The MLS season officially started this past weekend and fans of ChicagoFire FC have a whole new team to root for this year. Under new ownership, the team went through a complete rebrand this offseason with a new logo and jerseys. The Chicago Fire FC also return to playing games at Soldier Field this season, after leaving in 2006. Keeping track of all these changes is definitely no easy task. We’ve got the breakdown on all things new, and what to anticipate for the 2020 season!
A post shared by Chicago Fire FC (@chicagofire) on Mar 2, 2020 at 12:08pm PST
What’s New With The Chicago Fire FC?
To start things off, the team changed their name to Chicago Fire FC under new owner Joe Mansueto. Another part of their rebrand includes a fresh new look, with new jerseys and team logo. Ownership is hoping these changes will help build a new identity for the team who struggles to compete with other professional teams in the city. The club also made the move back to Soldier Field, after spending 14 years playing at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
Changing out logos and switching venues aren’t the only moves the team made this offseason. The team also made plenty of changes to their coaching staff and roster. Some of these moves included hiring Raphael Wicky as the new head coach, Georg Heitz as the new sporting director, and Sebastian Pelzer as the new technical director. The new coaching staff didn’t hesitate in making moves as the team has acquired 12 new players after 14 have left from last season. Some of the key additions to the Chicago Fire FC squad are Robert Beric, Ignacio Aliseda, Gaston Gimenez, Miguel Angel Navarro, Boris Sekulic, and Luka Stojanovic.
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The 2020 Season
After an 8th place finish in the east last season, the team is hoping all the new changes will spell out success for the future. Of course, an entirely new roster, coaching staff, and venue means things might not go the smoothest, but there’s still hope. Last season, the Chicago Fire finished with a record of 10W-12L-12D and failed to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.
In their season opener last Sunday, the team fell 2-1 to the Seattle Sounders. While it’s not the start they were hoping for, there’s still plenty of time to improve. The Chicago Fire FC will take on the New England Revolution in their next match on March 7th!
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While the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations is coming up, the schedule for these weekdays is pretty standards. I am updating these calendars as I find more events, so keep checking in! I am trying to “qualify” St. Patrick’s events by checking for those that offer something better than just green beer.
And there may just be more events for 312 Day, sponsored by Goose Island for its namesake beer. And I haven’t seen anything for Pi Day (3/14) yet, but I’ll have an eye out.
At the date of this posting, Brewbound reports that Craftworks Holdings has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Craftworks is the parent company of the Rock Bottom brewpubs, and of Gordon Biersch, Old Chicago and Logan’s Roadhouse. The company has already closed 37 restaurants in New York, Virginia, Maryland, California, Arizona, Texas, Idaho, Hawaii, Mississippi and Washington, D.C. They have 77 franchise loctions that are not part of the proceeding, and its 261 company-owned outlets will operate as usual for now.
Rock Bottom has four brewpub restaurants in the Chicago area. Some of its past brewers include Tim Marshall, who co-founded Solemn Oath, and Pete Crowley, who went on the start Haymarket. The Gordon Biersch operation makes several contract beers for the Trader Joe’s chain.
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Meet The Blogger
Mark McDermott
Writer, trivia maven, fan of many things. I thought to learn all there is to know about beer as a way to stay interested in learning. It is my pleasure to bring Chicago’s craft beer scene to you.
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
“Longtime CNN political analyst Paul Begala predicted on Monday that President Trump is ‘gonna dump [Vice President] Mike Pence in favor of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’ on July 16 when the Democratic nominee is slated to give his or her acceptance speech.” [thehill.com]
I’m Jerry Partacz, happily married to my wife Julie for over 40 years. I have four children and eleven grandchildren. I’m enjoying retirement after 38 years of teaching. I now have an opportunity to share my thoughts on many things. I’m an incurable optimist. I also love to solve crossword puzzles and to write light verse. I love to read, to garden, to play the piano, to collect stamps and coins, and to watch “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
Out of Chicago’s extensive lineup of new restaurants opening in 2019, only two were bestowed the honor of being named a JBF semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. The national winner will be announced at the James Beard Awards Gala at Chicago’s Lyric Opera on May 4.
One of the restaurants selected is Chef Carlos Gaytan’s upscale Tzuco Restaurant in River North.
No surprise.
Gaytan, the Michelin-starred chef, formerly of Mexique, and his newest hotspot, Tzuco have been on everyone’s radar for a long time.
The other JBF semifinalist for Best Restaurant is Thattu–not necessarily a household name with foodies or food critics.
Expect that to change.
Looking back at last year’s “Best New Restaurant” lists, I couldn’t find Thattu on anyone’s radar. It was not in Phil Vettel’s top 50, Chicago Magazine’s Dish, Chicago Eater’s Heatmap or even the Thrillist’s Best Restaurants Now.
Food cart in India.
Thattu, shortened from thattukada, the covered carts on the roadsides of Kerala, India that sell Indian street food, entered the scene less than a year ago in the chef-driven Politan Row Food Hall in the West Loop.
Their “stall” which takes about the space of an average-sized living room is located among the stalls of 10 other vendors serving up an international menu of tastes. Although there are places to sit in the food hall, Thattu and the other vendors emit more of a “to-go” vibe.So what is Kerala cuisine?
The food from the Kerala region is said to be the most underrepresented but the most delicious of all India’s cuisines.
Kerala is in southwest India on the Malabar Coast along the Arabian Sea shoreline. It is surrounded by a network of canals and the Western Ghat mountains where tea, spice and coffee are grown. There are palm-lined beaches and dozens of sanctuaries for monkeys, tigers and elephants.
The food, inspired by the fusion of Malabari, French, and Arabian, tends to be lighter and less spicy than Northern cuisines. The main focus is on curry leaf and coconut with frying done with coconut oil. Popular spices include nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, tamarind, and ginger.
I stopped by Thattu on Monday, to see what all the buzz is about. I spoke with owner Margaret Pak, who was blown away about being selected for this prestigious honor.
Pak was in corporate for 12 years before making the decision to follow her passion by working at the Korean Polish restaurant Kimski in Bridgeport. She hosted a few pop-ups there and in the West Loop that featured the cuisine of Kerala before being invited by the Politan team and CEO and Founder Will Donaldson to open a stall at the food hall.
The “self-taught chef” fell in love with the cuisine after marrying her husband Vinod, a native of Kerala. Whenever they visit Vinod’s mom in Kerala, Pak learns more Kerala recipes.
The Thattu menu features hearty Kerala curries, house-made appam, masala biscuits and Pak’s popular egg curry — boiled eggs simmered in coconut gravy, served with fermented rice flour pancakes.
Two of the most popular dishes are Coriander Chicken ($14) and the Kadala Curry ($11). The dishes are similar–both feature spices and coconut–one with coriander chicken the other with chickpeas and curry.
The Coriander Chicken with Appam. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer
I ordered the Coriander Chicken, a traditional kerala that comes with a choice of Appam or Ghee Rice. I got the Appam–similar to a pancake made with a batter of fermented rice and coconut milk. It is eaten in Kerala as a bread with all kinds of stews and curries by breaking off a small piece to pick up some of the main dish.
The menu features 2 beverages–a Malabar Ginger Cooler ($5) with a mix of Indian spices or a Ayurvedic Ajowan Iced Tea ($4) lightly sweetened with lime and spices.
I ordered a hot Cardamom Lime Tea, that is not on the menu but served on request. It comes in a glass (just the way Vinod’s grandmother serves it in Kerala).
Cardamom lime tea. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer
I also got the Marsala Biscuits (2 for $4) to go. The biscuits, sometimes called cookies, are a signature of the Kerala cuisine. Although they are called cookies, they are not sweet. They are made with chillies, cashew, nigella seeds, jaggery (cane juice or date or palm sap) and 20 Indian spices. They are dense, a little spicy–and pair beautifully with tea.
2020 James Beard’s Semifinals for Best New Restaurant
Thattu’s competition
Here is the complete list of semifinalists for best restaurants opened in 2019 that already demonstrates excellence in cuisine and hospitality, and that are likely to make a significant impact in years to come.
The best location to catch St. Paddy’s Day festivities – including the dyeing of the Chicago River emerald green – is at RPM Events! Join your fellow party-goers for Chicago’s foremost all-inclusive party that features interactive breakfast stations coupled with Irish Coffee, Bellinis & Mimosas, Bloody Mary bar and buckets of beer. VIP lounges and private terraces also available for purchase. For pricing and to purchase tickets, click here.
Kick-off St. Patrick’s Day at Pizzeria Portofino and enjoy upfront views of the famous dyeing of the Chicago River along with signature cocktails and pizzas. General admission tickets are $45 for adults 21 and over (inclusive of tax & gratuity) and guarantee entry. VIP experiences are also available and include an elevated booth, a designated server and Giuliana Prosecco. A food & beverage minimum is required and will be applied to the final bill. Packages are available from 8:00 AM – 10:30 AM and 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM.
il Porcellino WHEN: Saturday, March 14; 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, il Porcellino will be opening early at 11:00 AM on Saturday, March 14. Enjoy festive cocktails and il Porcellino’s hearty Sicilian-Style Pizzas on special alongside an abbreviated lunchtime menu (the full dinner menu begins at 4:00 PM) to keep the party going.
Celebrate St. Paddy’s Day at Hub 51 and enjoy food and drink specials, like $5 Green Beer, Corned Beef Sandwiches, Shamrock Carrot Cake and more, starting as early as 8:00 AM on Saturday, March 14 and 10:00 AM on Sunday, March 15. Looking to dance? Sub 51 will be open from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM on Saturday and offer bottle and table packages. Make a reservation & buy table packages at Hub 51 or Sub 51
Bar Ramone will be open early for St. Patrick’s Day starting at 10:00 AM on Saturday, March 14. Enjoy festive favorites including the Prime Beef Cheeseburger with Shullsburg American cheese, house pickles, & griddled onions between bright green buns, and share a porron of green fruit-forward Vinho Verde with friends!
Enjoy Shaw’s Chicago St. Patrick’s themed brunch on Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15 from 10:00 AM – 1:30 PM. The famous seafood brunch will feature Chef’s Signature Corned Beef & Cabbage, Irish Soda Bread and more. Enjoy your brunch spread with a special Irish Coffee or a Guinness Beer and Tullamore Dew Shot for $10 plus tax, (gratuity not included). Brunch is $65 plus tax, (gratuity not included) for adults, and $15 plus tax, for kids 7–12.
Raised is throwing a St. Patrick’s Day celebration with the best holiday seats in the city. Sitting 3 floors above the streets of Chicago, located at 1 W. Wacker Dr., Raised offers the best views of downtown, the Chicago River dyeing, and the parade with bagpiping performances and Irish festivities. Throughout the day, Raised will be offering themed cocktails including the Heralds to the Heavens, the Don’t Forget to Tipperary, and the Erin on Holiday (In the Quarter) with doors opening at 12:30 p.m. Cover for entry will be $10.
Summer Festival Season
WHEN: May-September 2020
Are you ready for Chicago’s Summer Festival Season, named the best in the country? Click here for Show Me Chicago’s annual calendar of Summer Festivals and Events.
Carole is an arts, entertainment and food journalist. She writes “Show Me Chicago” and “Chicago Eats” for ChicagoNow and covers Chicago places and events for Choose Chicago (City of Chicago) as well as freelancing for a variety of publications.
BARBARA REVSINE
I started writing when I was in grade school. And when I wasn’t writing or thinking about writing, I was reading what someone else had written. So it wasn’t a stretch for me to think about writing as a career. Neither was it a stretch to think about writing about food, a subject I’d always found interesting, more in terms of history, cooking, restaurants and culture than eating and critiquing. Decades after selling my first story, my interest in writing about food continues, and “A Bite of Chicago” gives me another opportunity to pursue my passion with people who share it.
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
I moved to Chicago from the south suburbs in 1986. I have diverse interests, but I love writing about what I’m interested in. Whether it’s a personal interest or part of my career, the correct words to get the idea across are important to me. I love words and languages — French and Scottish words enrich my American English. My career has included years as a journalist and years working in museums, and the two phases were united by telling stories. I’m serious about words and stories. So here I am, ready to tell stories about words and their languages.
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
The 58th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels presented by South Oak Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep is March 6-8, 2020 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. There vill be over 500 custom cars, classics, hot rods, trucks, motorcycles and race cars on display for three tunerific days. Team Gregula is thrilled to be covering another Chicago World of Wheels!
GUEST APPEARANCES:
WWE Legend Ric Flair – Friday | 6:00PM to 8:00PM
Cody Walker from The Fast and Furious Family – Saturday | 4:00PM to 7:00PM
Spiderman (Marvel Comics Superhero) – Sunday | 11:00AM to 5:00PM
Aaron Kaufman from TV’s Shifting Gears and Aaron Needs a Job – Sunday | 1:00PM to 4:00PM
FEATURES/SPECIAL SECTIONS:
ISCA Championship Finals
Cyclerama – featuring many of the top bikes from around the USA
Summit Racing Equipment “Chop Shop” featuring Voodo Larry
Pedal Car Challenge presented by “Summit Racing Equipment”
12th Annual Chicago Brushmaster – Pinstripers Charity Auction for Hope Children’s Hospital Ronald McDonald House – Auction Times: Friday 7PM; Saturday 1PM, 4PM, 7PM; Sunday 1PM, 4PM
Tin City featuring Traditional Rods and Customs/DJ – Presented by Hop Up Magazine
Tuner Galleria featuring Euro, Import, JDM and High Performance Domestics – Upper Level – Saturday 12:00PM to 10:00PM
Jack Trepanier Legacy Award
Legend Cup Presented by Clean Tools
Master Builder Award – Presented by Steele Rubber Product
CASI Cup
DATES & TIMES:
Friday, March 6, 2020 | 3PM-10PM
Saturday, March 7, 2020 | 10AM-10PM
Sunday, March 8, 2020 | 10AM-6PM
FACILITY:
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center – Rosemont
ADMISSION (Gate):
General Admission – $21.00
Children 6-12 – $8.00
Children 5 & Under – Free
DISCOUNT TICKETS (Available at O’Reilly Auto Parts):
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All review inquiries, appearance requests, invitations, questions, compliments and even complaints should be sent to [email protected]. Fangs for the interest. V^^^V
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
Talking with Brendan Gay, something sprang to mind. It was a conviction I have, but don’t often say – that comedians are the high priests of our culture. They articulate issues that we don’t know how to express. They reveal perspectives we hadn’t considered. They’re unflinchingly honest. Whatever insight they bring, they lift us up and connect us. Share a laugh and nobody’s a stranger. I thought about all this because everything Brendan was telling me exemplifies this theory.
When Brendan was just one year and three months into his stand-up career in Chicago, he made a bold move. He decided to get in his car and do a “52×52” tour. That’s fifty-two cities in fifty-two weeks. Over the course of the year, he said, “there were endless things to learn.” Brendan grew up in Minnesota, one of the only biracial kids in his town. The experience ingrained a profound sense of what it’s like to be different, feel different and to be looked at differently. But as he traveled across the country, this truth began to co-exist with an additional truth – that we all have way more in common than we realize – and that the pain of feeling different can make for great comedy.
He is also resilient. When I asked what his favorite story was from the road, he told me “a struggle story” that was “the worst day of my life.” As bad as that day was, he turned around his fortunes the very next day.
Shortly after returning to Chicago, he decided to move to New York to take his career to the next level. He now produces stand-up showcases at The Bowery Electric and at The Stand Comedy Club. He hosts a podcast with plans to launch another. He was a finalist on TruTV’s Comedy Breakout Initiative at The New York Television Festival, a Finalist in the Make Me Laugh USA Competition, and Semi-Finalist in NBC’s Stand-Up Diversity Showcase.
On March 20, he returns to Chicago and becomes the first comedian to record an album at the Lincoln Lodge’s new theater. Brendan kindly spoke with me by phone about his powerful perspective, the key to building a comedy career (it has to do with who you trust), and why, despite his success, he is still “a comedian who smiles confidently when he’s nervous.”
STARTING OUT ON THE PLAINS
Teme: What did you do before comedy?
Brendan: My first career was medical device sales. My territory was Montana and Wyoming which was beautiful, but it was only fun for two weeks. I was 21 and I was so bored. I drove three hours a day, so I listened to podcasts like Mark Maron, Joe Rogan and Bill Burr. I started to think, “What do I actually want to do?” I went to an open mic in Montana just once to check it out and I loved it. So I quit my job and two weeks later I was in Chicago where I started comedy.
WHY COMEDY?
Teme: What about comedy inspired you?
Brendan: You can really express yourself. I love writing jokes. There is no better feeling than being on stage and actually creating something that people enjoy. Which, now that I’m saying that, I realize, “Oh, I love attention!” As soon as I did it, there was no turning back.
STARTING OUT AND BOUNCING BACK
Teme: What was the first open mic that you did in Chicago?
Brendan: The first mic I ever did in Chicago was four years and two months ago. It was December 8th, 2015 at Durkin’s Bar. No one laughed except at one joke and that’s all it took for me to like it.
After I was in Chicago for a year and three months, I decided to tour the country for a year. I went to fifty-two cities in fifty-two weeks starting January 1, all the way to January 1 a year later. I was back in Chicago for a year. Then I moved to New York. Do you do stand-up?
Teme: I did a little bit a long time ago. I’m not an on-stage person. But I think doing stand-up is the greatest feeling in the world. It gives you so much energy whether you’re on stage or in the audience.
Brendan: When you do well it’s the best. Oh my god, when I do bad it’s the worst. The worst feeling in the world.
Teme: What do you do to bounce back if that happens?
Brendan: Oh man, you just get on stage the next day. It’s a classic quote, “You get knocked down seven times, you get up eight.” Let’s say one night I have a really bad night. What I like to do is get back on stage immediately. Go to another open mic, get on another show.
A STORY OF CHANCE
Teme: Do you have a favorite story from your time in Chicago?
Brendan: Does it have to be comedy related?
Teme: No, not at all!
Brendan: One time, I was walking a dog and I was listening to Chance the Rapper, to one of his new songs. Then this guy comes up to me and starts petting the dog. Then he looks up and he says, “You have such a good dog.” And that person petting the dog was Chance the Rapper! I was like, “Whoa!” So now I’m a fan for life.
Brendan Gay
52×52
Teme: Of course, I want to ask you about the “52 Cities in 52 Weeks” tour! How did you decide to do it?
Brendan: I saw great comedians like Dave Chappelle, Hannibal Buress and Sarah Silverman. They went on the road. So I was like, “Oh, in order for me to be the best, I need to go on the road.” When you go on the road you see what’s actually funny, you can test a lot more jokes, and see different types of audiences. So I took three to four months and mapped out my schedule. I asked at work if I could work remote. I was a year and a month in [to my comedy career] and I just decided to do it.
Teme: Did you find that people laugh at different things in different places?
Brendan: Oh, yeah. One hundred percent. Chicago is very midwestern. People are more polite and conservative. More moralistic. You go to California or to New York, they’re way more liberal. You’re able to swear more. You’re able to say more radical things. I’m not saying that’s better comedy. I love the Midwest. I performed in the Midwest mostly and I prefer it. But definitely people laugh at different stuff. You go down south, the jokes are going to be completely different than in Portland, Maine.
You can be yourself, but you’ve got to have awareness of the room. You’ve got to sit in the culture. It’s like if you were the only minority in the room. People just look at you different. You’ve got to change jokes to make them work and make people laugh.
Teme: How did you prepare?
Brendan: You really don’t. You’ve got to throw yourself in the water. I’ve been on stage thousands of times, so I guess how I prepare for it is just all the experience that I’ve had on stage.
Teme: Where did you start the tour?
Brendan: I started in Miami because it was January 1. I needed to start somewhere warm. So I stayed down south and I kept going west. I went to Atlanta. Then I went to Louisiana and Alabama. Then eventually, I went to Mexico and up through California. I went to the Pacific Northwest and then the Midwest. My last city was in North Carolina. When I was done, I drove back to Chicago.
Once I was done I was kind of sad. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was draining, but there were memorable moments in each city. I’m really glad that I got to do it.
Teme: Wow, what an adventure. There’s a great book in that.
Brendan: Oh my god. I tried to write it. I have all my journals. I just moved to New York instead. I didn’t have time. I’ll get there eventually.
Teme: I’ll pre-order it right now!
THAT TERRIBLE NIGHT
Teme: Do you have a favorite story from the road?
Brendan: My favorite story was a struggle story. It was in Hoover, Alabama at the StarDome Comedy Club. It’s a theater with 600 seats. And I’m on my way there. I’m already late and my car breaks down in the middle of the highway and I had to call Geico or something, and they had to pick it up. I had to pay money and I didn’t have the money. I got to the comedy club and I’m late. I’m going on stage in two minutes after my car just got towed and I don’t even know what’s wrong with it.
So I go on stage and I bombed. I do so bad. Like crickets in the audience. Then the next guy who gets on stage does so well. Just murders. And I’m sitting in the green room so sad. And then the headliner comes up on stage and for the first three minutes of his set he is just making fun of how bad I did on stage. And the crowd is loving it. It’s going so great. And I was like, “Oh, my god. This is the worst day of my life.”
I had to pay a thousand dollars to get my car fixed and that’s money I didn’t have. I didn’t know where I was going to stay.
But the great thing is, I had a show the next day. And I did so well. I was like, “Oh, this is what comedy really is, it’s just a roller coaster.” There’s ups, there’s downs. You never know, but you just got to keep going and get better. It was only week five or six [into the tour]. So I was like, “Okay, if I can make it through this, I can make it through all fifty-two weeks.” So yeah, that’s the story that I’ll never forget. Hoover, Alabama.
52×52: PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL
Teme: How did the tour change your life personally and comedy-wise?
Brendan: Oh man, let’s start with personally. There’s an endless amount of things to learn. I got to meet so many different people. I got to learn that everyone is the same. Everyone has their problems. Everyone has their life experiences whether you’re in Iowa or Florida. There are different cultures. People may eat different food. They may have a different language or communicate differently. You have your nuances within politics. But everyone is still the same everywhere. Doesn’t matter what color or race you are.
But oh my god, comedy? I got so much time [on stage]. I got to see what was actually funny. I got to be in front of real audiences across the country. It makes you so much better as a comedian to get that exposure and experience, to struggle somewhere else and to do well somewhere else. I got to do theaters in front of thousands of people. Other nights, I got to do The Comedy Store in front of three people.
It made my material sharp. It made me work on long form sets doing thirty minutes, doing an hour. It made me connect with other people across the country, so now I get more work. It boosted my career significantly.
NEW YORK
Teme: How did you decide to move from Chicago to New York?
Brendan: I wanted to go to the next level. I wanted to be doing it with the best of the best. New York City has the best comedians, not in the country, but in the world. When you see Dave Chappelle, Jim Gaffigan, Mark Normand, Jerry Seinfeld … if you see people go up like Chris Rock and Michael Che in a single night, that’s a college education.
Teme: It’s got to be incredible seeing people like that all the time.
Brendan: I run a stand-up at the Bowery Electric. We have Todd Barry come in, Sarah Silverman. Roy Wood Jr. is going to be on the show. I saw Bill Burr perform five times. That’s something you don’t get to see when you’re in Chicago.
HOW TO BEGIN AGAIN
Teme: When you moved to New York, you had momentum from your tour. How do you keep that momentum going in such a big scene?
Brendan: It was really hard. I had to start over. I’d been in New York when I was on the road. I had some connections, but you got to go back to square one. You got to start hitting the open mic scene a lot. You’ve got to meet all these people, go to the shows and introduce yourself. You got to prove yourself in the biggest city in the world. You got to build your own momentum again. So that’s why I produce the show. That why I’m producing another podcast.
The great thing is, you can get exposure here. I did a show at a comedy club and Jimmy Fallon’s booker was there and we exchanged contacts. It doesn’t mean I’m going to be on The Tonight Show, but industry is in the seats at these comedy clubs. So make yourself get out there. That’s a good way to build momentum.
INNOVATION IN ICELAND
Teme: Overall in your life or career, what is the best thing that has happened so far?
Brendan: The fifty-two cities in fifty-two weeks was insane. This album’s going to be insane, but it hasn’t happened yet. I was part of a team of comedians that shot a pilot in Iceland called Funny Planet. The show is us finding out what’s funny around the world. It’s like Anthony Bourdain but with comedy.
We got to interview the former mayor of Reykjavik who was a comedian. We also got to perform there. We submitted the pilot to the New York Television Festival and we became finalists to have it produced by truTV. I’m just a comedian. I just want to tell jokes, and now it’s like we’re these serious people who might have a TV show. That was pretty insane. We got to shoot a pilot. We actually did it.
A MAJOR SECRET TO LIFE: TRUST YOURSELF
Brendan Gay
Teme: You’ve said that something that helps you move forward is trusting yourself. How do you build that trust and what does your inner dialogue sound like when you trust yourself?
Brendan: That’s a really good question. If you don’t trust yourself, who else can you trust? You are all that you have. You got friends and you got family. You’ve got co-workers. But at the end of the day, it’s just you. So if I don’t trust me, my whole life is shambles.
I think the strongest people are the ones who trust themselves and excel because they’re accountable for themselves. They have no one else to rely on. They’re not entitled. They got to trust themselves to do something. If you really trust yourself and believe in yourself, you’re able to do so many things and push yourself further. How? I look back on the stuff that I’ve done. I try new stuff. And I haven’t died yet.
Teme: That’s such a great answer. I have trouble trusting myself because I’m afraid I’m going to fail. But it sounds like you can trust yourself and still be open to any outcome.
Brendan: Yeah, you’re right. Of course I’m going to fail. I’m going to feel sad. I’m going to feel scared. I’m going to be hesitant. I’m going to be lazy sometimes. But keep going and trust yourself. You’re going to be fine. If you really do trust yourself, you’re going to have less anxiety and less worry. So it’s going to push you further. You’ve got nothing to worry about. You have yourself. You know yourself.
Teme: That’s so brilliant. And if things ever go wrong because that’s life and it’s inevitable, you just trust yourself, “I’ve done this before. I can deal with this.” And get through.
Brendan: Right? That’s a really good point. Yeah, you’ve done this before. Teme, you survived. Whatever’s bad that’s happened to you before, you’re still standing, you’re still moving. You’re still doing interviews. You’re still writing. You’re still going. So, it’s like, “I trust myself. I’ll be fine.”
Teme: I can’t wait for your book.
Brendan: I’m still learning. I have so much to learn. And so much to get better at.
NERVES …
Teme: You’ve said that when you’re nervous you smile confidently. How did you learn to handle nerves with a confident smile?
Brendan: Stand-up comedy is where I learned to smile confidently when I’m nervous. When I started and I wasn’t funny and a joke didn’t go well, I learned you just smile and move on. The emotions are going to come, but just smile and keep going. It’s going to make things a lot easier.
FAVORITE TOPICS
Teme: What are you favorite topics to talk about in stand-up and what does your comedy say about you?
Brendan: I love talking about my friends, and experiences that I’ve had that trigger emotions; that have been scary. Or things that have been the most fun times in my life. My childhood. Anything that was very impactful. I’m very observational. I do some race stuff, too. I talk about family stuff. Anything is funny. A lot of my comedy is me trying to figure out who I am as a person. I’ll even say that on stage, “I don’t know who I am yet. I’m a 27 year-old millennial, still trying to figure it out.”
Teme: Your comedy includes observations about minority culture and growing up as a millennial. How do these experiences impact your perspective?
Brendan: A lot. I’ll say that. How deep do you want to go? Being a black person in this all white town, who’s very broke in one of the wealthiest cities in the country … You’re so different from everyone else. Just imagine coming into this world noticing, oh, you are not like everyone else. So you are right away feeling, “Oh my god, everything I do is different. People look at me different just based on the color of my skin.” That dramatically changed my life. I’m going to think differently than everyone else automatically. I’m willing to say things about that in my stand-up that other people aren’t willing to say.
But here’s the thing I was telling you. On the road, I was like, “Oh, I always thought I was so different from everyone.” But going on the road, I was like, “Oh, everyone’s the same.” Everyone feels that they’re out of place. Everyone has different things about them. They have anxiety or feel like they’re an imposter or they feel like they’re not good enough. Everyone has problems. It doesn’t matter how rich you are or what color you are or what your status is. Everyone has it. We all have the same roots.
But it definitely changed me, growing up differently, being broke in a rich town, and being a different color skin in an all white neighborhood. You’re going to think different. Have a different perspective. Because people treat you different.
Teme: Do you think that feeling different is good for comedy? It’s painful to feel different, but it gives you a unique perspective.
Brendan: I think that it is awesome for comedy. When you’re able to laugh about something traumatic and make everyone else laugh, that is an amazing moment. I’ve had people come up to me at my shows and say, “Thank you so much. I feel that way, too,” especially when I talk about race. Dave Chappelle talks about race, racism, and the civil rights movement. That’s serious stuff, but he takes all that trauma and makes it funny. That shows a lot about the person who’s on stage. He’s able to be stronger than the controversy.
YOU’RE INVITED: LIVE ALBUM RECORDING!
Teme: Of course, I want to hear about your album recording! What will your show be like?
Brendan: It’s going to be pretty crazy. I’m going to do forty-five minutes to an hour. I’ve been doing comedy for four years and two and a half months. It’s going to be all the jokes that have hit, that have gone through the road, and about my life. There’s going to be a lot about growing up. It’s going to be an introduction to who I am as a person, where I am right now and everywhere that I grew up, and my perspective on life. So the 27 years that I’ve lived, you’re going to hear about all of those 27 years within an hour. That’s what this album is. It’s an introduction to Brendan Gay. You’re going to know exactly who I am.
Teme: What do you want the audience to take away?
Brendan: I want the audience to laugh and have a good night. To not think about their work, not think about struggles in their life. I want them to know how we can change the world for the better. I know some people rip on that, but the best comedians to me can make something funny out of serious moments.
Teme: Absolutely anything else you would like to add?
Brendan: I’m really looking forward to coming back to Chicago because that’s where my comedy roots are. I’m looking forward to performing in front of the people who made my comedy career. It’s like coming back home after you’ve been away for college. You know that feeling? You come back for Thanksgiving and you see all your friends. They’re like, “Oh my god, you’re so different. You’ve changed.” I want to show Chicago proud.
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Brendan Gay’s album recording is Friday, March 20, 2020 at The Lincoln Lodge, 2040 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. Shows at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Tickets at brownpapertickets.com/event/4484865
I’ve been a comedy fan since age four when Moe Howard asked me, “What’s your name, lil’ goil?” Fortuitously somehow by way of Washington, D.C., Poughkeepsie and Jerusalem, I ended up in Chicago, the comedy Mecca of the world where comedians are kind enough to give me their time and where I was lucky enough to meet the great Dobie Maxwell who introduced me to the scene. You can reach me at: [email protected]. (Please remember the “w” there in the middle.)
I am often very reasonably asked, “How DO you pronounce that?” The spelling is Teme, but it’s pronounced Temmy.
Show Me Chicago previews, reviews and expresses opinions on what’s happening in Chicago from Blockbuster Theater, to what’s new in dining, arts, and the neighborhoods.
After enjoying the burst of 50-degree weather this weekend, I decided to pop into Heaven Gallery with a few friends. Heaven, which has served as a vintage shop and DIY gallery in Wicker Park since the late 90s, was exhibiting Gwendolyn Zabicki‘s solo exhibition “In a Room with Many Windows,” titled after a poem by Jane Hirshfield. It’s a fitting name for Zabicki, who has worked with themes of mirrors, windows, and passageways in previous paintings and projects. Zabicki earned her BFA from SAIC in 2005 and an MFA from UIC in 2012. Since then her work has shown all over the city–from Hyde Park Art Center to Roman Susan to Comfort Station
Much of Zabicki’s artistic interests lie in the oppressive systems that devour women. She has referenced Pat Mainardi’s 1970 essay, “The Politics of Housework,” which details “progressive men” and how they still avoid feminized work, or work that the woman of the house takes responsibility for. Mainardi writes that “it is a traumatizing experience for someone who has always thought of himself as being against any oppression or exploitation of one human being by another to realize that in his daily life he has been accepting and implementing (and benefiting from) this exploitation.” Cleaning and managing the home are still things that go unnoticed, and this burden still largely extends to women.
Zabicki’s works focus on the mundane moments and the banality of life. While these new works may not outwardly criticize the patriarchal roles of housework, they reflect something new–motherhood. Since giving birth to her daughter Theodora a year ago, Zabicki is awake more hours than she used to be and is much busier than before. She tells me that there is also a lot of down time when she feeds her daughter or holds her while she sleeps. In those moments she is alone with her thoughts. The artist and her relationship to time have been transformed.
Zabicki works out of her studio at Mana Contemporary in Pilsen. “It was really important to me to have a studio outside my home, especially for my daughter’s first year of life,” Zabicki says. “Because I wanted to have a reason to leave the house, and I thought it might help me hang on to my identity and my sanity.” In the days when she isn’t with her daughter, she hires a babysitter. She says she is just as productive as she was when she came into the studio five days a week. “I don’t have the luxury of blowing off studio days anymore to stay home and eat cookie dough and watch Mahogany, which is a great movie starring Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, and Anthony Perkins and not a waste of time at all. Clarity has been one of the big upsides of having a child. You quickly learn what matters [and] get rid of what you no longer have time for, i.e. Netflix, shallots, procrastination.” Being a mother and an artist takes a great deal of multitasking and in the past year Zabicki seems to have found the secret to prioritizing certain tasks and goals. In 20 minutes she can get a coat of gesso on a few canvases, send a few e-mails, wash her brushes, and eat some trail mix. On the drive home from the studio, she uses a breast pump, which she promises isn’t as scary as it sounds.
Self Portrait with Theodora is a piece in the exhibition featuring the artist holding her daughter. Here, the viewer sees the artist multitasking in the bathroom where she is holding her baby while brushing her teeth. Both Zabicki and Theodora are gazing in the same direction as if something has caught their eye. These images that Zabicki has created–the moments in-between the rush of life–are related to the artist’s relationship to time. The fleeting thoughts that Zabicki illustrates stitch together to create her everyday life. In the piece Hold the Door, Zabicki has painted a silhouette of a person exiting a building and going outside towards a blue landscape. Looking at this painting feels like summer. The rush of Lake Michigan is so close and shorts weather is just around the corner. The distance between the person opening the door and the viewer reaching this same door is close but not close enough. If you lived inside of the painting, you can imagine the little jog you would do while running to catch the door. The person would be awkwardly standing there, arm extended with a tight-lipped smile as you picked up the pace. Hold the Door is a familiar moment. It’s relatable, banal, and average. But here are where Zabicki’s thoughts are taking her.
The diptych The Best Place to Cry is in the Shower features two doors that are slightly ajar. One door is front-lit and the other is backlit with a sliver of light appearing from the other side. There are many images like this in Zabicki’s oeuvre–pieces that look into a space through a door or window. In fact, the window is one of Zabicki’s favorite tropes in painting. “I’ve been painting windows, both inside and outside, for a long time,” she says. “Sometimes looking into a window feels melancholic, because we catch a glimpse of something intriguing like a birthday party or a man watching a glowing television, but we know we will never get to know those people in any meaningful way.” And while these particular doors aren’t windows, they are creeping into another space, a passageway that is unknown and unseen. As the viewer we know someone or something is on the other side–the light is on, the shower could be running–but we aren’t physically in the room and may never know what is on the other side.
In Hirshfield’s poem she writes, “In a room with many windows / some thoughts slide past uncatchable, ghostly / Three silent bicyclists. Slowly, a woman on crutches.” Zabicki says that when she sits on the couch with her sleeping baby in her arms, this poem resonates with her. Thoughts vibrate in her mind, flashes of images that she will transform into paintings for us to fall into. v
ChicagoBears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
As the Chicago Bears get ready for 2020 NFL Free Agency, what are some free agents they should consider from the NFC North?
When NFL Free Agency opens up in mid-March, the Chicago Bears are expected to be active and sign a handful of players. And for a team who’s arrow is currently pointing sideways, it’s unknown what the Bears plan to do. We know the team is in the market for a quarterback this offseason but there are other positional needs on both sides of the ball that will need to be addressed.
Then there are other positions such as edge rusher where the Bears don’t have a major need but they could still use some depth. Luckily, free agency will provide the Bears with an opportunity to fill these smaller holes as well.
The beauty of NFL Free Agency is that you’re able to sign players from any team. For the Bears, this means that they can poach from within their division as well. The Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions all have a number of free agents that should interest the Bears.
While most would argue against signing players who played for division rivals, the NFL is all about winning championships. And if winning a championship means signing players from your rivals, you need to do it.
However, the Bears will need to be smart with how they do things. General Manager Ryan Pace doesn’t have the salary cap space that he’s had during previous offseasons. Essentially, he’ll need to get creative with how he does things.
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