When this world, this country we live in is going bat shit crazy, and it’s always going bat shit crazy, laughter is always the best medicine to balance it all out. It’s easy to throw on a TV show for comedic relief, but more and more people are getting their asses off the couch and making it down to their local comedy club. A good thing. Tonight is one occasion to make it out in Los Angeles on a Tuesday: Mike E. Winfield at Laugh Factory in Hollywood.
I got a chance to see Mike’s stand up at the Laugh Factory soon after I moved to Los Angeles last year, and it was definitely a laughing-crying-Tito-get-me-a-tissue kind of set. Some of the best comedy is taking every day experiences you can relate to and having someone twist them up into hilarious and ridiculous stories that cause you to fall out of your seat. Mike’s brilliant at doing this and has been at it since he debuted on The Late Show with David Letterman six years ago.
The dude has been on the road ever since, to the east coast and back, and all points in between, along with appearances on NBC’s The Office and Last Comic Standing, Showtime’s Comics Without Borders, BET’s Comic View and numerous comedy festivals.
Last month Mike visited Denver, where I lived for over 14 years, a city with a vibrant comedy community. So when I saw Mike’s blog post about his positive experience in Denver, I wasn’t surprised, “Almost the entire crowd stayed afterwards in the lobby to hang out and chill. It’s cool that you can rock with a group for an hour and it doesn’t have to end after that,” he wrote. “And it wasn’t just people buying merch and offering me weed even though that happen, it was about people that could relate. It was about no negativity. It was about no hate. About Love. I really appreciate a community with a heart. This is gonna be a lovely weekend.”
Then there are times when things aren’t all smiles and jokes, like when the Academy needs lessons in diversity – AGAIN. “I say let it stay racist. Every year, when they continue to overlook nominations and winners, they’re just gonna lose credibility. I’ve found that I’ve received more praise for coming in second when some felt I should’ve been first.”
So tonight at the Laugh Factory, we may hear about that…in a funny way, of course, or not. He may talk about his dream of hiring a personal chef that travels with him, not to cook him delicious meals at every turn, but to just sit in the back seat, yelling out food choices all day. “I’ll be in the front like, ‘Awww, that sounds good!’ That’s all I’ll be saying all day. ‘Umm, that sounds good.’ #LiveComedy #TacoTruck #ImStillHungry.”
Tonight, February 8 at 8pm, the Laugh Factory All-Star Comedy show will feature, in addition to Mike E. Winfield, Ali Wong, KT Tatara, Ari Shaffir, Neal Brennan, and Erik Griffin. Get tickets here.
The rest of the Mike E. Winfield Tour.
