Kyle Cease

[Big Box Of Money]

Did Dennis Hopper hook a bomb to Kyle Cease and tell him if he slows his delivery down, he will blow up The Improv?

::Applause sign for HMM::

Also, not that material theft is Cease's #1 fault, but I heard that "You can't just turn around and walk back when you forget something" almost verbatim from someone I'm not even that crazy about years ago. Maybe Steve Steve Oedekerk? Joe Bolster? Someone else who's a thing?

[Harry Bongers]

That improv set made me angry.

[tatanjinx]

LIIIIIIIIIIIKKKKEEEEEE AAAAAAAAAA VAAGIIIIIIIIIINAAAAAA

[Dogwelder]

Hey, you guys are talking about the #1 comedian on Comedy Central's Stand-up Showdown 2009. Does that title mean nothing to you??

This thread reminds me of how Kyle was on that show Reality Bites Back along with Michael Ian Black and Chris Fairbanks. That reminds me of how much I like those fellas. What I'm saying is you have to look for the positives, even when thinking about Kyle Cease.

[JPSpaulding]

2Coins, what is inspirational about Kyle Cease?

[pg13]

I know Kyle...and I've had the opportunity to work with him a couple of times here in Seattle...and I've enjoyed what he does.

Every time I've seen him, he's able to pack the house and then he's never failed to rock the mic. People LOVE him. I'm not surprised that he's big on the college circuit, nor was I that surprised to see him do well in online voting from that one ComedyCentral contest.

I also understand some of the criticisms leveled against him...and I was not particularly fond of the recent special he filmed at The Moore Theater here, ("Weirder Blacker Dimpler").

I don't find him particularly "Dane Cook"-y...other than his being "sort of young, good looking, white, male, energetic, comedian." The criticism of Dane Cook has always been that his act-outs hid the fact that he didn't have material...or that his fans loved his style so much that he could just talk in his peculiar way and generate laughs without any actual jokes...or that his charm hid a certain amount of bitter misogyny--none of which are criticisms I feel could be leveled at Kyle.

I think the main criticism that I think sticks with Kyle is that his act is rather "fluffy"...inessential, connecting 80's based pop culture detritus with the attention span of a twitter feed...which makes the original posters take that he might be a good and inspirational speaker, above and beyond the simple entertainment factor of his comedy, seem curious to me...

There's also been a couple of instances where his material veers close to material done by others...but that's not unique to Kyle in this age where everyone's act is now available for comparison online, instantly...

And the whole brouhaha with the "comedy bootcamp" (which was centered more on a particularly bad first promotional video to be released about it...which was widely commented upon and criticized by some in the comedy industry, mostly for how it seemed oddly serious and un-comedy-like) was countered by my knowing a couple of people who were IN that bootcamp who dismissed many of the criticisms leveled against it (including a denial of any scientology connection to it)...

I will say that I was surprised that Kyle's bootcamp stressed taking on your core personal pain when Kyle's own act seems so glossy...

Bottom line: I'd definitely recommend Kyle as someone who will draw a sizable college-aged crowd wherever he's booked...and he'll entertain the hell out of them. And, at the same time, I can totally see how some people wouldn't enjoy what he does...

But, he's always been cool with me...

pg--I've always felt that Kyle's sugar-rush delivery style accomplished the same feat that Gaffigan's sotto voce self-commenting did...it made him impossible to heckle.--seattle

[ArchStanton]

2Coins, what is inspirational about Kyle Reese?

He traveled through time to save Sarah Conner, DUH!!

[Two2Coins2]

To be completely fair, that set was from the extremely early days of Kyle Cease. I remember first watching that video over 3 years ago, back when I was just getting into comedy and first trying to dig out sets online. It's pretty clear from the full video that he 1. develops a persona onstage as quickly as possible and 2. thinks on his feet and is able to improvise (not fully - he has some idea of what's going to happen before he goes out, but makes it flow) Have any of you seen his DVD's? That's his character onstage - Much the same way that Birbigs has awkward, Pardo has cocky, Doug Benson has stoner, and Gaffigan has quiet observational-ish stuff. Isn't that all comedy is when it all boils down? The best modern-day comedians have well-developed characters that they write jokes through. Cease's humor is definitely not for everyone. But please see Kyle Cease live before putting his entire act down. Great entertainment value for your money.

For me, I've never really had a reason to get up onstage and try out the material I write. I dunno, maybe I just needed a little push from something, but his words always give me a bit of hope that only I can hold myself back. Yeah, vague, I know, but it got me to send an email to the Comedy chair at my school and request stage time. I did 6 minutes and killed it. And maybe I just appreciate the little boost.

I listen to the Pardcast and a few other comedy podcasts, read comedy blogs, stuff like that. They're all incredibly funny, don't get me wrong, but I never connected with what Jimmy was saying. The podcast isn't meant for that. So, I guess there's just a medium to find a bit of inspiration in.

Kyle's energy would be great for the comedy shows because he'll draw the crowd while still having some good humor thrown in. The perfect mix in my opinion.

[Shane]

What exactly is this comedy festival like?

[scamboogah]

his being "sort of young, good looking, white, male, energetic, comedian."

You have very low standards for what you consider 'good looking'.

[pg13]

You have very low standards for what you consider 'good looking'.

Have you seen me?

Somehow, I think it's fair that people pay money to look at me.

Who ever said I had standards at all?

pg--I felt the need to qualify young as "sort of young" when I should have qualified "good looking"...possibly with the word "arguably"--seattle

[pg13]

But please see Kyle Cease live before putting his entire act down. Great entertainment value for your money.

You seem very interested in convincing others of Kyle's worth.

I got the value in starting up a conversation--and I've contributed to that conversation...but if someone contributes to that conversation by saying that they don't happen to like what Kyle does, I figure that's how they feel and to each their own.

Whether someone else likes something or not doesn't really impact whether or not I like something...but I get this vibe from your posts in this thread that you're beyond just liking Kyle...closer to some sort of "advocacy" of Kyle (for want of a better word.)

Hey, you like Kyle Cease! Cool...lots of people do. Some people don't--and some people REALLY don't (and many of those people just happen to be on this website participating in these forums...) That's just the way it is...

You can't really argue someone into liking something they don't happen to like, you know. Don't bang your head against that wall, trying.

pg--Because behind that wall is just going to be another wall.--seattle

[DiscoInferiorityComplex]

I say he's a poor man's Ellen DeGeneres.

[Siggers]

Jeez you guys scare the crap out me when talking about comedy.

[James Morris]

I say, if you can get him, get him. He's not one of my favorites, but I'd go watch him perform.

[Two2Coins2]

What exactly is this comedy festival like?

Well, last year it was a 4 day event on campus. We had a student stand-up competition, which Lewis Black helped judge. 24ish people showed up and some even managed to be funny. About 10 I'd say actually made me laugh. 2 were chosen from those to open for the big 2-night "Lewis Black and Friends" comedy show, featuring Maria Bamford, Paul F, Wyatt Cenac, Brian Tucker, and of course Lewis Black. But we didn't get the turnout we would have liked for that (fucking unbelievably amazing) lineup. About 1/2 to 2/3 full for both nights, with $15 tickets. I would have paid $50, but I'm a true comedy fan who is very familiar with all of those comedians.

On thursday and friday, we had panel discussions and workshops about comedy in general from John Lutz, Anne Beats, Jason Sudeikis, Streeter Jeff and Pat from Collegehumor, and the comedians from the big show. It was amazing - Big-name comedians talking about everything that they love about comedy, sharing stories from early on in their careers, making each other laugh as much as the crowd. Reminded me of the Pardcast!! I was enthralled, but each of these panel discussions ended up being less than 1/4 full. It had to have been a marketing issue..normal people know about all those names, right?

That 4 day event was the best 4 days of my life. Eating with the comedians, talking to them about life in LA, working in the industry, I got extremely close to them, and they knew me by face for the entire 4 days. Driving them back and forth was really funny, especially driving Paul F and Maria, who really played off each other in every-day life.

So, I guess I'm opening this up for discussion - What can I do to help the festival succeed like it should?

EDIT: Most likely should have been the topic to begin with, hah. I'm new at this posting stuff.

[louisck]

this guy needs a comma and a period added to his name.

I'm only saying this because it's a perfect joke.

[Shane]

Well, last year it was a 4 day event on campus. We had a student stand-up competition, which Lewis Black helped judge. 24ish people showed up and some even managed to be funny. About 10 I'd say actually made me laugh. 2 were chosen from those to open for the big 2-night "Lewis Black and Friends" comedy show, featuring Maria Bamford, Paul F, Wyatt Cenac, Brian Tucker, and of course Lewis Black. But we didn't get the turnout we would have liked for that (fucking unbelievably amazing) lineup. About 1/2 to 2/3 full for both nights, with $15 tickets. I would have paid $50, but I'm a true comedy fan who is very familiar with all of those comedians.

On thursday and friday, we had panel discussions and workshops about comedy in general from John Lutz, Anne Beats, Jason Sudeikis, Streeter Jeff and Pat from Collegehumor, and the comedians from the big show. It was amazing - Big-name comedians talking about everything that they love about comedy, sharing stories from early on in their careers, making each other laugh as much as the crowd. Reminded me of the Pardcast!! I was enthralled, but each of these panel discussions ended up being less than 1/4 full. It had to have been a marketing issue..normal people know about all those names, right?

That 4 day event was the best 4 days of my life. Eating with the comedians, talking to them about life in LA, working in the industry, I got extremely close to them, and they knew me by face for the entire 4 days. Driving them back and forth was really funny, especially driving Paul F and Maria, who really played off each other in every-day life.

So, I guess I'm opening this up for discussion - What can I do to help the festival succeed like it should?

EDIT: Most likely should have been the topic to begin with, hah. I'm new at this posting stuff.

That sounds absolutely amazing, but, as a college booker also, I've realized that students 1. Don't like to pay for things and 2. Don't care about comedy as much as we do.

The first thing I would to increase attendance do is try as best you can to eliminate the admission fee. I don't know what kind of budget you're working with, but by the names you mentioned it sounds like you're far better off than I am.

Has this festival ever been really successful? I personally would love it, but I feel like the average student would get bored of the comedy after the second day.

Were the 5 comedians you mentioned all performing on the same show? 5 in one show is a lot for one show, especially 5 headliners and then 2 student openers. If you could group 2 of them together and do more shows, your attendance would probably go up. It would also give each performer more time to do what they do.

I'm surprised Lewis Black's name alone didn't pack the house, he's one of the biggest names in comedy.

The panel discussions I'm not sure about, that may have been a marketing issue, or maybe the students just weren't interested in hearing about comedy and didn't realize that people could be funny while talking about it.

So basically my point is:
-try to eliminate or reduce admission fee
-have shorter shows
-have more shows

[Big Box Of Money]

He needs to be in a duo with Craig Desist.

Nah, there's no Craig Desist. YET.

[Jixby Phillips]

I'm gonna show kyle cease this thread