FAIRBANKS — Every performer has that one gig that is so incomparably horrible that it’s impossible to forget. For comedian Jamie Lissow, that gig happened on a hot day at a Virginia college.
“As soon as I got there, I could tell something was going wrong,” Lissow said. The air conditioning had died and the theater was hot, sweaty and airless. About 500 people had bought tickets for the show. Crews opened six giant windows in an attempt to cool the theater, but by the time Lissow took the stage, all but 20 had left.
“Every time I would tell a joke and no one would laugh, I would actually hear crickets,” Lissow said. “Real crickets.”
Crickets are in short supply at Fairbanks’ annual Funny Fest, which kicks off next week with a full slate of local comedic talents, according to Jerry Evans, who organizes the event with his sidekick Glenner Anderson. Evans and Anderson were a long-time comedy duo on Fairbanks rock station KWLF-Wolf 98 FM and regularly bring top comedians to Interior Alaska for shows.
This year, 18 people have signed up for the Funny Fest comedy workshop, which is in its 15th or 16th year, Evans said. “It’s just something that we started doing because we wanted to build up the comedy community here. For these guys, it’s really a unique opportunity,” he said.
Participants will work with Evans, Anderson and Lissow to hone their jokes and routines and will serve as the opening acts for Lissow’s shows next week.
“All the headliners we bring in are really impressed with the way things are done (at Funny Fest),” Evans said. “Most of these guys have their own horror stories of their first open mike night.”
Or of crickets.
Lissow said he appreciates comedy workshops like the Funny Fest. “They probably feed more careers,” he said. “They’re set up to succeed.”
His first show was at a comedy festival in Canada. He went by himself “because I didn’t want any of my friends or family to know I was doing comedy.” The crowd turned out to be terrific and very supportive. He had a great time and became addicted to the laughs.
“If I had done the cricket gig first, I think I would be a lawyer by now,” Lissow said.
Instead, his comedy career is rising steadily.
Lissow has been featured on the “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn.” He has his own half-hour Comedy Central special and is working on a new television show with Rob Schneider. Lissow has ties to Fairbanks. He was doing a show at Kodiak Jack’s a few years ago, where he met and fell in love with the owner’s daughter. They are married, with children, so his Fairbanks visit is a homecoming of sorts.
The Funny Fest has two components — the adult version, which is next week, and the Junior Funny Fest for budding comedians under 21, which will take place the week of Jan. 27. They will participate in three nights of comedy workshops with Evans and Anderson in preparation for a performance on Jan. 31 at the Pioneer Park Theater. Tickets are $5, available at the door, with all proceeds benefiting Big Brother/Big Sisters.
This year, for the first time, the Funny Fest will have a big finale.
“There always seemed to not have something that wrapped it up nicely,” Evans said. “We thought it would be nice to end it with kind of a bigger name.”
So this year, the Funny Fest finale will be a performance by the legendary comedian Bobcat Goldthwait on Feb. 1. Goldthwait became famous in the 1980s for his hilarious standup routines, multi-octave voice on stage, performances in the “Police Academy” movies and for setting fire, literally, to “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” set in 1994.
See next week’s Latitude 65 for more on Bobcat Goldthwait.
Contact staff writer Julie Stricker at 459-7532.
If You Go
What: Comedian Jamie Lissow
When: All shows begin at 8 p.m.
DATES/VENUES:
• Wednesday, Jan. 22 at The Marlin, 3412 College Road
• Thursday, Jan. 23 at The Refinery Lounge, 2643 Old Richardson Hwy., North Pole;
• Friday and Saturday, Jan. 24-25 at The Blue Loon, 2999 Parks Hwy.
Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 day of show and available in advance at Gulliver’s Books, 3525 College Road
Info: www.alaskacomedy.com
What: Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait
When: 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Feb. 1
Where: The Blue Loon, 2999 Parks Hwy.
Tickets: $20 in advance or $25 at the door
Info: www.theblueloon.com