I’ve been a comedy fan since age four when Moe Howard asked me, “What’s your name, lil’ goil?” Fortuitously somehow by way of Washington, D.C., Poughkeepsie and Jerusalem, I ended up in Chicago, the comedy Mecca of the world where comedians are kind enough to give me their time and where I was lucky enough to meet my friend the great Dobie Maxwell who introduced me to the scene. Thank you to Ed Kaz! (also lucky to call him a friend) – the best of comedy columnists – whose work has always been and will always be an inspiration.
I’ve interviewed comedians and other creative folks as a contributor to the Chicago Tribune’s TribLocal (Wilmette) and the Wilmette Patch. I then moved to the Tribune Media Group’s ChicagoNow for a city-wide focus. When Alden Global Capital (a hedge fund!) bought Tribune Media, it was the end of ChicagoNow. But comedy doesn’t stop for anyone, anything, any circumstance! Fortunately, I was able to move all my content and launch this site in September 2022. This blog is about comedy, humor and comedians at every level – from first open mics to internationally touring headliners. Comedians Defying Gravity was a finalist for the Chicago Headline Club’s prestigious Peter Lisagor Award.