goddamn mouth about that show. Also the Ballard Driving Academy and Last Horizons, a retirement home for old people.

  17. 2nd that ballard driving school bit, along with the “streetwalking lawyers of aurora ave north”…for the time it was a pretty funny show, but as soon as it went up against SNL pretty much everyone stopped watching it. Nancy Guppy was pretty funny tho–and cute!

  18. compared to asshole- er sorry, laffhole, almost live was THE SHIT. And wet nurse of mega stud and comic Joel Mc Hale. You win Keister. Thanks for the inspiration these “local” comics lack. Ballard driving school and the lame list forever!!!!

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