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<p>Entries in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary (249)</p>
<p>Friday Jun 11 2010  SketchfestNYC 2010 - Hitting Up Pangea 3000</p>
<p>Friday, June 11, 2010 at 5:56PM Pangea 3000 closes out our SketchfestNYC 2010 interview series--catch them Saturday at 8PM. Didn't Matt do a great job with these? Nice work, Matt.</p>

<p>> SketchFestNYC continues tonight and tomorrow at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Everything you need to know about who's playing and how to get tickets can be found here.</p>

<p>The Apiary | Post a Comment tagged Pangea 3000 , Sketchfest NYC 2010 in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Interviews , Videos Friday Jun 11 2010  SketchfestNYC 2010 - Hitting Up Dave and Ethan and Rue Brutalia</p>
<p>Friday, June 11, 2010 at 3:52PM Sketchfest newbies, Dave and Ethan, and Sketchfest vets, Rue Brutalia, chat with Matt Fried for a bit.</p>

<p>> SketchFestNYC continues today and tomorrow at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Everything you need to know about who's playing and how to get tickets can be found here.</p>

<p>The Apiary | Post a Comment | 1 Reference tagged Dave and Ethan , Matt Fried , Rue Brutalia , Sketchfest NYC 2010 in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Interviews Friday Jun 11 2010  SketchfestNYC 2010 - Hitting Up Murderfist</p>
<p>Friday, June 11, 2010 at 12:13PM</p>

<p>Matt Fried hangs out backstage with the mob of Murderfist; the hirsute megagroup is packing an all new show this year and they came ready to party hard.</p>

<p>SketchFestNYC continues today and tomorrow at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Everything you need to know about who's playing and how to get tickets can be found here.</p>

<p>The Apiary | Post a Comment | 1 Reference tagged Murderfist , Sketchfest NYC 2010 in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Interviews , Videos Thursday Jun 10 2010  SketchfestNYC 2010 - Hitting Up Jeremy Lamb, Executive Producer of the Festival</p>
<p>Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 1:44PM</p>

<p>SKETCHFESTNYC Mere hours before the first act takes the stage, I checked in with the man of the hour, Jeremy Lamb, aka the guy accountable for keeping the SketchfestNYC dream alive and making the show happen this year.</p>

<p>As the new executive producer of SketchfestNYC this year, tell me about your day to day role in the fest?</p>

<p>I'm responsible for making sure the whole damn thing from pre to post-festival goes right. Whether that means delegating tasks or doing things myself, the buck stops at me and it just has to get done somehow, right? It's been a buttload of work but I love this kind of amorphous event and festival management work, especially when it pays $0.</p>

<p>What experience did you have coming into this and what's been the biggest challenge so far?</p>

<p>Well, among many years of producing independent comedy tours and shows (mostly improv), I also started a comedy festival in 2002 called Out of Bounds in my native Austin, TX and since then I've executive produced it every year but the two I was in Chicago. That festival is actually much larger than SF NYC and has taught me a lot about the challenges and joys of running a festival. You have to be a master of all trades and a jack of none, and I'm hoping my time at both of these important annual events, OOB and SF, will only enhance my continued time at the other. The biggest challenge has been coming into an established scene and staff and finding myself up against some precedence and not knowing exactly how important some of that history is. But the staff, comprised of almost all veteran SketchFest staffers, has been amazing and very understanding of my trepidations. They put a lot of trust in me, even though some of them had never even met me, and that was totally badass of them and allowed us to put together an awesome lineup.</p>

<p>Click to read more ...</p>

<p>The Apiary | 1 Comment | 1 Reference tagged Jeremy Lamb , Sketchfest NYC 2010 in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Interviews , Sketch Wednesday Jun 02 2010  Inside With: Tom Sibley, Proprietor of SubwayDouchery.com</p>
<p>Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at 11:34AM</p>

<p>By: Sara Laurence</p>

<p>Comedian Tom Sibley hosts a bi-monthly stand-up show at Legion in Williamsburg and maintains the increasingly popular and hilarious, albeit nausea-inducing blog, Subway Douchery, which captures everything you'd want to unlearn about our fellow straphangers in the subway. Between doing regular stand-up and acting gigs around town, Tom took some time to answer a few questions.</p>

<p>Tell us about yourself, how did you end up in New York City?</p>

<p>I moved to New York from Doylestown, Pennsylvania to go to an acting school called The Neighborhood Playhouse for two years, studying the Miesner Technique and convincing myself I was the next Sean Penn. I graduated and was not immediately famous which was disheartening. Over a year out of school, I was a moderately successful cater waiter and I finally got the guts to do stand up after a couple friends of mine started doing it. I always loved and wanted to do stand up but just didn't think it applied to regular civilians... and so my career began doing stand up above a Greek restaurant in Queens, bombs away!</p>

<p>You now host a show at Legion in Williamsburg, what do you look for in a comedian before you'll book them on the show?</p>

<p>I produce The MacGyver Show with comics Danny Solomon and Robert Dean. Honestly, we are just looking for funny people. Well-loved faces to comics making their way up, as long as they are funny and want to have a good time, will have a warm spot on The MacGyver Show. That being said, a big name that gets bums in seats never hurts. We had Colin Quinn on the show and the place was packed with a great audience which always makes for a magical evening.</p>

<p>With your blog, Subway Douchery, you are the Internet's preeminent force in exposing inconsiderate grossness underground. And you’re getting some decent press. Have you ever gotten any feedback from the people photographed?</p>

<p>I've never had any feedback directly from a person pictured which is a blessing. I did have a reporter from the Daily News tell me she wouldn't be surprised if someone recognized themselves in a picture and then hunt and murder me. I hoped was kidding but she was dead serious. I didn't sleep well that night. The site has been featured in the New York Post, NBC New York, Comedy Central and a few other places. Which is both amazing and wildly unexpected for something this ridiculous.</p>

<p>Most of the feedback has been really positive. Except for a post I did about a woman openly breast feeding a rather large child on the subway. I wasn't aware that breast feeding was such a hot button issue and it got quite a few people fired up. I received many emails from feminist groups telling me I was setting "the movement" back twenty years. I will go on record as saying I have nothing against breast feeding (or sleeping naked, or strength training with resistance bands, all of which have been featured on the site) ... but doing these activities on the subway does seem a bit inappropriate.</p>

<p>Some of this stuff is pretty gross, are you censoring what we’re seeing?</p>

<p>I always censor people's identities by blurring their faces. Not for legal reasons, it just looks funny. I receive many pictures of bodily fluids and solids. Not even a person actively producing them, just a snap shot of the finished product. I'll get an extensive pictorial of a puddle of vomit and the person will write, "I saw this and immediately thought of you... enjoy!" I'm happy they thought of me.</p>

<p>If someone took an unsuspecting photo of you while you were riding the subway, what would you be doing?</p>

<p>I'd probably be doing any number of things I've pictured on the site. But if I do get a picture of me being a jerk, I will post it that day and it will be the final post of Subway Douchery. So I hope to be naked, bucket drumming, and breast feeding in a vigorous blaze of glory!</p>

<p>Anything Else? Summer plans? Plugs?</p>

<p>A company is working on an iPhone app for Subway Douchery which might be out this summer. I shot a feature for AOL's TV Squad where I crashed a fancy television network party and proceeded to get into a wrestling match with Mike The Miz. Comedian Ryan Mckee and I are hoping to make it into a regular web series. Also, The MacGyver show the first and fourth Tuesday of every month at Legion Bar in Williamsburg! Perhaps, the greatest show ever!</p>

<p>The Apiary | 1 Comment | 9 References tagged Subway Douchery , The MacGyver Show , Tom Sibley in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Interviews Wednesday May 26 2010  Inside With: Halle Kiefer</p>
<p>Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 12:19PM  By: Meredith Haggerty</p>

<p>Whether breaking down the obsession with Elena Kagan’s sexuality on her blog Mustang Halle, dissecting Glee for The Awl (I'm really into Glee recaps, okay??), or expressing serious concern about the BP oil spill in her web series Halle and Jess, Halle Kiefer is all over the internet making you laugh. In real life, she is an improv and sketch comedian, with the group Blood Money, and does stand up, including having her own awesome new variety show, Nice!, at Legion in Williamsburg. I asked Halle to give us a little insight into the life of a very funny, very busy up-and-comer.</p>

<p>Mustang Halle, your Tumblr, is extremely popular. So much so, that you were featured in Housing Works' Tumblr reading series, and subsequently The New Yorker. How has Tumblr, and the responses you've received, affected what you do?</p>

<p>“Extremely” is certainly a super nice and subjective term for it; thank you! Tumblr and the reading got me in touch with a lot more people who laugh at the same things I do. I feel like it's been helpful for me personally because it reminds me to write and write and write, since I am lucky enough to have a captive audience of people who are interested in reading my material. I like having the obligation to them, and in turn, people can tell me if they actually like my material pretty much as soon as I post it.</p>

<p>Your web series with comedian Jess Burkle, Halle and Jess, is now in its second season. Where did Halle and Jess come from?</p>

<p>Jess and I have been friends since the third grade, so I feel like it’s been a long time coming. I remember in middle school I worked with Jess to choreograph an elaborate dance sequence to the song "Sing Sing Sing" that we wanted to add to our production of Peter Pan. The director said no, which at the time seemed totally unfair, but in retrospect was probably her way of preventing us from being pelted with batteries while we were on stage. The videos are born out of that same chemistry and sense of humor we’ve shared since we were 8. After both moving to New York and entering the comedy world, we wanted to create something that would make us work together on a consistent basis. For the most part, we just riff on current events and the Marmaduke movie.</p>

<p>You are The Awl's awesomely intense Glee recapper. Is it hate-watching or love-watching for you?</p>

<p>It’s such a fine, fine line. I feel like at this point it is love-watching. I think? Yeah, I think so. There are just too many great elements (Jane Lynch, the singing, Jane Lynch) for me to look away. I also generally love TV and writing show reviews, so it’s easy for me to get so worked up that the difference between affection and hatred becomes irrelevant to me.</p>

<p>How did your improv group, Blood Money, come together?</p>

<p>My teammate Jim subbed into my Improv 101 class at UCB and we immediately started improv-crushing on each other. When he started a team with some classmates last fall, he asked me to join. They are all such talented comedians; I consider myself preternaturally lucky that we all support and "get" each other to the degree that we do. I feel like I am in a remarkably functional relationship with 6 people who I just want to kiss and bear-hug all the time.</p>

<p>Your new show with Dan Chamberlain, Nice!, just had its debut at Legion in Williamsburg. Can you tell us more about the show?</p>

<p>Dan and I were really jazzed to start a show with a little bit of everything: stand-up, improv, sketch, general weirdness. It’s a great space and we also both live nearby and wanted to do it in Brooklyn, something convenient for people living in the neighborhood. The first show went so well I’m already having heart palpitations thinking about keeping it consistently good. On a more selfish level, I think we were both interested in forcing people to watch us host as vampires and middle-school students and basically act like cretins. We’re really happy with that.</p>

<p>A lot of comedians today, including yourself, use a variety of mediums (sketch comedy, standup, blogging and the vlogging). How do you think experimenting with so many different outlets has shaped your approach to comedy?</p>

<p>In my mind once you realize that there are all these options available to you, it really motivates you to figure out what medium will work best for whatever bit you are trying to do. Working on a bunch of different kinds of projects had forced me figure out how to use my time wisely, why a joke that works in stand-up might not in a video, etc. Sort of a "if you want something to get done, give it to a busy person" type of thing. I also have a miniscule attention span (like we all do, right?) so having different projects helps fulfill that need for variety.</p>

<p>What other upcoming projects are you working on?</p>

<p>Oh well, let’s see... I’m being published in a sex writing book this summer edited by writer/Tumblrer Meaghan O’Connell (don’t worry; my story is mainly embarrassing, not sexy), Blood Money Sketch is writing a new show, I’m working on writing more reviews, and am in the zygote-y stages of a book. Other than that, just a lot of stand-up and sweet, sweet summer loving.</p>

<p>The Apiary | Post a Comment | 8 References tagged Halle Kiefer in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Interviews Wednesday May 19 2010  Inside With: Gabe Liedman</p>
<p>Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 12:17PM</p>

<p>By: Meredith Haggerty</p>

<p>Be it stand up, videos, or blogging, Gabe Liedman is one of the most hilarious guys running around today. His stand up show, Big Terrific, which he co-hosts on Wednesday nights at Cameo with Max Silvestri and Jenny Slate, has become one of the marquee shows in the city to attend and perform in. I sent a few questions to Gabe about his celebrated show, his experiences, and, of course, Glee.</p>

<p>Big Terrific was recently named the "2010's Best Stand-Up in New York," by New York Magazine, which was kind of a big deal because it sort of affirmed the passing of the comedy torch from Manhattan to Brooklyn. How did it all come about?</p>
<p>Jenny and I had a show running at Rififi before it passed away, and Max had one running at Sound Fix in Brooklyn. We were all friends, and neither of the shows were weekly, but we figured with three hosts, we'd be able to pull it off every week. Almost two years later, we've built an amazing little institution, and we are all super proud of our baby (none of us will ever make a real baby).</p>

<p>Stand up, writing, or videos: Do you have a favorite medium to be funny in?</p>
<p>Stand up is definitely home base for me. Even in my videos and writing projects, I basically always "play" myself anyway. My standup is super personal, and I like that. When I get compliments on it, it makes me feel like everyone else is as big of an asshole as I am, because they relate.</p>

<p>You've been performing with Jenny Slate as a duo for years, but you also work alone. How do you find working in a pair versus performing solo?</p>
<p>Working in a pair with Jenny is awesome, because as well as we work together, our joke writing is super different. She comes up with shit that would never occur to me, and vice versa. I'm always like "what?!" about jokes she thinks are totally normal. Doing my solo stuff has been eye-opening, because for a long time I didn't know if I'd even be funny without her, but I am! And my voice and point of view have kind of surprised me, now that I'm writing 100 percent of the jokes. Also, I never thought I'd write over an hour of standup in a year. I've been really surprised in a good way by my solo stuff.</p>

<p>To make a huge and sweeping generalization, the stand up scene is a lot of straight guys. How do you find audiences react to a gay man/straight lady comedy duo? Do you think you attract a different crowd?</p>
<p>I am always kind of scared to do my super gay material in front of straight crowds and straight comedians, but it always goes over well. I even have a bit about anal douching, about how my ass is a pussy that fills up with shit every day, which gay guys don't even talk about with each other. But the truth is, funny is funny. It doesn't matter. And if someone doesn't wanna laugh because I'm gay and that might make them gay or something, well, I'm the least of their problems. As for the other dude comics, no one's ever been weird or rude to me about my sexuality, unless they haven't seen my act. And again, if that's the case, fuck 'em, they're the ones not having fun. We do get a lot of gays at Big Terrific, but I don't know if that's because of me, or because of the neighborhood... Either way, there's tons of straight people too!</p>

<p>Speaking of things that are gay, you've been writing hilarious recaps of Glee on Videogum. What do you want to see happen on the show in these final episodes?</p>
<p>I'd love to see a whole episode about Brittany; she is the best. So funny, SO good at dancing, I can't get enough of her. Maybe a good lesbian affair between her and Mercedes, where Mercedes sings every song and Brittany does all the talking and dancing? Also, no doy, if Puck kissed Kurt I'd die, in a good way!</p>

<p>Finally, what's next for Gabe Liedman?</p>
<p>Up next? You'll be seeing me a lot on TV, as a talking head. Apparently I'm good at that! Also, I'm working on a bunch of funny-ass writing, new jokes and scripts, you know. I know that's super vague but a girl shouldn't jinx herself, am I right? What I'm saying is don't worry about it, everything's going great!</p>

<p>--Meredith Haggerty crushes dreams for a living, but in her free time she is a nerd about jokes. She is a former SNL intern, and blogs sometimes laughable stuff here.</p>

<p>The Apiary | 3 Comments | 11 References tagged Gabe Liedman in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary , Interviews Wednesday May 05 2010  EXCLUSIVE: A Sarah Silverman Set List From 2004</p>
<p>Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 12:17PM The Apiary got its hands on a curious piece of comedy memorabilia recently -- a Sarah Silverman set list from her Jesus Is Magic days. I'm told the written notes are likely those of the director in charge of filming the performance at Fez Under Time Cafe in New York in April of 2004. It's interesting that just the words "Stripper" and "Wax Assholes" could unpop a can of insights in Sarah's brain. I also love that my mother would hyperventilate while reading it.</p>

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