Git You A New Favorite Local Comedian (Other Than W. Kamau Bell)

​ Hey YOU! You have a favorite local comedian. Yes, you do. I know you do. It's just likely that YOU don't know that you do. It's time you found out who your favorite local comedian is. And I have the perfect homework assignment for you. You are going to go to the San Francisco Punch Line on Sunday night and pick your new favorite local comedian. Don't worry. It will be easy. There will be at least 15 comedians to choose from, which is a great sampling of what is currently going on comedically in the Bay Area.

You will either laugh lots, which will make it a challenge to determine who is your personal favorite, or you will hate everybody and only laugh once. But if you only laugh once then you will immediately know that whoever made you laugh is your favorite local comedian. And after the show --- Here's the most important part --- you will approach that comedian and tell them, "You are my new favorite local comedian." That comedian will most likely look down at her/his feet and mumble out some form of thank you.

Now don't be afraid. Most comedians don't know how to accept praise. If we did, we probably wouldn't be comedians. I actually don't trust the comedians who are too good at accepting compliments. The same way I don't trust those restaurants in New York that say things like, "The best mozzarella sticks in Queens!" Why you bragging? Let me be the judge of that.

After you tell them they are your favorite, then you will ask to be added to their e-mail list or you will add yourself to their Facebook Fan Page or their Twitter. Whatever it takes to be IN THE LOOP. And you will do this within 24 hours of seeing the comedian, because I know how busy you are, and you will definitely forget. Then you will go see them perform at another show. Then you'll tell your friends how funny they are and bring them to see "Your New Favorite Local Comedian." Then repeat these last three steps as necessary until your life is significantly better because of this person.

There are an assortment of Punch Line regulars available for your love that I can recommend off the top of my head...*

Mary Van Note, Joe Klocek, Kris Tinkle, Chris Garcia, Sean Keane, Nato Green, Bucky Sinister, Joe Tobin, Joe Nguyen, Sal Calanni, Caitlin Gill, Kevin O'Shea, Sammy Obeid, Casey Ley, Vladimir Khlynin, Samson Koletkar, Ronn Vigh, Brendan Lynch, Emily Heller, Dave Thomason, Julian Vance, Edwin Li, Marcella Arguello, Big Al Gonzales, Sandy Stec, Chris Burns, Janine Brito, Sam Davidoff, Chazz Hawkins, Trenton Davis, Ray Molina... and oh yeah... Conor Kellicutt. Did I mention Kevin Camia, Reggie Steele, Jason Downs, Matt Morales, Kevin Munroe, Alex Koll, Kurt Weitzmann, Max Curry, Kellen Erskine, Kelly McCarron, John Hoogasian, Carla Clayy, Jason Wheeler, Kristee Ono, Colleen Watson, Rachel McDowell, Mark Zhang, Donny Divanian, Jesse Fernandez, and Lynn Ruth Miller? No? Well there they are.

You had no idea there were that many did you? And there are MANY, MANY, MANY more who I either forgot because I'm an asshole, not a journalist, OR I have not met them yet. See, comedy is going through a boom in this city, and you're gonna get out and enjoy it whether you want to or not!

So go to The Punch Line on this Sunday night (or every Sunday night) for the "S.F. Comedy Showcase" --- which was apparently named before the discovery of cleverness --- and find "Your New Favorite Local Comedian." Then come back here and tell me who she/he is. And we'll have a dance party.** And if you can't make it to The Punch Line then check out one of the other local shows that feature a smorgasbord of local talent.

The most important thing is that you find one. See, comedians are like bands. There is someone for everybody. And I want you to work as hard to find your local comedian as you did to find out that Of Montreal was your favorite band a few years ago. And again, don't worry. If you end up realizing that you don't actually like your new favorite local comedian as much as you initially thought, then just drop them like a bad scone and find a new "Your New Favorite Local Comedian." Kinda like the same way you found a new band after you realized Of Montreal was not all you initially believed.***

* Not completely off the top of my head. I had to call a reliable source for some of these.
** There will be no dance party.
*** I have nothing against Of Montreal. I just picked a band out of the transoms of my mind. And apparently I looked into the back issues of Rolling Stone magazine section of my mind's transoms.