Well, my angels, I did not make the cut to finals, but I had a great week, I got drunk in a casino and pretended I was a giant Canadian’s wife, I had some amazing SF company and vegan food, and I got to perform to a 1500 person audience in beautiful Santa Rosa. Here’s my set, introduced by the hilarious Sammy Obeid.
Dear Los Angelans:
I’m very excited to share with you some important mews. The legendary Baby Ketten Karaoke, with the baddest book in the universe, (where “bad” means “good” and “universe” means “Continental United States”) is opening a local satellite that will run first and third Sundays at the Ace Hotel in LA, starting Sunday, Aug 3rd! RSVP here!
It’s slated to be rooftop karaoke, with plenty of space for dancing and singing and hot tubbing and shenanigans, run by the Ketten’s close friend Meggie Nicole! If we have ever stood next to each other for any amount of time you have heard me run my mouth about Portland’s Baby Ketten, which is the best karaoke ever. The book is not just expansive but obsessive, with many many many original Ketten-only tracks, and constantly updated with today’s weirdest hits! Here’s the New York Times article on the Ketten phenom: here!
Have you ever wanted to sing Siouxsie Sioux’s apocalyptic lullaby, Metal Postcard? Probably not, but I did, and I sang it at Baby Ketten! Bauhaus’ Kick in the Eye? Think you can keep an audience through Pulp’s bump and grind classic, This is Hardcore? Find out! Do you think singing Laid by James will get a singalong going? Can you handle Tori Amos’ Crucify? Do you think you can step to The Strangler’s Peaches?
Here is a partial listing of my favorite Baby Ketten Karaoke tracks to give you a taste. Go to their website here or install the app to look for your favorite songs! YES OF COURSE THEY HAVE AN APP!
Mark Ronson- Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This one Before
Suicidal Tendencies- Institutionalized
Nine Inch Nails- Something I Can Never Have
Hoodoo Gurus- Like Wow, Wipeout
Tori Amos- Smells Like Teen Spirit
The Smiths- The Queen Is Dead
The Horrors- Still Life
She & Him- Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?
The Cure- Why Can’t I Be You?
The Cure- The Walk
LCD Soundsystem- Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
Radiohead- Lucky
The Normal- Warm Leatherette
The Dead Milkmen- Instant Club Hit
Rufus Wainwright- Vibrate
Nina Simone- I Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl
Desire- Under Your Spell
Belle And Sebastian- Lord Antony
Siouxsie and the Banshees-Metal Postcard
Echo and the Bunnymen-Killing Moon
XTC-Senses Working Overtime
Japan-Quiet Life
Replacements-Alex Chilton
Nick Cave-Red Right Hand
Proclaimers-Sunshine on Leith
Beats International-Dub Be Good To Me
Belle and Sebastian-Funny Little Frog
Pixies- No. 13 Baby
Beautiful South-Rotterdam
Pulp- This is Hardcore
Psychic TV- Godstar
Warpaint- Undertow
AND SO MUCH MOAR!
I love the Ketten so much I have talked about them in my blog before, here and here!
POSTSCRIPT: This show ROCKED and everyone who was a part of it was GREAT! Local karaoke celebs Kevin Cable and Howard Hallis came out! BABY KETTEN will be back Aug 17!
A friend reminded me of this amazing night with John Brophy’s Baby Ketten Karaoke outfit when I got to sing one of my favorite Pixies songs and garnered my favorite YouTube comment, “Not bad for a fatso.” Filmed by the adorable Brendan Gill.
Reblog from sorryaboutyourdad.tumblr.com
“He went out just as he would have wanted. In the parking lot of a casual eatery.”
Comedian Virginia Jones and I have some things in common. We’ve both been found trying to elbow our respective ways to the top of the Portland comedy heap, and we both had largely adult-free childhoods. Yes, there WERE adults, somewhere. Just not at home. I thought I had known the extent of wild adolescent transgressions but then I talked to Virginia and who knew you could huff the freon in your air conditioner? I mean I guess you can huff a lot of things. My family is pretty chubby so maybe nobody was willing to give up that cool cool air during the summer. Just kidding, we never had air conditioning, you dummy!
“Raised” in Texas, she vows never to go back, while her dad stayed Texas loyal until his death last year.
In addition to her dad, we discuss how having good parents can ruin a person, why Russell Brand loves fat women but won’t date them, and what’s worse – a baby or AIDS?
And if you don’t make it to the end, just fast forward because HER LAUGH AT THE END! What a laugh! She’s the best.
Listen Here.
Subscribe in iTunes here.
Follow Virginia on Twitter @badiniadones and read her blog / see her live!
P.S. Amy changed up podcasts to “Who’s Your God?” because after recording her fifth podcast with another comic crying about their dead dad, she asked herself: What is this for?
Photo Credit: Jonathan Saunders of I Like To Tell Stories
I’m excited to announce that one of my oldest Portland comedy pals, Dax Jordan, and I are bringing a new comedy night to the LA area! It’s at the super cool Complex at 806 Colorado in Glendale. We’ll be hosting our amazingly hilarious friends and offering 2 lottery spots for attending comics! COMPLEX features a full bar and ample seating and lots of fun for EVERYONE.
First Show’s Roster: Ron Funches (Kroll Show, Conan, Undateable)
Auggie Smith (Living Legend, won SF and Seattle comps the same year)
Robert Buscemi (just a real ray of sunshine and a real pretty peacock)
Heather Thomson (Class, Sass, and Ass)
Booking requests go to Glendaliabooking@gmail.com!
A beautiful birthday portrait of myself as Bloodmeadow by Pete Ellison, the very talented wunderkind at www.heyitspete.com! And when’s the last time you watched an episode of GOTHIXXX? Probably too long!
Here it is in a lovely frame I stole from an Oscars party.
I’m so excited to be visiting Portland’s Helium Comedy Club to support the hilarious Tommy Johnagin March 6,7,8! I won’t be at Bridgetown this year, so this is your only chance to see visiting Portlander Virginia Jones until next year!
Postscript: It was a fun week of shows, although Ian Karmel came out to run his late night set and that made me feel like a schlub, which is usually how I feel in my hometown.