Craig Glazer Talks Comedy Trends

TKC Note: Our pal Craig offers a preview of a this weekend at his place and a look at the future of American comedy.

The Impromptu Mind Of Rory Scovel

I’m often asked, ‘Who are some of the big stars coming to the club soon?’ I’d like to respond with, ‘Well we try and have big stars every single weekend, we also make an effort to bring on household name comedians who are more expensive, but knowing the celebrity always helps sell tickets.’ This summer and early fall we have gone out of our way to book some of the bigger names from comedy, television and film including Louie Anderson, Chris Kattan, Tim Meadows, Carlos Mencia, ‘The Crank Yankers’ Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, and some more infamous house-hold names like Dustin ‘Screech’ Diamond. KC has always had a great fan base for long-term celebrities like Judy Tenuta or Michael Winslow.

However, it is also our job here at Stanfords to bring you the cutting edge new comics who are making that name for themselves today. The trouble with that is these are young celebrities best known in cities like L.A., New York and Chicago. Most of these young talents have already made appearances on the late night talk shows, Comedy Central and hip ‘panel’ shows like Chelsea Lately or Geoff Ross’ new show. In Kansas City, it is much more difficult to get large crowds for these young stars because they are virtually unknown in the Midwest even though many are on the verge of massive stardom and huge careers in film or television. Recent examples that have worked well include Jim Jeffries, Chris Franjola, Josh Wolf and, of course, TJ Miller. Miller is now the hottest comedy movie star, the young version of guys like Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler. He is scheduled to be at Stanfords in September once he completes filming on the blockbuster extravaganza, Transformers 4. Talk about loyal, spell that ‘TJ Miller’.


This weekend we have yet another young, successful, highly-credited comedy star in Rory Scovel. Rory has spent the last two years appearing on almost every late night TV show including ‘Conan’, Ferguson and Fallon. Scovel also made appearances in ‘The Life of Tim’, ‘Dead Monkeys’ and the Amazon series ‘Those Who Can’t’ with Nikki Glaser. Throw in Live in Gotham and his half hour Comedy Central special, this 32 year old wunderkind has been pretty damn busy. He even has his own new series, ‘Ground Floor’, debuting this fall on TBS. Maybe ten years ago, this list of credits would have made him a house-hold name. It’s a different world today. You need tons of media and finding that little special place that America can remember you for, before you get the total anointment wand waved over your head. Then people will ask, ‘Is that guy any good?’ My response to this is I guess a lot of people in Hollywood and the comedy industry seem to think so. After working with Rory on radio this morning, his talent and charisma just jumped out at me. This is a great opportunity for Kansas Citians to see one of these hot young comedy talents on the rise before his career takes him to that place where he only works theaters. Guys like Rory remind me of a guy we had in the late nineties and early 2000’s named Daniel Tosh. I would tell my friends about Tosh and encourage them to come see him at the club. Many would say, ‘Well I’d rather wait until you have someone really big.’ As we all now know, Daniel went on to become the star of ‘Tosh.0’ and has found that place where he is a household name and the next time he performs in Kansas City, it will probably be at the Sprint Center.

That’s what a comedy club like Stanford & Sons is all about, giving our local folks the opportunity to see tomorrow’s biggest and brightest stars along with current celebrities, and a few names you grew up with like Sinbad or Louie Anderson. It’s for you to have a good time, leave your troubles at our doorstep and laugh out loud. Maybe, just maybe, when you see someone like Rory Scovel, you can tell people ‘I saw him when he was just about to be a star.’

Reminds me of a funny moment years ago when a couple came out to see a young ‘Larry the Cable Guy’ at Stanford’s in Westport. I asked them how they liked the show because they were leaving before it ended. The man answered, ‘That guy will never make it. He’s too damn much of a redneck, he makes fun of the wrong people and it was so damn crowded in there, I just don’t see why you even booked that man.’ Larry the Cable Guy went on to be the most financially successful comics of his era. Have a great weekend and come out and enjoy Rory this weekend. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 7:45 pm and 9:45 pm. Just call (913)400-7500 for tickets and more information.

Follow me on Twitter @KCKingofSting.