Guest interview by Jason Tanamor of Zoiks! Online.

And yet another tip from your Uncle Lar.
By Jason Tanamor

“You know what makes good crowds? Funny Comedians. That’s a tip from your uncle Lar.”

Another tip from Uncle Lar is this. “Everyone should drink. Alcohol is taxed and the money goes to schools,” Reeb said. “So drink up. You’re not a drunk, you’re an education provider.”

Larry Reeb, better known across stages as Uncle Lar, dishes out tips and one-liners to audiences throughout the United States. “I was working at an amusement park in the day, while I did stand-up at night,” Reeb said. “Everyone working there was like 15, so they started calling me Uncle Lar. On stage, after a joke I threw in, ‘That’s a tip from your Uncle Lar,’ and it stuck.”

Having said this, Larry Reeb does have jokes with his advice. In fact, he mixes up each show with new material. “I just do my thing but if it’s an older crowd I will clean it up a little bit,” Reeb said. And if he doesn’t think the material is working, he has a unique way of parting with the less than spectacular jokes. “I try a new joke 4 or 5 times. I try wording it in different ways then if it still doesn’t work, I sell it to a new comedian.”

He’s kidding of course. Unless there are some takers.

Read the rest of the interview, after the jump!

Posted: June 30th, 2009 under Ruminations, theorizations and stuff.
Comments: 55

“Annie, get online!”
“Did a cat just get in a sweater and do a dance?”

Posted: June 29th, 2009 under Overheard at the Rooftop Offices.
Comments: none

Yesterday was a sad day for a lot of complicated reasons. Music fans everywhere are lamenting the loss of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, one of many people’s childhood icons and one of the greatest performers of all time. Meanwhile, hacky comedians everywhere are mourning the death of Michael Jackson, alleged super creep turned punchline. Let’s not forget, though, that before he became the go-to reference for lazy humorists everywhere, he was just an unbelievably talented kid singing about how he had no idea what he’d grow up to be…

Posted: June 26th, 2009 under Ruminations, theorizations and stuff.
Comments: none

According to Page Six, everyone’s favorite Ghostbuster/melancholy comedic actor, Bill Murray, has been spotted multiple times in the past year partying with 20-something Brooklyn hipsters. His MO, apparently, is showing up unannounced, engaging in random conversations, and then leaving a room full of partygoers bewildered. Well, I guess if I were Bill Murray, I’d do it too.

Thanks to Chris Garcia for the tip!

Posted: June 24th, 2009 under Ruminations, theorizations and stuff.
Comments: 3

“There’s no ‘E’ in the word ‘vagina,’ anywhere.”

“Yes there is. Next thing you’re gonna say is there’s no ‘Z’ in ‘penis.’”

Posted: June 24th, 2009 under Overheard at the Rooftop Offices.
Comments: 2

It’s Paul F. Tompkins! From the TV! With Dylan from Punchline Magazine! At Comix Comedy Club! It was supposed to be a routine interview, but Paul had a bone to pick with Punchline Magazine! See for yourself:

Posted: June 24th, 2009 under A Tight 5ive.
Comments: 2

In the future, once children learn about the TekWar, I believe that the legend of Cedric Devitt and Kriston Rucker needs to be told in classrooms across America. Who are Cedric Devitt and Kriston Rucker, you ask? They asserted America’s birthright as Earth’s most rockingest country of all times. By founding US Air Guitar and sending a US team to the Air Guitar World Championships in 2003, where like in D2: The Mighty Ducks and Rocky IV, USA was more than just a-okay and we took home first place in the Air Guitar World Championships.

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

With Devitt’s and Rucker’s place in history secured, why not check out some of their Guest Editor picks below? It’s your civic duty, after all.

Cedric Devitt’s Picks
Christian Finnegan – My smelly movie moment
Chris deserves a shout out here. Mostly because he was the MC at the very first US Air Guitar Championships show in New York at the Pussy Cat lounge in 2003. And also because I think we still owe him fifty bucks for doing it.

Finesse Mitchell – Kids’ names are getting worse
Yes, it’s true that children’s names have become ridiculous. But not in a bad way.
I for one, intend to name my three children after a car….Daewoo, KIA and Mercedes.

Haji Outlaw – Dressed to fall
When you think about it, there’s so many things you can be too good looking for, right.
But not gravity. funny.

Kriston Rucker’s Picks
Alex Koll – 1999
I liked this clip because I’ve always enjoyed scrutinizing the lyrics of popular music, in search of logical inconsistencies or inexplicable nonsense. This particular inconsistency had inexplicably eluded me.

Green and Gray – Trainee mugger
I liked this clip because I’ve considered in the past…well, not so much being a mugger as being a somewhat more generalized robber, or perhaps burglar. I had no idea how to prepare though, and in the end stayed a more lawful course.

Tig Notaro – No moleste
I liked this clip because the real joke is actually about someone who didn’t understand the joke in the first place. This is just the kind of subtle self-consciousness we try to promulgate via instrument-less music competitions.

Posted: June 23rd, 2009 under Guest Editors.
Comments: 2

In all of the Aspen hullabaloo, we neglected to comment on the unfortunate death of one of our favorite comedians, Michael Roof. He passed away on June 9 at the age of 32. Most people knew him for his roles in Black Hawk Down or the xXx movies, but here at Rooftop we knew him for his outrageous and hilarious bits that we couldn’t wait to put online.

There was always a small office celebration whenever we found out he would be coming through one of our partner clubs and you could often hear him quoted around here, though I’m sure we never did him any justice. This is my favorite clip of his, and I think it adequately demonstrates his amazing commitment and energy. Rest in peace, Chicken.

Posted: June 23rd, 2009 under Ruminations, theorizations and stuff.
Comments: 1

Episode 28 brings us to the third and final LIVE podcast from this year’s Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival. Special guest and fellow Denzel lover Ty Barnett chimes in on the The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 edition of ‘Denzel News’. Also, Lisa Landry and ‘Best of the Fest’ winner Moshe Kasher stop by and discuss all sorts of fun stuff. Check it out!

Subscribe to the show on iTunes and keep an eye out for more episodes coming soon.

Posted: June 19th, 2009 under Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival, Cool stuff from Rooftop Comedy.
Comments: 5

Because oral history sounds much cooler than primary drunken source.

It’s been a couple of days (a week anniversary since Aspen 09 occurred, to be precise) and after much soul searching, Twitter reviewing, photo looking, and piecing together hazy memories, I will attempt to bring you my account of what happened on those legendary three days that will live forever in myth. If you’d rather live Aspen through pictures, than words, feel free to check out our Facebook gallery or Flickr feed!

I dare you to try and read all of this, after the jump!

Posted: June 18th, 2009 under Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival.
Comments: 65