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: none

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 and the National College Comedy Competition, Cool stuff from RooftopComedy.
Comments: 3

In honor of the impending Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival this week, Rooftop Comedy has staged a coup over at the iTunes music store, taking over the Comedy page for the week! This means album features for the comics who will be making the trek to Aspen this week. Everybody wins!

Posted: June 9th, 2009 under Cool stuff from RooftopComedy.
Comments: none

As promised from the Guest Editor page, Chris Porter is this week’s Last Guest Editor Standing. Comments below!

Doug Stanhope
http://www.rooftopcomedy.com/watch/Our_generation_is_tough
There is a book by Daniel Quinn titled The Story of B. I’m pretty sure the main character is following Doug Stanhope. He is the future of comedy.

Bill Burr
http://www.rooftopcomedy.com/watch/Tight5iveBillBurrInterview
Bill Burr is amazing. He’s got balls like Genghis Khan. This is the only clip they have. His epic clip on YouTube from a horrible Philly theater gig is one of the greatest I’ve ever seen.

John Doelling
http://www.rooftopcomedy.com/watch/TanningSalonTragedy
John Doelling is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met both on and off stage. I can’t wait for the world to be introduced to him. It will be a glorious day.

Matt Braunger
http://www.rooftopcomedy.com/watch/CuteButDeadly
I thought I had the ‘08 Rooftop festival all wrapped up til this man came on stage. He, and this bit, instantly became of my favorites. I still remember sitting in the balcony, tears of laughter streaming down my face, hearing Vince Morris ruin the next comic’s intro repeating the line “THE HUMANE SOCIETY CALLED HIM A DICK!”

Sam Tripoli
http://www.rooftopcomedy.com/watch/New_war_alternatives
Sam will be huge someday, mark my words. He and I hang out a lot in LA. He’s constantly challenging me to be better, and hopefully I do the same for him.

Andi Smith
http://www.rooftopcomedy.com/watch/WorkingOnAPornSite
To say Andi Smith is one of the funniest female comics is unfair. The plain fact is that she is one of the funniest comics out there. She is funnier than you. She is definitely too funny to make porn sites.

Posted: May 28th, 2009 under Guest Editors.
Comments: none

New Siskel and Negro everybody! This comes hot on the heels of the announcement that Siskel (Kevin Avery) and Negro (W. Kamau Bell, who will also be performing), and Katherine P. McMurphy will be onsite at this year’s 2009 Aspen RooftopComedy Festival where they’ll be recording episodes!

Posted: May 28th, 2009 under Cool stuff from RooftopComedy.
Comments: none

Sara Faith Alterman is our Guest Editor this week. You might remember her judging handiwork from the Boston Regional Rival Match-Up from this year’s National College Comedy Competition, among other rad things that involve literary manipulation.

Mike Birbiglia - The deaf leading the blind
Birbiglia kills me anyway, and the added visual of an adorable ASL interpreter? So fantastically awkward but endearing.

Hal Sparks - Waiting for my sexual peak
I picked this simply because I want to bang him. There. I said it.

Jamie Kilstein - Sarah Palin
I first saw Jamie at the 2009 AltCom! Alternative Comedy Festival, and was blown away by his mastery of stream of consciousness. Jamie’s got this rare ability to make his rants seem completely off-the-cuff, even though they’re, in fact, really well-crafted. I could watch him throw the same pseudo-tantrum a million times, and still get riled up.

Somebody’s in the Doghouse - Koko the Gorilla
This sketch features a sexed-up gorilla. The end.

Mary Mack - Happily ever after
I can’t stop watching her. The combination of her little-girl voice, midwestern accent, spacey “aw, shucks” sensibility, and razor sharp punch lines is mesmerizing.

Zach Sherwin - Five minutes of napkins
Sherwin won the 2009 Boston Phoenix Readers’ Poll for Best Local Comedian, so I can’t leave him out. Performing as “MC Mr. Napkins,” Sherwin combines his obsessions with hip-hop, comedy, and linguistics into raps that are both smart and hysterical. It’s thinking man’s comedy for the straight up gangsta.

Posted: May 21st, 2009 under Guest Editors.
Comments: none

You might remember Robert Buscemi from our inaugural Aspen RooftopComedy Festival. Or you might remember the one time he won best stand-up of Chicago, or that one time he was gracious enough to extend his presence on ye olde RooftopBlog. All these memories with Robert, we should have a retrospective clip show about it. Here’s a new memory to add, his Guest Editor picks.

Kyle Kinane - De ja vu
Kyle is super-natural and unpretentious, but a wickedly precise, utterly original wordsmith. One of my all-time faves.

Erin Foley - My mother’s wild imagination
Erin is cool as a cucumber, and blew me away at the 2008 Rooftop Aspen Fest with her smoothness and creativity.

Matt Braunger - Cute but deadly
Saw this one on Letterman too. I love the detail–you can tell Braunger researched it. One of the most talented performers I know.

Tig Notaro - No moleste
No one touches Notaro for cool, weird, hipster chic. She destroyed me at the 2008 Rooftop Fest — her sweater/shirt combo alone suggest ninja-level absurdism.

Nick Vatterot - CD skipping
Vatterot is one of the most prolific, experimental, revered comics I know. His energy and inventiveness are ridic.

Andi Smith - Trapped in a mine
Andi’s another comic I saw kill at the 2008 Rooftop Aspen Fest. Home Perm ROCKS. She’s a hilariously brazen smart-ass, but balances cynicism with performing chops and superb writing.

Posted: May 14th, 2009 under Guest Editors.
Comments: none

It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday! And you should call your mom, she probably misses you. But in lieu of that, check out the picks from talk show hostess and soccer mom extraordinaire, Jeannie Tate!

Tammy Pescatelli - Behold the pregnant comedian
Special clip for Mom’s Day. A pregnant stand up! I was laughing so hard I had to do Lamaze breathing.

Leanne Morgan - My crazy teenage daughter
Preaching to the choir on this one!

Tig Notaro - Jenny Craig’s a slut
I will never look at a Jenny Craig ad the same again.

Jackie Kashian - Eye care for pets
I love cats and jokes so this one was right up my alley-cat.

Lisa Landry - Marriage is like a movie
This is so true! Although I could do without the S word at the end of the clip.

Karen Mills - Signs that you’re aging
Her driving joke made me Laugh O.L. I brake for Funny Women!

Cheryl the soccer mom - Female truck nuts
Here is my competition. She is the dirty version of me.

Jeannie Tate - Jeannie Tate Stand Up
This lady is the best, ha ha, it’s me! Jeannie Tate!

And before you go anywhere, check out this episode of the Jeannie Tate Show featuring The Daily Show’s Rob Riggle!

Posted: May 8th, 2009 under Guest Editors.
Comments: none

Are you a college junior, senior, grad student, or recent grad and are thinking (seriously) of pursuing a career in comedy? Are you willing to be flown out to San Francisco for a month in July to help in that endeavor? Well! The RooftopComedy.com Talent Institute might just be the answer for you!

This intensive 4-week program will enable emerging stand-up comics to further develop the performance, writing, production, marketing, and videography skills important to a successful comedy career. The program will culminate with a commencement comedy performance entirely produced by the students. And, of course, participants will have a couple of days off to play hooky and tour the sights of San Francisco.

Check out the page for more details!

Posted: May 8th, 2009 under Cool stuff from RooftopComedy.
Comments: 1

This week’s Guest Editor is former engineer Andy Wood, now co-founder and producer of the Bridgetown Comedy Festival in Portland, Oregon.

Todd Glass - Sick birdy taking a turdy
“Get awAY! Get awAY!” Kills me every time I watch it. I’m ridiculously excited about having Todd at the festival this year.

Matt Braunger - Cute but deadly
Bridgetown Comedy Fest co-founder Matt Braunger giving us all some sage advice that we can only hope will finally put an end to the pet owl craze.

Tig Notaro - Speaking out loud
Tig destroyed at Bridgetown last year, and this year’s festival wouldn’t be complete without her. So damn funny.

Brent Weinbach - God Bless America
You lookin’ good, Brent!

Auggie Smith - Halloween and pedophiles
Portland favorite Auggie Smith, exposing the seedy underbelly of Halloween.

Matt Dwyer - My big return to stand-up comedy
We couldn’t be prouder of his triumphant comeback. Damn you, Brokaw!

Posted: April 24th, 2009 under Guest Editors.
Comments: none