Greg Kashmanian

All comedians have been through it. You get off stage after a hot set, the show gets out and you’re thanking the audience as they leave. You’re making small talk, taking pictures, maybe even handing out a few business cards if you did well. Then, there’s the one who sticks around—who just has a few questions. You breathe in deeply, centering yourself, because you know what’s coming. You’ve been down this road before; you brace yourself. The questions start to fly from this well-meaning person. Here’s what they ask, here’s what you should never ask, and here’s the answer to those three questions so you don’t feel unfulfilled. Why did you start comedy? It all started in middle school. I wasn’t popular; there was a lot of pain. I thought the pain would go away when I got to high school. How foolish. It only got worse as I went to high school. The pain mounted, but I figured it was only going to be four years. Everything would get better in college, right? Wrong. More pain, more damage. Then comes the drinking (or more regularly). Then one day, my friend bribed me while drunk to do comedy. It turns out my pain is actually really funny to other people and for some reason that makes me feel good. So, here I am. How long have you been doing comedy? Four years, six months, twelve days, thirteen hours and forty-three minutes, twenty-seven seconds, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one. My friends tell me I’m hilarious. Can I do comedy? Unfortunately, you can’t. The comedy rank

There’s no shortage of venues in Los Angeles to get your comedy fix. From the clubs of the roaring stand-up eighties like the Comedy Store to newer theaters like NerdMelt, there are plenty of conventional spots to see great comedy shows any day of the week. If you’re in the mood for the unconventional though, here are three great stand-up shows you need to check out. Brew HaHa Tucked away in a backyard in East Los Angeles is the monthly show "Brew Haha." Producers Brad Silnutzer, Aaron Black and Marissa Gallant transform Los Angeles’s two favorite hobbies—drinking and comedy—into one hilarious drinking game comedy show. With the comics hidden away completely unaware, Aaron, Brad and Marissa go over the house rules for the show. Whenever a comic mentions (fill-in-the-blank) it’s time to take a drink. A light on the stage alerts you to when a buzzword has been hit. This drinking game/comedy combination leads to a fun night for comics and audience alike. "A couple hundred people squeezed into a backyard and watching an interactive drinking game comedy show tends to bond the audience together, making the after party wildly fun.” – Brad Silnutzer More details on Brew HaHa Chatterbox Comedy Night Not every comedy show takes place in LA proper; some shows rock the suburbs. One of these takes place in Covina at a dive bar called the Chatterbox. Every Sunday night, producer Steve Hernandez packs the house by bringing in the best comics from around Southern California while cheap drink