Comedy Q&A: Joe Rogan

Posted on February.25.2009

rogan1
Yeah, he’s looking at you. What are you looking at?

Joe Rogan may come off like a dude’s dude, considering his hosting duties on NBC’s now-defunct reality gross-out show “Fear Factor” and his color commentary on Spike TV’s Ultimate Fighting Championships. But Rogan’s also a comic’s comic, constantly honing his craft, calling out weak comics (including alleged joke-stealers like Carlos Mencia and Dane Cook) and blogging regularly on his website.

Rogan’s no-holds-barred, un-P.C. approach certainly manages to offend much of the audience by the end of his act, but isn’t that the way free speech, or at least healthy stand-up comedy, should be? Since we hadn’t talked to him in awhile, thought we’d get with Rogan in advance of his shows at Comedy Works South Thursday-Saturday. A busy road comic that plays any chance he gets, this will be Rogan’s first time at the shiny new venue.

Here’s what Rogan had to say, via e-mail, about fatherhood, his latest TV gig and his joke-writing process. And, of course, hangovers.

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John Wenzel @ 2:45 pm
Filed under: Denver Comedy and Get Real and Hot Spots / Sightings and Q&A
Eat Local: Black Forest Restaurant

Posted on February.23.2009

Black Forest

Sometimes when I eat at the Black Forest Restaurant in Nederland, I lose myself to odd reveries. I find myself in a village with a long name — something like Stuttfrankhaufenschmidtfurt — in a green, stony mountain valley, a place of blond pigtails and window boxes and the sound of a stream.

Or, in another vein, I’m living within the movie “The Shining,” early in the film, when the picture fixes upon the enormous hotel and its air of spookiness, but before the arrival of the blood and insanity. There is something simultaneously German (by design) and cinematic (by accident) about the Black Forest Restaurant.

“I’ll make you whatever your little black heart desires,” said the restaurant owner, with a smile, to my wife one evening. He is a big man with a thick German accent. My wife, Annie, a vegetarian, had asked for a grilled cheese, which wasn’t on the menu. The menu was like a guide to a meat festival (sauerbraten, wienerschnitzel, Hungarian goulash, etc.).

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Douglas Brown @ 11:30 am
Filed under: Eat Local - Denver and Get Real
National Margarita Day? Why not?

Posted on February.20.2009

margarita

Somebody, somewhere, decided that Feb. 22 is National Margarita Day. It was hard to find an official source on this information, which was recently gleaned from a promotional poster at Benny’s (301 E. Seventh Ave.). A quick Googling of the subject brings back plenty of hits, but none that looks sanctioned by the United States government or another holiday-making body.

Nonetheless, it’s a fine enough time to celebrate the margarita, the tangy beverage of choice at Mexican restaurants everywhere. Maybe February isn’t the best month — summer’s still a long way off — but kicking back with a strong marg is sure to bring back memories of sunny days past and a sweet yearning for patio drinks to come.

In celebration of the holiday, here are a couple of places to sample the margarita at its best.

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Kathleen St. John @ 3:14 pm
Filed under: Hot Spots / Sightings and Kathleen St. John
Music Q&A: U.S. Pipe CD release

Posted on February.17.2009

u.s. pipe1
Photo courtesy of Allen Klosowski.

U.S. Pipe has the funk credentials of a pair of sequined bell bottoms. Founder and lead guitarist Citrus (a.k.a. Chris Sauthoff) has worked as a stage manager and guitarist with George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars since 1995, and since 2005 his own band has been cranking out killer live shows from Red Rocks to the Fillmore.

Now U.S. Pipe is preparing to release its first full-length CD on Thursday at the Bluebird Theater, with help from locals Foma and Future Jazz Project. The show, which doubles as a food and clothing drive, will feature giveaways (the first 50 fans in the door will receive a collectible poster signed by U.S. Pipe) and incentives (everyone who brings the aforementioned non-perishable food item and/or clothing to donate to local charities will receive freebies courtesy of Flying Dog Brewery).

We e-mailed Sauthoff and bandmates Kurt (bassist), Missy “Bubbles Johnson” (vocals), Azma (emcee/vocals) and Michael (tenor sax) to talk about the new album, which will be released through their own label, Pipe Circle Music, Inc., the release show, and which bands they’re just dying to play with — but haven’t yet.

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John Wenzel @ 6:07 pm
Filed under: Hot Spots / Sightings and Local Bands - Denver and Music and Q&A
Comedy Q&A: Jon Glaser of Delocated!

Posted on February.12.2009

delocated
Avoiding death has never been this much fun!

The premise is simple: After ratting out the dastardly Russian mafia, “Jon” and his kin are shuffled to a new undercover life through a friendly government witness protection program. But instead of living under the radar, “Jon” talks his family into becoming reality TV stars in New York — all the while wearing black ski masks.

If that sounds a bit far-fetched or like a pitch for a particularly demented cartoon series, you’re not far off. “Delocated!” is a new series from Adult Swim that, incidentally, premieres tonight on the late-night Cartoon Network programming block.

In advance of the show we spoke with “Jon,” a.k.a. Emmy-winning comedian and writer Jon Glaser (“Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “Human Giant,” “The Daily Show,” etc.) about the show’s origin and why digitally-altered voices are so friggin’ funny.

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John Wenzel @ 5:41 pm
Filed under: Denver Comedy and Get Real and Q&A
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