Mission Mission

Sketchfest is upon us! The time of year when all our favorite comedians descend on the Bay Area for three weeks of merriment. Ariel, our DT&D editor, and Sam, Brittany’s boyfriend, are big fans of the 90s American sitcom, NewsRadio so we decided to check out the NewsRadio reunion show as our first foray into Sketchfest 2015.

Brittany: I like NewsRadio, but I don’t think I’m as big of fans as either of you are.

Ariel: When I was in college I obtained raw footage from an entire NewsRadio episode to cut my own episode. And it’s really interesting, when they talked about the musicality of the entrances and exits, for a 3 or 4 camera show it was really hard to cut. You’d imagine for a multi-camera show you can just cut back and forth, but it was so carefully orchestrated, that you couldn’t really cut it a new way. I feel like they took the Kramer entrance from Seinfeld and applied that to the whole show.

B: I was disappointed that there weren’t more cast members there, but I think you still got a sense of what it was like to be on the show.

A: I was bummed that Maura Tierney wasn’t there.

Sam: Vicki Lewis too. I loved Vicki.

A: Maura Tierney to me, maybe because I had a crush on her, she was the heart of the show to me. She was stuck in a world of bumbling cartoon characters.

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Welcome to the second installment of “Drama Talk & Drinks”, a new feature here on Mission Mission. Our friends Katie Cruz and Brittany Janis go see a local show, then they go to a bar, get drinks, and talk about it. Here’s their report:

[pic by Katie Cruz]

Rumor had it something funny was going on under Lost Weekend Video. Last year they opened The Cinecave in their basement, and now they’re hosting a variety of awesomeness, including some of SF’s funniest. Last Saturday we decided to check out their Cynic Cave Comedy Show featuring Bucky Sinister, Shanti Charan, Red Scott, Kelly Anneken and Miles K hosted by George Chen and Kevin O’Shea. Here’s our drama talk:

Brittany: The host (Kevin O’Shea) was awesome! I loved that he started with “This is the most fun you are going to have in a basement in 2013” because I think that is true. I haven’t had that much fun in a basement in a while.

Katie: I definitely didn’t feel lied to, which is always nice. Shockingly good for $10.

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Did you know that stand-up comedy, as we know it, started in San Francisco? It’s true! According to Joe Rogan on Episode 161 of the WTF podcast, anyway. He credits it to when Mark Twain first started giving hilarious speeches filled with wit and biting social commentary around town. Without Mark Twain, no Gallagher. Think about that.

Anyways, the other day I passed by Mission comedian Chris Garcia in the street, jumped in front of him, and blurted out, “CHRIS GARCIA!”. After this, I had no follow up other than a crazy wild-eyed stare. He looked at me a bit terrified. I followed up with, “Umm, yeah, sorry. I’m Vic from Mission Mission.”  He was like, “Oh hey! You should come to the Business this week. It’s our 2-year birthday.”

The Business is a weekly comedy showcase at the Dark Room featuring Chris, Sean Keane, Alex Koll, and Bucky Sinister. They also feature out-of-town comedians passing through.Why not take part in the rich history of San Francisco comedy and check them out tonight? The show starts at 8pm. Here is the event page.

Also, Chris Garcia (as Dr. 4:20) wishes you a happy day:

If I was better at Photoshop, I’d throw a 1950′s postcard style “Greetings from… the Mission” over this baby, but you’re just going to have to use your imagination.

A little background on this lovely photo from Chris Garcia:

Sheng Wang took this photo of local comedians at Dolores Park last summer.
Pictured Left to Right: Donny Divanian, Alex Koll, Kevin Munroe, Chris Garcia, Emily Heller.

If you don’t remember Chris, you probably ought to see his hilarious stand-up bit on the Mission we posted a while ago.

Jesse Fernandez has been running a multimedia comedy show called Things We Made at The Dark Room Theater on 18th/Mission for over two years now and I have a feeling it’s pretty funny.   Sure, “multimedia comedy show” sounds kinda douchey, but it can’t be any worse than the things you currently laugh at (Seth Rogen? Are you kidding me?).  Be honest with yourself: you have a shitty sense of humor.

But back to Things We Made.  The relevant deets:

“Things We Made” is a comedy show that presents a salad of wit, characters, videos, illustrations, movement and music. It’s an atmosphere to share unconventional and often brilliant creations. Patrick Bulger and Jesse Fernandez host this monthly conduit of San Francisco’s original and delectable humor.

When: 10:00pm, 10/17/09

What: A comedy show called “Things We Made”

Who: Chris Garcia (The Onion’s Aristocrat Award-winner), Donny Divanian (San Francisco Fringe Festival), Chris Thayer, plus the Things We Made Cast!

Where: The Dark Room Theater on 2263 Mission Street (between 18th and 19th), San Francisco, CA 94110

Cost: $10

For more info: 415-401-7987, www.thingswemade.com , www.darkroomsf.com , wsup@darkroomsf.com

Go on and see it!

Chris Garcia, I remember being pretty funny.  I vaguely recall my bf and I trying to impress him with jokes one night at maybe the Hemlock and walking away feeling successful, but let’s face it.  We weren’t funny.  Sorry,  Chris.