Sunday, April 6, 2008

"Pot Pie is like soup with a lid." - jimmy pardo, comedian

So, Saturday got a little crazy.

It was a gorgeous day (check local listings), so Peanut, Jen, and I were able to play out in the sunshine most of the day. It was perfect for planting, cleaning up some landscaping, and playing on the swingset.

As it turns out, the night was pretty perfect as well. Jen and I had tickets to "Zanies", a comedy club in St. Charles, that I had purchased because my favorite comedian, Jimmy Pardo, was headlining last night.

On the way to St. Charles, I got pulled over by a cop for going "slightly" faster than the posted speed limit. I won't say how fast I was going, but I definitly should've gotten a ticket. I deserved one; did not get one. Jen's still trying to scrape her jaw off the floor from that one.

Back on the road, I "obeyed" the speed limits for the duration of our trip. After what can only be described as a "good meal with mediocre service" Jen and I found our way to the comedy club.

First off, if you don't know who Jimmy Pardo is, I don't want you as a reader anymore. Okay, that's extreme. Keep reading but then go to Jimmy's website, or Bob and Tom's website, and check him out. Better yet, search for "Never Not Funny" (Pardo's podcast, or Pardcast as it's sometimes known) on iTunes. There you can download for free the first 20 minutes of each week's show. Best of all, you can check out out how to get the full-length shows for download here.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. As I said at the top, I'm a big Jimmy Pardo fan, so last night's show was something I've been looking forward to for a while.

His jokes are fast and hilarious. As Jimmy himself says, in an hour long set, he has 10 minutes of jokes and 50 minutes of crowd work. There's lots of interaction for the folks sitting in the front row, and how much (fake) disrespect you're given, depends on how you respond to what he's saying. By the way, did I mention we were sitting right near the front?

Two thirds of the way through his act, Pardo started moving away from the people he'd been calling on from the start. I'd been secretly hoping he'd single me out at some point (I have an album of his, so I knew what to expect), but also nervous that he'd make me look ridiculous. Thankfully, I was right on both counts. I can't even explain everything he touched on, because I could never do it justice, but he had Jen and I in stitches.

That was the best part, too. I knew that I liked Jimmy Pardo's style of humor, but I wasn't sure if Jen would think he's as funny as I do. I was thrilled by the fact that everytime I turned to look at her, she'd had tears streaming down her face, holding here belly like we might launch into early labor. Naturally, I mean because she was laughing so hard.

Then, topping it all off, after the show, Jimmy was kind enough to sign my copy of his album "Pompous Clown" and even chatted at length with Jen and I about Peanut and the little one on the way.

If you're looking for some good laughs, check out Jimmy Pardo however and wherever you can.

(caution: contains adult language)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was a fun evening and I'm glad we were able to go. I'm also glad that I got to meet your girlfriend. I can only assume that the nice Yorkville police officer was your girlfriend...who else would let you off doing 25 over the speed limit?!?!
THanks for a fun night honey.

Anonymous said...

Jen just told me how fast you were going! Naughty-naughty! Did you bat your eyelashes at the lady officer? Show a little cleavage? Seriously...how does someone get out of a ticket AND have the officer fudge the written warning?

Rikki