Joel McHale salutes you! (Insert “McHale’s Navy” joke here.)

If you think the grinning, smart-alecky mug of Joel McHale seems at odds with a biker rally, you’re not alone. “If I tried to ride in on a motorcycle I’d probably kill myself,” joked McHale, the host of E!’s “The Soup.” “Maybe we can get a Segway instead.”

Seriously, though: The Seattle-bred comedian is looking forward to his show at the Thunder in the Rockies motorcycle rally at Loveland’s Budweiser Event Center tonight. “Performing stand-up at such a massive venue is rare for comedians,” he said.

We talked with McHale in advance of the set about his snarky TV gig, guest-judging for “Iron Chef America” and his role in Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming movie, “The Informant” — opposite Matt Damon. Check out our extended interview below.

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You could sit on the Sundance Cafe’s big, high, old-school deck (pocked, splintery, red-stained) for a long time, bathing in the sun, listening to the wind and staring at the spectacle of the Continental Divide.

Harleys will rumble into the gravel parking lot, but so might a hot pink scooter — at least, one did on a recent, warm Sunday after our weekend of camping. Rock climbers will sprawl at rough-hewn picnic tables on the deck with you. And so will mountain bikers, tourists, and leathery mountain people: an elderly woman with long, gray ponytails; a wiry guy with a bandanna headband and a beard hanging to his sternum.

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What to do — or not to do — as the politicos converge on our fair city? That is the question. Photo from Digital Verses.

Sick of hearing about the Democratic National Convention? It’s only going to get worse from here, amigo. But whether you’re a cheering conventioneer or a grumbling McCain supporter, you’re going to need a drink this weekend.

For the DNC donkeys, here are three public parties to check out in the coming days. And if you’re aching to escape, three refuges from the downtown insanity follow.

Tracks (3500 Walnut St.) will attract early birds to Unity Dance ’08, their giant DNC welcome party on Saturday. Aimed at gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender visitors (and locals), Unity Dance starts with a classy catered cocktail reception at 7 p.m. in the lounge. DJ Trina J will spin retro favorites as accompaniment.

The party amps up at 9 p.m., when DJs Lydia Prim and Manny Lehman take over the decks in the main room. Expect a mix of hot dance music all the way until 2 a.m. Admission to Unity Dance ’08 is $10 from 7 to 9 p.m., $15 from 9 to 11 p.m. and $25 from 11 p.m. until close. A portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit the Human Rights Campaign.

Also on Saturday, Sutra (1109 Lincoln St.) hosts “Barack the Night Away,” a DNC kickoff party that’s open to everyone. DJ Brian Howe spins while dancers, live body painters and prize giveaways keep the party moving. If you’ve donated to the Obama campaign, bring along proof of your donation — the top five contributors will win bottle service. The fun starts at 8 p.m. Call 720-933-6500 to make a bottle service reservation, and remember to bust out your hippest club attire.

Remember Stephen Kyle Nichols? As in, Stephen the College Republican from “The Real World: Denver”? He’s returning to Denver on Sunday, and now he’s a Democrat. He’s even hosting a party for the College Democrats of America at Opal (100 E. Ninth Ave.).

The mixer sounds relaxed, but with the convention starting Monday, it’s bound to be a bit politically charged. Because it’s a College Democrats party, it’s open to guests age 18 and older. (Drinks will be available for the over-21 crowd.) The festivities start at 9 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10.

For those who just want to forget the convention craziness, here are a few suggestions for a DNC-free experience. Patrick Carroll’s (3961 Tennyson St.) is a familiar, welcoming Irish pub in the Berkeley neighborhood. It’s far enough from downtown to avoid traffic hassles and roving crowds. And it’s easy to lose track of the outside world in Carroll’s dark, comfortable confines.

The Stampede Mesquite Grill and Dance Emporium (2430 S. Havana St.) is a staple in Aurora. Visitors can spend all night in its wide-open spaces: Fuel up for the evening with a half-pound burger, get loose with a few beers, then dance the night away.

Platte River Bar and Grill (5995 S. Santa Fe Dr.) in Littleton is the place for a patio drink. A sunny deck off the back of the bar overlooks the South Platte River and the mountains. Lean back under the patio umbrellas and ignore convention coverage. Order a bucket of beer.

– WHERE’S STING? –

Saturday’s party at Beta (1909 Blake St.) has a mission. It’s called “Tantra,” and its motto is: “A fundamental obligation to maximize pleasure.” Guess it’ll be fun, then.

The night’s headliner is Donald Glaude, a continent-hopping house DJ from San Diego who’s been dubbed “the James Brown of DJs.” Locals like Devious D, SpankE and Orangepeelmoses and the Sex Kittens will back up Glaude’s grooves, plus dancers, art and free body painting by The Glitter Freckle.

Ladies 21 and over get in free before 11 p.m. Advance tickets are $10 on groovetickets.com. Doors open at 9 p.m.

–Kathleen St. John

Don’t get him angry. Seriously.

Veteran stand-up Lewis Black, who plays the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on Friday as part of his “Let Them Eat Cake” tour, is not exactly known for his even temper. The comedian, author and host of the Comedy Central series “The Root of All Evil” has practically cornered the market on angry diatribes that are as gloriously unhinged as they are amazingly insightful.

But Black’s vitriol obscures a sharp, thoughtful mind that arrives at its conclusions in a more considered way than the scorched-earth landscapes they produce. We talked to Black in advance of his Denver date about his show (which recently started its second season), the Democratic National Convention and why he thinks American politicians have lately failed at their jobs.

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It likely will take two, maybe three, visits before Shin Yamamoto recognizes you as a familiar face. By the fourth stop, he probably will remember your name if you shared it. Five times, and he will know what dish you like; by the 10th time, he will offer you something special or wonder why you haven’t tried this “good one.”

“Here, you might like this?” slyly asks the general manager at Gohan-Ya, a tiny space in the strip mall just off the exit in West Vail, a blip so unassuming and plain you’d be tempted to suspect the casual, reasonably priced spot — owner Kazue Osaki also runs the sushi bar Osaki’s in Vail Village — is another chain link like the Subway next door.

Yamamoto pushes a large black plastic bowl toward you with a grin so big you might try fried spiders if he handed them over with that friendly smile, but instead he is offering sesame chicken, grease-free and spicy, no cloying sticky- sweetness, but clean flavors. The sauce looks thick but turns out to be slippery and also sharply sour, the meat quickly fried and crackly skinned, with a few flash-fried vegetables on the side that have retained their bright color and crunch.

It’s almost good enough to take you off your favorites, but if you’re like the other regulars — most of them obviously locals with whom Yamamoto jokes and inquires of kids’ soccer games and town meetings and was anyone hurt in that accident? — there are Gohan-Ya dishes that you must have. The yakiniku, for one, for the ginger that makes the spicy soy sauce sing, and also the dreamy shrimp tempura, because the kitchen here knows how to get in and out of the oil fast.

And it’s the quickness with which one can get in and out of Gohan-Ya (the name means “house,” or “ya,” of “light cuisine,” which is the “gohan”) that clearly draws folks to the 3-year-old eatery. Truckers leap out of their still-humming cabs just off the interstate to pick up steaming bowls of yaki-udon and gyoza and mountain bikers roll in sweaty and starving to draw from an ice-cold Pellegrino and talk over their ride with Yamamoto as they snag a just-packaged container of sushi rolls and a fresh seaweed salad.

Expecting to take your food with you is a good idea, because Gohan-Ya sports only a handful of slightly banged-up tables that fill up quickly during mealtimes (order at the counter and wait for the food to be delivered). And for a resort town, this is a delightfully low-key setup. The main design item here would be T-shirts with the word “Vail” in Japanese stapled to the walls.

But there’s Yamamoto’s grin, and that’s all the decoration you need.

– GOHAN-YA –

Asian lunch and dinner. Dining room hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 2121 N. Frontage Road W., Vail, 970-476-7570.

–Kyle Wagner