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Friday, June 29, 2012

Comedy / City / Theater Up Tonight: "The Best Medicine" with Kermet Apio, Star Anna, and Others

Posted by Brendan Kiley on Fri, Jun 29, 2012 at 10:22 AM

Tonight is another benefit show at the Neptune for the families of those killed by a mass murderer on May 30 (colloquially known as the "Cafe Racer shootings," though the killer also murdered a woman by Town Hall and, later that day, himself).

The music/comedy lineup includes host Diva LeDeviant, Star Anna, Cathy Sorbo, Kasey Anderson, Liam McCormick, Kermet Apio, and musical guests the Maldives.

I'd never seen Kermet Apio perform—though I'd often heard his name—until one night just after the shootings when I was supposed to perform something at the Weird & Awesome cabaret, founded by comic Emmett Montgomery, at Annex Theater. I couldn't think of anything to do that would be both entertaining and fitting for the circumstances, so I bought a case of beer, hauled it onstage, and told dopey jokes that some of the shooting victims (circus and vaudeville folks) used to tell onstage as a tribute. (They were joke machines.) I paused before each punch line and, if anyone got it, I tossed him or her a beer from the stage. ("What's the difference between an erection and a Corvette? [Pause.] I don't HAVE a Corvette!")

To my shock, the audience was calling almost all of the punch lines. I ran out of beer, which I hadn't anticipated. When I went backstage afterwards, somebody said: "Of COURSE they got all the punch lines. That's an audience full of comics!" Right. Duh.

Anyway, Kermet Apio did a set later that night that was gloriously funny, both nodding to the heavy hearts in the crowd but also detouring into his own stories and taking people's minds off the troubles of the day. And he'll be performing tonight. I recommend it.

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Comments (11) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

mahalo for dat, kermit. and everybody.

Posted by joan jet on June 29, 2012 at 10:40 AM

This sounds like a good one! We're looking forward to it.

Posted by Baby Blue on June 29, 2012 at 10:59 AM

The next Weird & Awesome with Emmett Montgomery is gonna be THIS SUNDAY at Annex Theatre. Doors (and beers) at 7pm.

Posted by Buttercup on June 29, 2012 at 11:38 AM

"Theatre" Brandon, "Annex TheatRE"...

Posted by COMTE

on June 29, 2012 at 1:02 PM

@ 4. I will never surrender.

Posted by Brendan Kiley on June 29, 2012 at 1:17 PM

Kermet Apio is one of the best comedians working today.

Comedy is often incredibly subjective--the person you find to be hilarious might be shockingly unfunny to someone else.

However, I speak confidently when I say that I don't know anyone that doesn't think that Kermet Apio is damn funny.

The fact that he is a wonderful human being to boot is just the meringue on the pie.

Posted by pg13 on June 29, 2012 at 1:48 PM

@5:

Neither will I, Brandon. Neither will I...

Posted by COMTE

on June 29, 2012 at 1:55 PM

@5 Right, because how to correctly spell the name of a 25-year-old organization should be up for popular vote. Did I say vote? I meant "subject to fiat by the man with the loudest voice."

Posted by Stephen McCandless on June 29, 2012 at 1:58 PM

@ 8. Exactly. I'm glad we see eye-to-eye on this one.

Posted by Brendan Kiley on June 29, 2012 at 2:10 PM

@10:

Rigid, willful obstinance is a poor quality to cultivate in oneself, Brandon...

Posted by COMTE

on June 29, 2012 at 2:20 PM

I've never seen him do standup but he can also play pretty good slack key guitar. I saw him at Folklife this year and he even had his adorable daughter dance hula.

Posted by restlessnative on June 30, 2012 at 1:31 AM