Getting the Joke

Comedy isn't the funny business it was in the Eighties, what with fewer clubs and audiences burned out by comedy on cable and hack comics. Seven Austin comics discuss the current state of stand-up in a round-table discussion.

"...April is the cruelest month for the Austin comedy scene. That's the..."

June 30, 2000 Arts Feature

Running the Funny

Club manager Margie Coyle has kept the laughter going for 20 years

"..."Good morning," she says, flashing me a smile, setting the container on the box-office counter. "We're going to have..."

July 10, 2009 Arts Feature by Wayne Alan Brenner

A Guide to Austin Stand-Up: Behind the Scenesters

The people behind the people behind the mic

"...moonlighting from her day job at PaineWebber, back when the joint was the Laff Stop and frequented by the..."

March 31, 2017 Arts Feature by Wayne Alan Brenner

Weird Scenes Inside the Joke Mine

Austin Comics at the Montreal Comedy Fest

"...hundred comics walk into a bar.... It sounds like the opening line to a joke (and it probably is..."

Sept. 29, 1995 Arts Feature

Capitol City Comedy Club's Grab for Bigger Laughs Restarting the Stop

"...I could rarely afford to venture out to watch the folks I wrote about. That wasn't a huge handicap,..."

Feb. 2, 1996 Arts Feature by Spike Gillespie

The Commissioner Has Left the Building

Johnny Torrez was one of the first Austin comics to work on a professional level, and every local comic who ever made a living in the business credits the self-proclaimed "Commissioner of Comedy" as an early influence and inspiration. On Valentine's Day, the Commissioner died. Here's how he is remembered.

"...The memory of the mythical Austin of yore continues to..."

Feb. 23, 2001 Arts Feature by J. C. Shakespeare

The Velveeta Room: Vive la Difference de le Fromage!

Nearly three dozen comics are flocking to Sixth Street to pay tribute to Austin's other comedy club

"...For 20 years now, the Velveeta Room has been Austin's other comedy club...."

June 13, 2008 Arts Feature by Robert Faires

Yo! MTV Laughs!

The Long, Strange Trip to TV for Three Austin Comics

"...There is a certain quality that's a hot commodity in..."

May 30, 1997 Arts Feature by J. C. Shakespeare

Livin' Lavaca Loca

In the early Eighties, back when Jay Leno was still funny, he and a number of now-big name comics told jokes at a little place on Lavaca called the Comedy Workshop. Being there changed the life of one person, who recalls what it was like.

"...when Jay Leno used to be funny? Back during the early Eighties? David Letterman had recently found a home..."

Jan. 26, 2001 Arts Feature by Angela Davis

Lasting Commitments

The 2008 class of the Austin Arts Hall of Fame

"...Some individuals make their contributions to a cultural scene in brief but intense..."

May 23, 2008 Arts Feature by Robert Faires

Big and Getting Bigger

Austin comic Eddie Gossling has always gotten a lot of attention for his size, but these days he's getting more attention for his comedy, and J.C. Shakespeare explains why.

"...people notice. While his imposing physical presence may be the first thing that catches their eye, it's something else..."

Dec. 10, 1999 Arts Feature by J. C. Shakespeare

Cap City Comedy Club Returns

Knock, knock. Who's there? Austin's comedy big dog reopens this week.

"...New home, same laughs. Cap City Comedy Club, the cornerstone of Austin's comedy scene for nearly four decades,..."

July 11, 2022 Arts Post by Richard Whittaker

Joey Waldon: In Memoriam

Popular stand-up comic and cartoonist has died at age 57

"...Velveeta Room regular and local cartoonist, Waldon routinely took the most ordinary subjects and gave them an offbeat spin..."

May 22, 2013 Arts Post by Robert Faires

A Guide to Austin Stand-Up: Venues

Where to find the funny in town

"...If any Austin spot deserves the title "Comedy Central," it's this 400-seat club on Research,..."

March 31, 2017 Arts Feature by Robert Faires

Cap City Comedy Club Closes

COVID closure shutters the venerable stand-up home for good

"...Yesterday, Cap City Comedy Club, the venue that's kept you – and all of Austin..."

Sept. 9, 2020 Arts Post by Robert Faires

Is Anybody Laughing?

In the midst of economic hard times and a wave of terrorist attacks, the comedy business wonders what's funny.

"...Right about now, the whole city was supposed to be doubled over with..."

Oct. 19, 2001 Arts Feature by Robert Faires

Dancing About Architecture

Eyes on the Prize

"...Here it is. The confirmed lineup for the Austin Music Awards, presented by..."

Feb. 21, 1997 Music Column

Articulations

Former fixture on the Austin comedy scene Charlie Shannon has passed away.

"...If the world feels a little less funny this week, it..."

Jan. 2, 2004 Arts Column by Robert Faires

Articulations

Comedy venues the Velveeta Room and Capital City Comedy Club get new leases on life, solo theatre artist Rob Nash gets roasted, and Dreamgirl Jennifer Holliday comes to Austin.

"...MIA comedy emporium the Velveeta Room turned up hale and hearty on Sixth..."

Feb. 21, 2003 Arts Column by Robert Faires

Articulations

Bogosian Hits Talk Radio

"...used to having star artists drop in to hear the locals when they visit town, but its theatre artists..."

Nov. 10, 1995 Arts Column

Queer Comedian Smackdown

Both Adelina Anthony and Margaret Cho in one weekend? Surely this is some form of sign of the gaypocalypse?

"...Would that be a hot match or what? No, these lovely ladies of comedy will not be duking it..."

Jan. 18, 2008 Qmmunity Post by Kate X Messer

Hicks Day

Feb. 26 marks 15th anniversary of the death of Bill Hicks

"...Today, Feb. 26, was the 15th anniversary of the death of Bill Hicks...."

Feb. 26, 2009 News Post by Richard Whittaker

RATs A-Comin'

"...Austin will indeed host some gathering of independent theatre companies and artists in August. Seventeen..."

Feb. 9, 1996 Arts Column

When Hollywood Met Steve Collins

... and other Austin stories from the L.A. Film Festival

"...George Lucas was there. Harrison Ford hosted a party. Angelica Huston gave a..."

July 7, 2006 Screens Feature by Toddy Burton

Coach's Corner

"...by Andy "Coach" Cotton To flee the smothering heat of the comedy critic's luxurious garden retreat..."

July 14, 1995 Column

Deadpool 2

The uncanny merc with a mouth returns with paternal instincts

"...massive nerd in an era of comic blockbusters. After the core Marvel Cinematic Universe broke all our hearts with..."

May 18, 2018 Movie Review by Richard Whittaker

ATX Film News

Bill Hicks, vampires, and slime

"...yet: On Oct. 31 (natch) Netflix announced that Castlevania, the animated adaptation of the long-running game franchise by Austin's..."

Nov. 9, 2018 Screens Column by Richard Whittaker

Not So Much With Teh Suck, Actually

Or: What, things aren't awesome enough for you yet?

"...I'm heading South on Guadalupe and I'm planning to stop & check out the new "Fugue States" show at..."

May 17, 2012 Chronolog Post by Wayne Alan Brenner

Public Notice

Indie*urp!*gestion

"...Austin bands upchuck prechewed songs by other locals in the Austin Eats Its Own Hoot Night,..."

Feb. 14, 1997 Column by Kate X Messer