Alternative Comedy Festival
Punchline Magazine - April 7th, 2008

By Rob Turbovsky

For a while there, the word “alternative” looked like it might become to comedy what “independent” became to film: a confused, arbitrarily-used term employed to describe anything. Thank goodness then for the brand new Alternative Comedy Festival set to play at the Somerville Theatre, Boston’s independent movie house/sometimes-concert venue.
Each delicious night – May 9 and 10 – is a grab bag of funny featuring a mix of those in the comedy avant-garde, those who will soon be big names in comedy, and those who should be big names already.

Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry, Emo Philips, and U.K. import doktor cocacolamcdonalds are set to perform the first night; the second night boasts Patton Oswalt, Morgan Murphy, the uproariously filthy Jim Jeffries, and local boys and HBO Comedy Festival sensations the Walsh Brothers.

We’ll be covering the festival as it happens, but in the meantime, festival director and comedian Brian Joyce has been exchanging e-mails with Punchline Magazine about the shows, the talent, and just what the hell “alternative” means.

Can you tell me how the idea for putting together this kind of festival came about?

It came as a result of my time overseas. I had been living in Ireland for two years. There are a lot of really cool boutique-style, independent comedy festivals in Ireland and England and I thought to myself, ‘I would love to recreate this idea in the States if I have the chance.’

The key is to find the right lineup and the right location. Davis Square is a happening place. There’s a great vibe to the neighborhood, some really cool bars and cafes. And the Somerville Theatre is a funky old place that features some of the best programming in the Northeast. The AltCom lineup will be as diverse and eclectic as the area itself.

You’re a comedian yourself. What drew you to the art form in the first place?

I found comedy relatively late in my life. I started doing open mikes when I was 27 years old. I always liked to write, I enjoy language and speaking – I was a Classical Studies major in college – and I’m a voracious reader who has a lot of opinions on a variety of subjects. For me, stand-up was a natural progression; I wanted an audience to whom I could express my thoughts, and stand-up was where I could find it.

There’s a kind of nebulousness around the word “alternative” as it relates to comedy. What does it mean? And what kind of “alternative” guidelines did you using when you programmed the festival?

To me it’s pretty simple: anything that resides outside the mainstream is “alternative.” Patton and Eugene have built up a strong following playing non-traditional venues, with unique styles and non-traditional material. doktor cocacolamcdonalds is a one man British rock opera who performs half naked. Jim Jeffries is an Australian filth comic who was once attacked on stage in England.

Needless to say, I think all these guys definitely represent an “alternative” to the usual stand-up comedy we see in America. And that’s the formula I followed in booking the festival. Other clubs and bookers might not touch these guys, but I will.

There are so many great acts, and a great range too, from local guys like the Walsh Bros to people that might be more well-known like Patton and Todd to Emo, who, as you mentioned, really doesn’t get booked very much in this area. Who specifically are you most excited about giving people a chance to see?

That’s a tough one. Can I choose more than one? Emo, because he’s a stand-up legend. The doktor, because he’s like nothing we’ve ever seen in America.

But I think the guy I am most looking forward to is Jim Jeffries. He’s one of the best comedians in the world right now, and most people have never heard of him. And that’s the whole point of AltCom, to introduce people to really good comedy that they might not find anywhere else.

AltCom is May 9 and 10 at the Somerville Theater in Davis Square in Somerville, MA. For tickets and info, check out Ticketmaster or the fest’s official site.