Me and the Missus don't get out much, for some reason our six month old baby bun soaks up all our attention. That, and I think it's illegal to leave them unattended. But last Saturday the grandparents were in town, and we had a 30th birthday to get to later that night, so we checked out Aziz Ansari's show at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre*.
*My old friend Dan used to perform there all the time before moving to Antarctica (no really, he did this one year base camp adventure job).
For the longest time I've been meaning to introduce my Dearest to the wonderful charms of the UCB, and Aziz Ansari Punched a Wall was a pretty great way to do it. I was reluctant to go at first, suspicious of the drumbeat from our NYC indie blogga aristocracy. I suspected they got bored annointing the next 'it' bands and had now moved on to comedians; in fact, Aziz is part of the local blogging ranks. It was a no brainer to check him out though after seeing the Shutterbugs videos, which are downright pee pee in the pant pant funny.
Shutterbugs Episode 1
Shutterbugs Episode 2
With all the writeups he gets I was expecting an ambitious "Premium Blend" echelon slick entertainer. Instead, he has an incredibly disarming stage presence, winning over the audience with his indirect, awkward delivery. I now see why the indie blogs got hip to him, onstage he has the bemused detachment of a character in a Wes Anderson film. The show has an an economical pacing, and the material ranges from kind of amusing to deep belly laugh -- but I'm not going to reveal why he punched that wall.
Quick shout to the act following him, the Wicked Wicked HammerKatz. First, because they asked if any bloggers were in the audience, that they get some hype. That earned me an elbow in the ribs from the Missus. Second, they are a hypertalented bunch of NYU kids who love a good suicide joke. So wrong, and yet so right.
Click here to reserve tickets to Aziz Ansari Punched a Wall and Wicked Wicked HammerKatz
posted by Miguel
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