Mobtown Shank

Chunklet Writes The Book Of Rock (Rules)

Our friends over at Chunklet are writing the book on the rules of rock.

They're inviting readers to post rules.

Check out their last book, Chunklet's Overrated Book, as well as everything else from Chunklet multi-media empire.

Tonight: Race Films & Strausbaugh

Wednesday, February 28
Creative Alliance presents MIDNIGHT RAMBLES "Race Films"
7pm, FREE. Creative Alliance at The Patterson. Highlandtown, Baltimore.
3134 Eastern Ave.

John Strausbaugh:  Black Like You Lecture w/ film clips
White performers in blackface were a staple of minstrel shows, vaudeville, film and theater in the 19th and early 20th centuries. John Strausbaugh, author of BLACK LIKE  YOU: Blackface, Whiteface, Insult and Imitation in American Popular Culture, discusses this enduring racist phenomenon, with clips from Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Birth of a Nation, The Jazz Singer, Eddie Cantor's Roman Scandals, Spike Lee's Bamboozled, and Bugs Bunny cartoons. Strausbaugh is a Baltimore native, lives in NYC, writes for The New York Times and frequently emcees Night of 100 Elvises.

Q&A follows.

Buy Strausbaugh's Black Like You.

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To see weekly calendar listings, visit THE SHANK CALENDAR section of the Shank.
To see more upcoming shows, visit THE SKAG section of the Shank.

Tonight! The Barn Burners

Wednesday, February 28
 THE BARN BURNERS
10PM.  The Waterfront Hotel. Fells Point, Baltimore.
1710 Thames St .

Check out Barn Burners' MP3s.
Buy their latest CD, Shot Down.

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To see weekly calendar listings, visit THE SHANK CALENDAR section of the Shank.
To see more upcoming shows, visit THE SKAG section of the Shank.

WTF: It's Only A Bombing A Day...

On Larry King Live on CNN on 2.26, Laura Bush explained that Iraq isn't bad, it's just the combination of our media and that one little bombing a day that make us think it is:

"Many parts of Iraq are stable now. But, uh, of course, what we see on television is the one bombing a day that discourages everyone."

Unfortunately, on the day she said this, Reuters reported there were at least two bombings. But that's just splitting hairs, isn't it?

Source.

Tonight! Spinning Demo @ Atomic Pop!

Tuesday, February 27
ATOMIC BOOKS PRESENTS...
A HAND SPINNING DEMO
7-9PM. Free. Atomic Pop. Hamdpen, Baltimore.
3620 Falls Rd.

How do you think wool becomes yarn? It's spun!

Where my knittas at?
 
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To see weekly calendar listings, visit THE SHANK CALENDAR section of the Shank.
To see more upcoming shows, visit THE SKAG section of the Shank.

ShankTV: Skizz Cyzyk's Shorts

Here are a few of short films by Skizz Cyzyk.

First, his legendary Manager's Corner with Earl Weaver.

And also Gumdrops. With, um, gumdrops.

ShankTV: The Internet

link from Mike Hughes

Checkout this crazy thing they're calling "the internet." It's "growing like an embryonic brain!"

American Standard: Comedy Theory

by Benn Ray

For years, I've been writing this fantasy book in my head. Not fantasy as in dragons raping maidens in bronze bikinis and in-the-closet barbarians with broadswords that save the day, but fantasy as in, "maybe one day I will write this book even though I know I never will."

My fantasy book is about modern comedy theory. Exciting, no? I haven't even written it and already you're off browsing the home improvement section.

The idea is that I would look at different theories, styles, approaches to comedy and section them off into schools.

For example, you could put the puzzlingly popular Sam Kennison in the Screamo camp. His operating theory was if what you are saying isn't particularly funny, scream it, and people will laugh. There would be the Fat Guy camp where John Belushi would live (amazing feats of slapstick that become more amazing based on the girth of the participant). Chris Farley (another person whose popularity puzzles me) would cross over with Fat Guy and Screamo (Farley wasn't funny - his slapstick was amateur and his dialog delivery loud - and the combination of the 2 wowed clueless fratboys everywhere).

There's Comedy Narrative which would be owned by Bob Newhart, there's Improvisation as manifested by Jonathan Winters, there's Wordplay as mastered by Lenny Bruce and to a lesser extent George Carlin, there's Dadaist which was the terrirtory of Steve Martin in his heyday. Neuroses thy name is Woody Allen. There's Crossdressing as made famous by Milton Berle and Flip Wilson. There's Observational as owned by Jerry Seinfeld. There's Put-On which is Andy Kaufman's domain. There's Men Are From Mars humor of Tim Allen, there's Redneck Humor by Jeff Foxworthy. Etc. All of these have their own schools. Their own devotees. Etc. So I thought it would be an interesting book, a book I would like to read. So maybe one day I'd write it.

Since I'm not a famous comedian, or really even very funny at all, I doubt anyone would buy my book.

But I was recently having an IM conversation with a friend who got me thinking about it again, but in slightly different terms. Not in the realm of theory, but in the realm of Comedy Camps. And I started to break modern comedy into groups of people. This is what I came up with.

KIMMEL CLASS
Members: Jimmy Kimmel, Joe Rogan, The Man Show, Howard Stern, South Park, Jackass.
This tends to be stupid humor that is primarily based on cruelly mocking easy targets for the sake of cheap laughs or, likewise, doing stupid things. This is crass humor for the sake of being crass.

PUBLIC RADIO CLASS
Members: David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell, Garrison Keillor, Amy Sedaris, John Hodgman (sometimes crosses over with Daily Show Class).
Mildly amusing (except Keillor), literate, dry, sometimes it's not even funny at all, but its fans like to force themselves to believe it is.

DAILY SHOW CLASS
Members: John Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carrell (sometimes crosses over with Cringe Class), Sacha Baron Cohen (sometimes crosses over with Cringe Class), The Corddry brothers, Lewis Black, Ed Helms, Sam Seder, John Hodgman (sometimes crosses over with Public Radio Class).
A progressive view, usually sarcastic, and it tends to point out the hypocrisies of the modern world in all it's unreasonable absurdity.

CRINGE CLASS
Members: Larry David, Ricky Gervais, Sacha Baron Cohen (sometimes crosses over with Daily Show Class), Steve Carrell (sometimes crosses over with Daily Show Class).
This humor is based solely on how uncomfortable it can make the audience. It is perhaps the riskiest form of comedy because when one is too good at it, some audience members can't bear to watch.

SILVERMAN CLASS
Members: Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, David Cross, Mr. Show, Brian Posehn, Zack Galifinakis, Dave Chappelle.
A new breed of young comedians who tend to rely on sarcasm, skit/sketch situations, foul language and have more of an overall punk approach to humor. There seems to be an anger underneath their humor, but it's an anger we all share.

ADULT SWIM CLASS
Members: Frisky Dingo, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Venture Bros., Homestar Runner, Happy Tree Friends, etc.
Animated humor that tests boundaries and often relies on awakard pauses, unnecessary violence/bloodshed, and a Dadaist approach to the narrative.

Well, that's what I have so far. I'm sure I'm missing a lot, but it's a start.

See, I told you I wasn't funny.

Question O' The Week: Funny Comedy

WHICH COMEDIAN MAKES YOU LAUGH THE HARDEST?

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We'll run responses and announce a winner for the best response in the email version of the Shank.
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E-mail your responses to mobtownshankATatomicbooksDOTcom Please note: E-mailed esponses will be compiled and printed only in the email edition of the Shank. To subscribe, email the address above and say, "I want me a piece of that Shank". If you do not want to subscribe to the Shank, post your replies here.

Random Factoid: Record Numbers In US Fall Into Severe Poverty

by Benn Ray

Ah, Bushenomics.

Or, the "I Gots Ta Git Mine, Screw All Ya'll" economic theory.

You know, tax cuts for the rich during a time of war, no-bid crony contracts, reduction of entitlements, deregulation of industry, erosion of predatory lending laws, the obnoxious trumpeting of "Free Market" as if it actually has anything to do with freedom or Democracy or America, HUGE deficit spending, a steady bleed of US jobs overseas, unprecedented CEO salaries and corporate profits... if I didn't know better, I'd think our country was run by a bunch of government hating robber barons. Wait a minute. I don't know any better! We are being run by government hating robber barons.

It all has to lead somewhere, right? Well, unfortunately, it has.

According to the latest available census data from 2005, the number of Americans who are in the category of severely poor (income under $5,080 per year for individuals, $9,903 for a family of four) grew by 26% from 2000 - 2005.

16 million Americans are now severly poor, and the number is growing much faster than anyone anticpated (56% faster than the over all poverty population growth).

How has this happened? Well since the brief recession of 2001, worker productivity has dramatically increased. Unfortunately, wages and job growth have lagged. And "the share of national income going to corporate profits has dwarfed the amount going to wages and salaries."

Source.