Wood: Locals punch up amateur comedy scene

By Greg Wood
Thursday, August 13, 2009

Please wait while the video player loads. If you do not see it in a few seconds, please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player, or enable JavaScript for your browser to view the video player.

Side Splitters Comedy Club

When: Shows on Thursday-Sunday nights
Where: 9246 Park West Blvd.
More info: 865-934-5233

Nick Edgman took command of the crowd with a fluid performance at Side Splitters.

Comments

There are no comments yet. Click here to start the conversation!

Josh Monroe is among the local comics (and wannabes) to show off their skill at a recent open-mic comedy night.

Sean (whose last name escaped the photographer) takes the stage at a recent open-mic comedy night at Side Splitters in West Knoxville.

The local stand-up comedy scene isn't something you hear much about - at least not in the same way you do the music scene.

Granted, there's a good reason for this - it's much, much smaller. But Knoxville isn't devoid of locals doing stand up.

Side Splitters has a monopoly on the comedy scene currently. Big Mama's once offered open-mic stand up but has since discontinued the event do to lack of interest. And local Side Splitters headliner Spanky Brown has occasionally branched out to Babe's Lounge for shows recently. Other comedy shows pop up on occasion throughout town.

But the bottom line is if you're looking for laughs, Side Splitter's is going to be your best bet, and Wednesdays they hold open-mic night.

Populated mostly by performers and friends thereof, the open-mic night takes place in the smaller front lounge which is something to take note of - you're walking straight into the showroom so if you're late, be prepared to be called out by the comedian or emcee. This is common practice for comics.

The event costs starts early (7:30 p.m.) and costs $12 (or roughly $10.50 if you buy your tickets online beforehand) which is steep, but, fortunately, that includes a free slice of pizza and a free drink (even though signs regarding the venue's two-drink minimum abound in the showroom).

And though the evening consists entirely of amateur comedy, it's held together tightly by a few emcees and sound engineers with a strict set of rules.

The comics are placed on a list before the show begins and their performances are intertwined with emcees doing small sets. Overall, no performance lasts longer than a couple of minutes, offering an additional comedic punch.

The evening was dominated by comedians in their early and mid-20s and the topics that come with that territory, such as sex, text messaging and self-deprecating references.

Early in the evening a performer named Sean piqued my interest with a set about immaturity, saying he just put money down on an apartment and how at 21 he wasn't ready for that, given that he still daydreams about Batman.

Some comics ventured into more observational humor, with one pointing out he saw a license plate recently that said "private eye" on it, and how this would be detrimental to an actual private eye's career.

And though he wasn't crowned the title of headliner, a performer named Nick Edgman stole the show with commanding stage presence, fluid performance, and a slew of curse words. It should be noted that the evening is in no way PG or even PG-13, and Nick made me very, very aware of this fact.

Although most performers seemed to have worked on their short sets beforehand, there were still a few who were less seasoned. The crowd didn't heckle the performers or otherwise further discomfort the comics. If you can stand the palpable awkwardness filling the room, the underdeveloped comics are just as funny too, though in a far different way.

But such is the case with stand-up comedy. Some local performers on this evening chose a more awkward style, presenting themselves as irregular or offbeat - this is a tactic used by many comedians.

All in all, the evening wraps up at about the hour and a half mark, which is shorter than most shows, but at least it's highly concentrated with action and doesn't feel like it drags on. This may also be due in part to the short sets of comedians and the use of on non sequiturs as opposed to a more linear, storytelling style.

The event also features cheap drinks, with domestics and well drinks all under $3.50, which is an enticing offer. "The more you drink, the funnier you are" the emcee cracked between sets.

I can confirm this as true.

Open-mic stand up at Side Splitters occurs on select Wednesdays.

Comments

Share your thoughts

Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.