Mission Mission

Local blogger Kevin Montgomery (the Mission Mission offices are so quiet without him!) posted about some interesting vehicle lettering in Mountain View. I spotted some myself on this interceptor parked on Valencia Street.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that Paul F. Tompkins is the funniest comedian in the world right now. You already know that. Since VH1′s cancellation of the (sadly misunderstood) Best Week Ever with Paul F. Tompkins, P.F.T. is back on the West Coast and totally killing it. His new album rules, his mastery of Twitter is beyond compare, his use of Facebook to source shows is unprecedented.

This Friday, he’s performing his variety show, the aptly titled Paul F. Tompkins show, at Eureka Theater. Tickets and details here. Joining him will be Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall), Illeana Douglas (Cape Fear, Ghost World), and singer-songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips. We talk about performing in SF, internet schemes, future plans, and the stress of organizing a variety show.

Oh, and you should join the SF Tompkins 300 group and get him back here on his own accord.

…

Mission Mission: I’ve seen you perform here in San Francisco with both good and horrible crowds. How is San Francisco as an audience?

Paul F. Tompkins: *Laughs* When did you see a horrible crowd?

MM: You performed at Cobb’s and there were at least 2 or 3 people yelling at you through the whole show…

PFT: Oh, yeah. In general I find San Francisco to be good. When I would play the Punchline, it would be me spread out over four nights and there would be probably 10 people who come to see me specifically and they were enjoying it. The rest of the people got free tickets, the room had been papered, so they were just not into it. I saw some of the rudest crowds ever at the Punchline, people with their backs to the stage just talking, as if they were at a night club. You have to work so hard to win them over because they don’t value the experience.

Doing Sketchfest where it’s a bunch of comedy fans, it’s great. People show up really pumped up for the show. They know they’re going to see something that they’re going to enjoy. They’re in a much better frame of mind.

MM: So because of that, lately you’ve been doing a lot of interesting things around how you bring in audiences. The kinds of places you play, the Tompkins 300 Facebook campaign… are you getting the results you want?

PFT: Well, so far. It’s only been the one show in Toronto, the one that started the Tompkins 300… thing… I don’t want to call it a movement, I feel like that’s very grand. Let’s call it a notion, the Tompkins 300 Notion.

That started from me being in Atlanta, trying to get people out to a show. This comedian Bob Kerr in Toronto asked, “Why don’t you come to Toronto?” I said, “Get 300 people together that say they’ll see me” because that was the size of the room I was trying to fill in Atlanta. And he did it, this Facebook group started, he got 300 people, I booked a show, and it was great!

I’m trying to make that the model, but I’ve yet to do the second show. I’m trying to nail down venues in five different cities right now. It’s proving to take longer than I had hoped. I do feel like this is something that can work and will work. Once I have the logistics down, I think it is going to be a successful thing. It makes a huge difference when everybody is there for the same reason.

MM: You’ve also announced that you’re starting a podcast.

PFT: I’m very excited about it, it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time and it’s a form that I really enjoy. I listen to a lot of podcasts. I like that it can be whatever you want it to be and that there are so many things that you can do with it. It’s going to be a mixture of produced stuff, excerpts from my Largo show, conversations with people…

MM: Your experiences hosting Best Week Ever, and your show at Largo, have those informed what you’d like to accomplish with your podcast?

PFT: You know, I think what’s informed me the most is listening to other podcasts. I like a lot of different kinds. I really enjoy something like Comedy and Everything Else, hosted by Jimmy Dore and Stefané Zamorano. I love what Scott Aukerman is doing with Comedy Death Ray. It’s one of my absolute favorites. I listen to it every week, I think he’s a good host and the show he puts together is fantastic.

MM: Your John C. Reilly impression on Comedy Death Ray is a particular favorite of mine.

PFT: *Laughs* I think you’re being generous by calling it an “impression”. There’s another podcast called Superego which is a monthly podcast that these guys Matt Gourley, Jeremy Carter, Mark McConville and Jeff Crocker put together that’s stream-of-consciousness sketch stuff that’s very produced. I sat in on an episode that’s going to come out next month. They have sketch ideas they want to do, they riff, they edit out all the dead spaces and layer in sound effects and music so it’s really an impressive thing, I really love it. That was an influence, realizing it doesn’t have to be a couple people sitting around talking.

Then, of course, Tom Scharpling’s Best Show on WFMU.

MM: Do you want to comment on the rumors that you’re collaborating with Tom Scharpling on something new?

PFT: Yeah we’ve been talking about something for a while. It’s very difficult because we’re on opposite sides of the country, we have our own things that we’re trying to do. Now that we’re both free, as it were, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to collaborate on something. So we’re in the very early stages of putting together an idea for a TV show.

MM: For your upcoming Sketchfest show, is there a theme to the guests?

PFT: No, it’s just people I know that have done my show before. Dave Foley and Illeana Douglas are doing sketches with me, and Grant-Lee Philips is an old friend, a musician that has done my show in Los Angeles many, many times. It’s nice to play with people that I have a relationship with. It just makes things a lot easier.

Doing a show like this is stressful enough at home; doing it on the road it becomes a whole other thing because there’s so much logistic stuff that has to be worked out. I learned a lot from doing it at Sketchfest in 2006 and the guys that run Sketchfest have been really helpful, Janet Varney and her whole team. I feel a lot less stressed out about it this time around. Now I’m actually looking forward to it! The first time I have to admit I was sort of dreading it. It was just so unknown doing it someplace else.

The biggest bitch of it was all the music stuff. All of a sudden I was putting on a rock concert, so much of it was about getting the musicians and their equipment there. Comedy is so easy because you just show up and there’s a microphone and that’s all you have to worry about. I feel like I made the right decision in not taking guitar lessons.

MM: But despite all the work it takes to get music on your show, it’s all worth it?

PFT: What it comes down to is: I hate everything that leads up to the show. Once the show is ready to start then it’s great. Once it starts, everything is just fine. It’s all the stuff that leads up to it that’s not fun. I hate being a producer, I love being a performer. It’s worth it, all the producing nightmares — *Laughs* I shouldn’t say nightmares. Headaches, maybe. Scale that back a little bit. The headaches are worth the performing dream, how do you like that?

MM: Anything else you want to mention about your show?

PFT: It’s going to be awesome.

I will say this! We have an early show and a late show and we’re going to be doing completely different material at each show. So if anybody felt like coming to both they would not be disappointed.

Tickets for the Paul F. Tompkins show can be purchased here. Two shows, one at 8pm and another at 10:30pm, $25, Eureka Theater. And totally sign up for the SF Tompkins 300 group.

Authenticity is Regalito Rosticeria.

Thanks to Travis for the snap!

Sure it’s photoshopped, but it’s still great.

(Source of this is unknown)

BOLD.

(photo David Hernandez)

Just spotted this on that big empty near Philz on 24th that is always covered in shitty tags.  Looks like the city is initiating a new project Art in Store Fronts to spice up empty storefronts, something that I probably would have heard about a couple of months ago if I actually read the news.  Anyways, in this case, you can leave questions for a fortuneteller to answer.  Brilliant stuff like:

q: #1 If I masturbate, am I still a virgin?
#2 Can I ask another question?
a: No, you cannot ask a second question?

q: What will I get for Christmas?
a: You will probably get drunk.

q: Will I grow up?
a: You don’t grow up, you throw up.  And then your mama comes around the corner and shit licks it up.

q: ¿Cómo se dice corn?
a: Maíz

Don’t worry, we’re definitely just kidding around.

(YouTube)

“thefink” nailed it:

Things left outside my apartment building

Current collection of crap — a TV and umbrella — left on the street outside our apartment. Tomorrow the TV will probably be tagged and broken, and by Wednesday they will be gone and replaced by some other collection of abandoned treasures.

(photo and text by thefink)

This is what we call “comedy gold.” I’ve heard stories over the years from my one or two female friends that guys catcall a lot in the Mission.  I’d imagine there are two reactions you can have to being hollered at all the time: 1) cry about it and move to the suburbs or 2) start a twitter account.  Keep your chin up ladies because, wow, you are so attractive.  yes you.  hi.

(link)

I’ve been thinking a lot about how I can stay culturally relevant in 2010.  Facts: PBR/Tecate/Olympia are getting slutted, Mission Mission commenters tell me that Bender’s was just a 2009 meme, and fixies are a little too mainstream.

Luckily I just spotted this (spot on) video, hipsters discussing cyclocross, thus answering one of these questions.  Cyclocross (or “cross” for those obsessed with sparing syllables) bikes will replace color-coordinated fixies as the 20-something bar-bike of choice in 2010.  ’makes total sense.  A little known fact about ‘cross racers is that they already needlessly color coordinate their bikes, among other cool things.  Take my roommate’s bike:

His ride is so hip for many reasons*:

1. It’s almost completely white.  White is so euro right now.  White is the bleeding edge of cool.  Plus when you get hit by a Muni, your friends don’t have to paint your bike ghost.
2. Almost all the parts are made in Asia.  Asian bike parts are pretty hot in the cool kid community right now so the transfer of legitimacy will be easy.
3. His frame is handmade by Mike Ahrens, which means he paid more than $150 for it.  Being “limited” (via gringo economic superiority) is pretty important these days because it helps demonstrate your uniqueness (read: unfettered access to your trust fund).
4. He has to glue his tires onto his rims, thus giving him two ups over urban fixies: 1) he “accidentally” becomes “lightheaded” while fixing a flat tire and 2) he has just that much more connection to the ground.  He can feel his skid stop, the cycling equivalent of sex without a condom.  Reckless.  Feels so good.

(* none of these stereotypes apply to my roommate.  He actually works hard for his money and has a very nice haircut)

So, what about beer and bars?  The beer question is pretty easy.  I have no doubt that Colt 45 will become the beer of the year.  It’s pretty hard to find it in bars in the Mission, giving it the necessary level of rarity and exclusivity to become the next top brew.  I also watched a bunch of cool kids crushing Colts at the OTHERSIDE Cafe (vegan sandwiches until 2am, beer, bicycles, and website is a MySpace page) on a recently trip to Boston, indicating that the messenger community back East is embracing the malted goodness of Colt.  I even ordered some myself to fit in.  They’re pretty tasty.

I still have not figured out what the cool Mission bar of 2010 is.  When I figure it out, I’ll be sure to post about it once a week, minimum.