willhines.net

These are my friends at work. I am also in this video.

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3 Comments | Tags: work

First of all, Comi-con was a blast. I performed on the Jedi Stage to an enthusiastic audience, about 50% of which were in Jedi costume. Thank you, Matt Little, for giving me the chance to have that previous sentence be something that is true. I wrote a special set of material, because I don’t know if I’ll have another chance to weave jokes about price guides and 1980s text adventures into one batch ever again. Thank God for Elephant Larry and A Week of Kindness who not only did funny stuff in the show, but performed the Good Karmic Work of watching everyone else so we didn’t all feel totally foolish doing [...]

3 Comments | Tags: comics, eliza, stand-up

When I ride to work on the L train, I travel underneath the East River. It’s a long stretch for a subway ride. During that time, the train’s automated announcements run, almost all of which are telling the riders what they can’t do: don’t lean against doors, don’t forget to report suspicious packages, don’t cross between cars. I resent this barrage of lecturing during what would otherwise be a quiet ride.

But it is inspiring me to execute a photography project I’ve been wanting to do for years: Project No! I would take my camera and photograph every instance of the word “No” or “Don’t” that I encounter in between my house and my job. It [...]

8 Comments | Tags: comics, stand-up

A few comics notes this morning, friends:

Love and Rockets is celebrating its 25th anniversary. They’re re-releasing the series, apparently grouping the stories by brother as opposed to strict chronology. Lotsa interviews and events out there. (via FLOG! and others). Gilbert Hernandez picture above from Journalista — click it for a non-blurry version.

I haven’t read Spider-Man regularly since maybe 1985, so I’m more than a little behind. But apparently, Mary-Jane has died, and it’s recently revealed that she died because of Peter Parker’s radioactive sperm. Even in a world where villains dress up like scorpions and octopi — that’s crazy. (via Journalista).

A word on “death of” comic book [...]

16 Comments | Tags: comics

Tonight my improv group 1985 (1/8 of which is pictured above) takes the stage at UCBT at 11pm to do a special weekend show. Come see!

I had previously plugged a stand-up gig I will be doing at NY Comic Con. I thought that was this weekend, but it’s actually in 2 weekends which is not at all tomorrow. Since the info is already here, I’ll leave it, even though it’s a few weeks away.

Saturday Feb. 24 at 11am: I will be doing stand-up at this show at the NY Comic Con:
Matt Little Presents: Nerdcore Comedy!
hosted by Matt Little and Kasey Soska
February 23-25 (3 days!!!)
at New York Comic Con
Jacob Javits Center[...]

1 Comment | Tags: improv, ucbt

A class of Tokyo residents sits in front of the video monitor. Its members are eager to learn English. The monitor starts displaying a series of scenes, with the description of those scenes printed at the bottom of the screen in English. A pleasant-sounding narrator reads along with the captions. Some words are capitalized to signal to the students that they are significant.

The PASSPORT is one CLASSY type of identification. (click)
GREETINGS. These are my PALMS. (click)
Oh oh! There are too many BARSTOOLS here! (click)
The AMOEBA is PSUEDOPODDING. (click)
Let’s not tell FATHER about his HEAD. (click)
HELLO. I am wearing PASTIES. (click)
Say! Could I TRANSPORT your SPIDER PLANTS when you are done with them? (click)
A [...]

4 Comments

Good podcast:
http://www.coverville.com/

They focus on music covers. This one is fun: original songs that are better known by their covers (like “Superman” which was not originally done by R.E.M., apparently). Sean Taylor pointed this one out to me. Before listening to this podcast, the song I was most surprised to learn was a cover was “Hanging on the Telephone” which was done first not by Blondie but by The Nerves.

You probably all know about it. What do I know? My musical knowledge doesn’t really delve too much in the obscure except what I’ve learned at my job. And the only thing I’ve been able to keep in my tiny brain is that I like the Apples in Stereo.

3 Comments

Look at these crazy mugs. It’s the face of PRIMAL BIAS, an improv team performing Saturday night. And as if it’s not enough, we have Porter Mason and Ashley Ward sitting in with us. We’re being taped and preserved forever onto mini-DV tapes, which will be launched into space to represent the culture of planet Earth. Please come be in the audience so people in space don’t think we’re lame.

Details:
Saturday February 3rd 8:30pm.
The place is Gotham City Improv’s new studio at this address:
48 West 21st Street, 8th Floor
Between 5th and 6th Avenues
Closest subway stops are the W, F, and 1 to 23rd Street

Look for the big 48 on 21st Street, and [...]

2 Comments | Tags: improv, primal bias