Interviews

Derek Sheen to record live album at Chicago’s Comedians You Should Know on June 24, 25

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Because of Derek Sheen, I will never again think of an escalator as an escalator.  Instead, I will take the “wizard stairs.”  Thanks to this Seattle-based comedian, the next billion times I say something in some mortifying way I didn’t mean (and believe me, those billion times all are likely to occur by next Tuesday), […]

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A Q&A with comedian David Heti, and it was more than OK

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Why aren’t philosophers listed in the Yellow Pages?  I need a philosopher to articulate the reasons for my existential dread.  I could use a philosopher combined with a lawyer.  Lawyers construct arguments as beautiful as geometric theorems to force us to address the wrongs that created the dread in the first place. What if I

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Think you know Joan Rivers? Can we talk? Rare album releases April 18, 2015.

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When I was in seventh grade, I was obsessed with the book Having A Baby Can Be a Scream.   Granted, most of it went over my head, but it didn’t matter.  Comedy was something of a religion in our house and I recognized the voice of a deity when I read one.   I didn’t know

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Chicago can be proud of comedian Jamie Campbell

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Jamie Campbell will release his new album, Tell Me You’re Proud of Me on March 10. Two things you wouldn’t guess about Jamie.  First,  he’s shy.  You wouldn’t guess because with a microphone, the shyness is gone.  When Jamie takes the stage, his warmth and charisma fill the room. He’s a tough guy with a

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Comedian Maz Jobrani is not a terrorist but he is radically funny

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In just the past few weeks, Maz Jobrani has been profiled by the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, Mother Jones and NPR.  For the past fifteen years, the Iranian American comedian has been profiled by casting directors and airport officials all over the world who tend to see him as a terrorist.  For those

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Rod Man, Winner of Last Comic Standing, Appears in Schaumburg this Week

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Life is better when it’s funny.  Life is infinitely better when you know the comedy of Rod Man.  Rod Man, born Rod Thompson, is the 2014 winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing.  He will appear at the Improv in Schaumburg from Thursday, January 29 to Saturday, January 31.  Tickets are selling out fast.  As of

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Comedian Paul Thomas Warms Up January

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Most New Year’s resolutions are unappealing, but this year I can’t resist. Fighter-trainer Kurt Grasa (oops, don’t look up what his last name means in Spanish) promises to make me “an all-around whole participant on this planet” in five minutes a day with his just released “Mixed Life Arts” program. His methods are somewhat unusual.

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