by Lauren Kruchten | Apr 6, 2021 | April 2021, Do, Web Exclusive
WEB EXCLUSIVE Associate Editor Lauren Kruchten chats up stand-up comedian and actress Erica Rhodes in front of her three-night stop at Goodnights this week—about her career, stand-up inspo, why 20-year-olds don’t matter, and more.
According to stand-up comedian and actress Erica Rhodes, 20-year-olds don’t matter. That hilarious, teasing bit from one of her comedy specials made me slightly nervous to interview her over the phone this week (would I, a 25-year-old, matter?!). I did my best not to show my age, but I couldn’t hide the fact that I didn’t know of famed funnyman Johnny Carson (who served as an inspiration for her stand-up routines), and so when she asked how old I am, I hesitantly told her I am only 25. “Oh, my God. OK, now I’m feeling so old,” the 38-year-old said with a laugh.
After getting that out of the way, I admitted I watched her 20-Year-Olds Don’t Matter special and, though I felt slightly attacked, thought it was really funny. “I just remember feeling like [in your 20s], you feel so much more like things matter, the things you do or what you think of,” said Rhodes. “But then, from 25 to 35, you learn so much about things you didn’t know or didn’t understand… and so then you realize, ‘Oh, I really didn’t know much at all.’”
To wit, Rhodes herself did a lot of growing up and figuring out who she was and what she wanted to do with her life in her 20s. After starting her entertainment career by voicing Garrison Keillor on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion at the age of 10, she went on to attend acting school at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York. A series of indie films followed, including cult horror film Plague Town.
But stand-up was never something she considered until she met her manager. “[Stand-up] terrified me,” Rhodes recalls. A self-proclaimed young Maria Bamford, Rhodes originally had the dream of being on SNL, but her manager insisted she “wasn’t that kind of actress” and could see her doing stand-up. It took about two more years from there for Rhodes to finally give the stage a try, when, after a bad audition in 2014, she spontaneously went and did a stand-up set, essentially venting all her frustrations— and so began her stand-up career.
“I was really bad for about two years, and, at one point, I said to [my manager], maybe this isn’t my thing,” Rhodes recalled. But she kept going and eventually figured out her style—and that her bit on commenting on jokes she tells that aren’t working (a la Carson) got a big laugh.
Since honing her craft both on the stage and in front of the camera, Rhodes has appeared on the Howie Mandel Comedy Extravaganza, Bring the Funny, Last Call With Carson Daly and Coming to the Stage, as well as top TV shows, including Modern Family, Veep, New Girl, Comedy Bang Bang and Fameless, though she admits that her roles weren’t very big. In New Girl (ya know—the hilarious shenanigans of 30-something roomies Jess, Nick and Schmidt, played by Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson and Max Greenfield, respectively), Rhodes didn’t actually have any lines at all, but she did get to kiss Schmidt (I argued that was way cooler than speaking).
Even though Rhodes has been doing stand-up for eight years now, she still feels relatively new to the scene—but her extensive résumé would prove otherwise. To boot, she just released her first album, Sad Lemon, and, on April 13—a few days after her weekend of shows at Goodnights (April 8–10)—she’ll be premiering her hourlong special La Vie en Rhodes on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Spectrum, Dish and more.
Although Rhodes enjoys acting, she says that she definitely likes stand-up better because she’s in charge of her own “lines” and gets to be more creative (so stand-up went from a fear to her fave—so clearly you do learn a lot between 25 and 35. Touche).
“I just feel like stand-up is much more individualistic,” she told me. “And I like the immediacy of it, I like that you get a reaction right away. I’m really fascinated by the process of stand-up.” Since her first stand-up set, Rhodes’ routine has evolved to more personal storytelling with a sprinkling of jokes. She says you can expect anything from dark experiences related to her dad’s passing this year to lighter jokes about dating and being her in 30s—and, of course, harping on millennials. Easy target?
Her show at Goodnights is sure to bring the funny and incite a whole lot of laughter—but maybe just don’t sit in the front row if you’re in your 20s—or if you do, prepare yourself to be told that you don’t matter. goodnightscomedy.com/events/43000
by Lauren Kruchten | Feb 24, 2021 | Buzz, March 2021
If approved, a new apartment building could replace Goodnights Comedy Club.
Bridging the gap between the Warehouse District and Hillsborough Street to wildly up DTR’s walk score is the just announced sprawling 865 Morgan, a grand new mixed-use property. Sitting on the site of longstanding laugh house Goodnights Comedy Club and slated to break ground in Q1 2022, the new development by HM Partners (of Edison Lofts, Dawson, Powerhouse Square fame, among others), if approved, will span 3 acres, complete with 401 apartments, 9,000 square feet of retail space and a parking deck. “My goal is not just to build, but to improve the community,” says Gregg Sandreuter, HM Partners managing partner.
And, live comedy fans, before your chuckles turn to tears, know that HM Partners reached an agreement with Goodnights, which will continue to operate at another unidentified location. “Regardless of where we are, Goodnights will continue its tradition of bringing the best comedy to the Raleigh area and will always support the local scene,” says Reven MacQueen, Helium’s senior manager of development and East Coast operations. Adds Sandreuter, “Goodnights will be in Raleigh for a long time to come.” So, not so much a goodnight (aka goodbye) as many more good nights ahead. goodnightscomedy.com
by Lauren Kruchten | Aug 29, 2019 | Do, September 2019
Ari Gold—er, Jeremy Piven—comes to Raleigh
“I didn’t know you were that funny” is a comment Jeremy Piven has been getting a lot lately. And while he was taken aback by it at first, it’s something the actor says now makes him feel really good to hear. Following a 40-year career acting for film and television, Piven—probably best known for his role as Ari Gold on HBO’s “Entourage”—has decided to add “stand-up comedian” to his bio. “The transition is not easy, but at the same time, I feel like I have something to offer because of my background,” Piven says. Piven has been performing on stage since he was 8 years old, starting with a role in Chekov’s “The Seagull” produced by his actor-drama teacher parents at his family’s Piven Theatre. In that production, Piven and the actor John Cusack, a longtime friend, alternated nights playing the role of a little boy. Since then, Piven has starred in more than 90 films and TV shows, including “Wisdom of the Crowd,” “Mr. Selfridge” and, of course, the ever-popular “Entourage” in which he played Gold, the loud, slightly manic but fiercely loyal and hilarious talent agent. “It was a great thrill to play that character,” Piven says.
Piven says he always knew he wanted to continue to learn and grow and perform, but it wasn’t until he got on stage with comedian Russell Peters for a charity event at a California Laugh Factory that he really got hooked on stand-up. During the event, Piven wrote and performed his first bits and realized just how much he enjoyed making people laugh. “Doing that in front of a live audience is completely addictive,” Piven says. “I had been on stage before but hadn’t had that feeling of writing material, preparing it and then connecting with [an audience] in real time comedically, and that was incredible to me.” Although he plans to continue acting, for the last two years Piven has been on the road performing stand-up across the country. Piven says his routine is wholly original—he uses his own voice, life’s journey and observations to make people laugh, with impressions peppered in to make the storytelling all the more funny. “I’m just trying to connect with the audience as best as I can,” Piven says. “A very wise man once said to me, ‘It’s not a presentation, it’s a conversation.’ So I’m basically just going to have a conversation with the audience. It’ll be like a terrible date where I do all the talking.”
For tickets to Piven’s stand-up show, go to jeremy-piven.com.
by Kevin Flinn | May 14, 2018 | Do, May 2018
Raleigh’s first-ever comedy festival kicks off this month.
If laughter is truly the best medicine, Raleigh’s comedy fans have their check-ups scheduled for the end of the month when the inaugural Oak City Comedy Festival hits town from May 22-26.
Produced and hosted by three local comedians—Shari Diaz, Matt White and Vinny Valdivia—each night of the festival offers a mix of stand-up, improv and sketch comedy, as well as nightly opportunities for locals to perform at open mics.
Like the Hopscotch Festival in downtown Raleigh each September, the Oak City Comedy Festival utilizes a wide range of venues, from traditional comedy settings such as Goodnights and Comedy Worx to more music-centric places, including Kings and the Pour House, and even the brand-spanking-new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
Festival co-founder White says that the time is right for this kind of event. “There are so many artists in Raleigh, especially local comedians who practice their craft at Goodnights Comedy Club and independent showcases that local comics produce all around Raleigh,” he says. “A comedy festival will give the community a sense of what’s really going on in the comedy scene.”
The schedule offers early and late shows, so fans can see multiple shows each night, and since the venues are clustered in and around downtown, it’s not difficult to navigate from one show to another. Plus, show start times are staggered, so seeing more than one show each night is doable for those inclined.
White and his team are excited to bring in a diverse group of comedians from all over the country. “Some are up-and-comers, and most have TV credits and impressive resumes that feature big time comedians they’ve worked with,” he says.
Festival headliners include Andrew Schultz (May 26th, Neptunes), Andy Woodhull (May 24th, Imurj), Mia Jackson (May 23rd, Alamo Drafthouse), Mike Mello (May 23rd, Watts & Ward), J. Bliss (May 24th, Imurj) and Mark Kendall (May 26th, Comedy Worx).
All events are free the first night. For the rest of the festival, tickets range from $5 to $15. Tickets are available online at oakcitycomedyfestival.com or at the venues.
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by Kevin Flinn | Mar 5, 2018 | Do, March 2018
I heard them before I saw them, heard them laughing as I climbed the staircase to the third floor of Goodnights Comedy Club. They weren’t laughing at a joke from a nationally touring comic in the main room or even at a punchline from an amateur at the open mic in the downstairs bar.
They were laughing with each other, a group of a dozen men and women of all ages, from all walks of life, comprising the Standup 101 class. They were bartenders, lawyers, teachers—all eager to learn the craft of comedy.
Geared to people interested in doing stand-up, but who don’t necessarily know how to get started, the class attracts students who “tend to have a good sense of humor and are generally open-minded,” said co-instructor Matt White.
Local comics White and Brent Blakeney have taught the class since 2016. They promise students will learn comedy basics, how to craft ideas into jokes, and the best way to structure and edit comedy routines.
Students eagerly scribbled down White’s musings and Blakeney’s suggestions for YouTube clips to watch and podcasts to download as homework. The evening’s focus was on writing a joke—or at least beginning to write a joke—that could eventually evolve into a bit or even a full stand-up routine.
Each student chose a premise to pitch to the group, from the lessons learned from a five-hour stint in jail to the pros and cons of starting a fraternity for toddlers. Feedback was effusive and fast-paced as we workshopped each others’ ideas and laughed. Laughed a lot.
It was easy to see both instructors as stand-up comics, though that’s not to say they used the class as a sounding board for their own ideas. Instead, the pair had an easy rapport with the group, offering observations without imposing their comedic will on green potential comedians writing their first jokes.
Genuine, constructive critiques pushed the students to arrive at the best possible versions of their premises. When one would-be comic shunned his pages of already-written notes, White urged him to choose an idea he hadn’t yet done. “That’s not the process,” he said.
The student thought for a minute and pitched a new idea that quickly took shape as he talked his way through it. By the end of the evening, he was furiously scribbling, giddily filling up notebook pages.
“It’s gotta be personal,” said White, “because you have more vested in it.”
A woman with braces pitched an idea about famous singers with lisps after explaining that, since she got braces, she couldn’t sing in the car like she used to. A 10-minute roundtable about which singers and songs would work best for her joke had us in stitches again. “See?” said White. “Everything can become comedy.”
Blakeney added that students should look to the mundane as material: “Anything you can see that’s absurd in life—use that.”
As I watched their confidence blossom, I thought, even if some of these folks never tell their jokes on a stage, the interaction they had in the class made it all worthwhile.
I asked White about that—how many students continue doing stand-up after the six-week course? “You get out of it what you put into it,” he replied. “There’s a lot of potential that comes out of the class. Some people move onto the Standup 130 class [with focus on improv and writing], which tends to weed out the hobbyists. But stand-up is a beast and can be extremely intimidating. [You] have to accept that and adapt to the lifestyle before [you] can really get into it.”
I left with the wheels in my head turning on the premise of my own joke, lamenting that I wouldn’t be back the following Wednesday to continue fine-tuning it.
The six-week course ends with a graduation-of-sorts showcase at Goodnights, where friends and family are invited to hear the class perform its full-fledged stand-up routines. I know I’ll be there. I’ll hear them again and, I guarantee, I’ll be laughing.
