WHEN THE CLASH sang "anger can be power," they probably didn't expect it to be wielded they way Lewis Black wields it. The Silver Spring native has made a stand-up career as a profanely angry everyman and keeps busy hosting Comedy Central's "Root of All Evil."

The premise: Judge Black hears testimony and rules which of two current objets d'hate is more evil. Recent "decisions" included Dick Cheney over Paris Hilton and Oprah over the Catholic Church.

"The great thing about the show is you can put up anything vs. anything," says a (fairly mellow) Black. "We had a board with a billion things, initially."

Black's prior trip home was not so mellow. His 2006 HBO special "Red, White, and Screwed" was moved to the Warner because the Kennedy Center objected to the profanity.

"It's not the [expletive] Jefferson Memorial; it's a performing arts center," he exclaims, noting the "giant chewing gum head of JFK" on display.

Continue Reading "Black to Basics: Lewis Black" »

CONTROVERSIAL COMEDIAN Katt Williams' epic "It's Pimpin' Pimpin'" tour hits the District with two shows at D.A.R. Constitution Hall on both Thursday and Friday.

The stand-up comic has a long resume featuring numerous forms of (largely pimp-based) humor — film and TV highlights include "First Sunday," "Wild 'n Out" and "The Boondocks" — but despite his onstage persona, Williams struck a decidedly thoughtful, low-key tone during his recent conversation with Express, making exactly one joke. So, we talked about books.

» EXPRESS: Where does your fascination with pimping come from?
» WILLIAMS: I like the fact that it's remained consistent all the way through, as the oldest profession — the mindset required on both ends of it — the teamwork involved and the benefit at the end. I've studied the story from a lot of different angles. It keeps changing for me. It keeps getting on a different level.

» EXPRESS: You've adopted enough kids to start a basketball team — with subs. How did that come about?
» WILLIAMS: It's kinda redemption: If you do bad in your life, you try and do some good things. You try to do the best that you can. I started that prior to getting famous. It was something I needed to do. And it turned out to be a good situation for the kids and for me. It changed me.

Continue Reading "Pimp of All Media: Katt Williams" »

EDDIE IZZARD's American accent and corporate attire on FX's "The Riches" are a far cry from his usual gig as a surreal British "executive transvestite" monologist in constant ADD mode.

Although his look is more bloke than bird for "Stripped" (his first tour in five years), he remains the go-to comedian for giving your attention span a workout. Not to mention your liberal arts degree: much of his material references Europe — "where the history comes from" as he drily noted in "Dress To Kill."

That 1998 show also provided his signature catchphrase "Cake or death?" as part of a routine about religious fundamentalism and the Church of England. (It's pointless to summarize; just watch it in full context on YouTube.)

Continue Reading "Dressed to Impress: Eddie Izzard" »

IN THE 1990s, three words scrawled across television screens indicated viewers were in for a half- hour of top-notch ensemble comedy: "Lorne Michaels Presents."

This wasn't that other Michaels production, the one that was live on Saturday night. This was "The Kids in the Hall," a Canadian male quintet of kooks who trafficked in absurd, biting and gaspingly funny sketch comedy and understood that when the going gets tough, the tough put on dresses.

We spoke with Scott Thompson, who, along with Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch and Mark McKinney formed the group in Toronto in the late 1980s. For the Kids' comeback tour, hitting the Warner Theatre on Saturday, they've got all new material but some familiar faces.

"You'll see the Kathys are back," said Thompson from inside the Texas Schoolbook Depository in Dallas. (True. The troupe tour stopped in Texas, where they decided to sightsee.) He was referring to catty secretaries Cathy (Thompson) and Kathie (McCulloch). "But they're not doing so well. ... Chicken Lady is back" — that's McKinney's infamous half-woman/half-chicken whose chief attribute is her desire to, uh, lay eggs with hot men. "And Buddy's back, and the head-crushers are back. But they're saying new things."

Continue Reading "Those Meddling Kids: Kids in the Hall" »

PAULA POUNDSTONE: comic, author, radio personality, Harry Potter wannabe.

"My children don't think in terms of travel time," she says, explaining why she's conducting a phone interview in a parking lot after picking up her kids. "If I were Mrs. Weasley and I could apparate everywhere; that would be so much easier."

Perhaps one would need magical powers to have a career as varied as Poundstone's: She got her start as a comic in the 1980s, her shtick being her spontaneous riffs on everything. She wrote political columns for Mother Jones, did voice work for the kid's show Science Court ("My knowledge of condensation is much improved"), is a panelist on the NPR news quiz "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" and more.

Though associated mostly with self-deprecating humor, cats and parenting jokes, Poundstone's oeuvre includes a hefty dose of politics.

Continue Reading "Politics & Witchcraft: Paula Poundstone Off the Top of Her Head" »

HOW CAN YOU SKIP something called the "Putting the Ass in Passover" tour? Whether you're one of the chosen people or not, you can appreciate the self-deprecating comedy of Rob Tanenbaum and David Fagin. You may know Tanenbaum's holiday jam, "It's Good to be a Jew at Christmas," or appreciate the fact that Fagin is only on tour with him because "Staples wasn't hiring."

There's also a musical element to the evening. A local band, the Alexandria Kleztet, play a little something they like to call alternative klezmer. Clearly, this isn't your run-of-the-mill Passover celebration.

» Jammin' Java, 2267 Maple Ave. East, Vienna; 7:30 p.m., $15-$18; 703-255-1566.

WHAT CAN WE REALLY SAY? If you're not familiar with Chris Rock, you've been missing out on God's gift to humor. His stand-up is unstoppable, as Rock has mastered the art of making pointed political commentary while keeping the vibe constantly light. This is his last night at Constitution Hall. Don't miss it.

Some examples of his hilarity can be viewed here and here.

» Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW; 7:30 p.m., $45.50-$75.50; 800-551-7328. (Farragut West)

STAND-UP COMEDIAN, "30 Rock" and "Best Week Ever" regular and movie actor Judah Friedlander provokes the question: What's so hilarious about a trucker's hat and oversized glasses? It's hard to pin down, but the first glimpse of Friedlander decked out in his signature garb is usually enough to get an audience chuckling.

By the time he gets to his "The World Champion of the World" bit, in which he makes outlandish claims to greatness (he won best lemonade at the World Lemonade Championships), folks should be in stitches. He's at the Improv from Thursday to Sunday.

» The Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW; Thu.-Sun., various times, $15-$17; 202-296-7008. (Farragut North)

THE ABC IMPROVISATIONAL-COMEDY SHOW "Whose Line is it Anyway?" may have ended its run, but Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, two of the show's stars, are making sure its humor lives on.

"We've been doing the show with a lot of people, but we wanted to be onstage more," said Sherwood, the dark-haired, taller of the two, speaking of his and Mochrie's two-man stand-up setup. "Plus, we don't have to split the checks 10 ways."

Mochrie (the rubber-faced, less-haired) said the live show will feature many of the games "Whose Line?" fans have grown to love, and the audience will still get to participate in throwing out ideas for the fast-thinking comics.

"Whose Line?," the American successor of a wildly popular British show that featured such stellar participants as Stephen Fry and John Sessions, managed to find success among hundreds of improv troupes, something both Sherwood and Mochrie attributed to the show's format.

"'Whose Line?' came close to capturing the atmosphere of a small club," Mochrie said. "All the games were short, and every game was different. And we had the added benefit of being able to edit out the unfunny parts."

But this time around, there's no safety net for the performers.

Continue Reading "Thinking Fast: Brad Sherwood and Colin Mochrie" »

SPRING IS IN THE AIR, which means that it's shoe-shopping season! Though for Kelly, the Valley girl in Liam Sullivan's hilarious YouTube hit, "Shoes," every day is perfect for buying new kicks.

In the award-winning video, the awkward, headstrong Kelly argues with her disapproving parents and her indulged star-athlete twin brother, all portrayed by Sullivan.

Storming away from a birthday debacle, Kelly embarks on a shoe-shopping spree against a janky techno beat. The massively popular video transformed Sullivan from struggling stand-up to cyber-celebrity.

This weekend, Kelly appears in 3-D at the Warner Theatre as Sullivan opens for pal Margaret Cho's "Beautiful" tour.

Continue Reading "The Betch Is Back: Liam Sullivan" »