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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 12, 1996)
Lincoln’s live laughs live on Duffy’s, Huey’s offer star comedians to Star City By Mike Kluck Senior Reporter It’s no joke. Just because comedy clubs were experiencing a downcycle in popular ity doesn’t mean Lincoln residents can’t enjoy seeing a live comedy per formance in the capital city. Huey’s, 245 N. 13 th St., along with Lincoln radio station 102.7-FM (KFRX) plays host to a “Joke Jam” the first weekend of every month. Duffy’s Tavern, 1412 O St, offers a Comedy Workshop every other Monday night. Huey’s usually brings in a top-name headliner for its Joke Jam while Duffy’s gives localcomedians a chance to prac tice their comedy skills on a stage. Reg McMeen, Duffy’s owner, said that in the early 1980s the tavern has been putting star comedians into the Star City, but turned to the Comedy Work shop in the late 1980s. We re the oily format m Lincoln where we allow somebody to get up on the stage and try their stuff for three to five minutes,” McMeen said. “If they’re not that good, they are going to get booed off the stage pretty quickly.” Mark Gross, a professional come dian for the past seven years, started his career performing at Duffy’s and has moved to a national circuit. “Duffy’s a great place to start,” Gross said. “It has to be the toughest room in the country. “Usually there are about 30 to 50 people in there and they are looking for the car crash. They are hoping you crash and bum.” Although Duffy’s is a difficult place to perform, Gross said, it prepared co medians for going on the road. That road narrowed in the late 1980s when stand-up comedy hit a re cession, Gross said, which many com edy club programmers blamed on tele vised comedy on HBO and the Com edy Channel. HIGHWAY /“V 1230 ) anotherof MDA’s 2C|0 clinics -2---: it A lot of really shitty guys are out of work. Most of the comedians that are working the good clubs, generally are good.” Mark Gross professional comedian During the recession, he safd, the reduction in comedy clubs yanked some of the bad comics off the stage. “A lot of really shitty guys are out of work,” Gross said. “Most of the co medians that are working the good clubs, generally are good.” Mike Miller, general manager of Huey’s, tries to pull in those good acts for the first Friday and Saturday nights of each month. Most of his slots are filled with national acts. In October, Huey’s will feature T. Mami \bs, who sold out her perfor mance in February at the lied Center for Performing Aits. - i i ii >>■■ pl i. . my wj ^ . - f .;• f :•• • -> ; ' I • - ; ■ Miller said Huey’s usually had a big crowd for its Joke Jam, and it has co medians booked for the next six months. ‘Teople enjoy comedy but with the all clubs in town before, the business was overkilled,” Miller said. The dub programmers pitched their live laughs by saying that a night at a comedy club doesn’t cost any more than going to a movie. And, besides, who knows when a comedian like Tim Allen, who per formed at Huey’s in the fall of 1987, might show up? n_ _ __t: n .1 Lift n fii a •II Mx^ic, Mini&turCS, Rol< PUyihj, ithd Mor<. 2439 RvnJolfL St. • Li acoU, NE 68510 * 476-8602 The way wings were meant to Be! • Buffalo Wings...H great sauces • Daily Lunch Combos • Daily Happy Hour3pnv9pm The Great BostonAcoustics ® Sub-Sat Speaker Sale I The best value in 3 piece satellite subwoofer speaker systems just got a whole lot better Sub-Sat 7 Sub-Sat 6 II s499 $349 MSRP $750 MSRP $499 * 4