Comedy Reviews by a Barely Qualified Bow Tie

Pamtastic’s Comedy Clubhouse:
Featuring 14 Hills Literary Magazine

As I scrolled through my “Event Invites” on Facebook to choose my first comedy show to review, I came across Pam’s weekly radio show/open mic on Mutiny Radio. I had been meaning to attend this open mic because 2 very appealing aspects of the show, the first is that it is such an original idea or structure of a show, and second the show gets 5,000+ listeners/downloads a month. For a comic that is a lot of exposure, hell that is a lot of exposure for anyone.
The structure of this show is fairly foolproof. The idea is to get as many people as she can involved with each episode, so each week she has a new group of people promoting the show. By now you are probably wondering how it all goes down, so I won’t hold you in suspense any longer.

The first hour of the Pamtastic’s Comedy Clubhouse is conducted by a guest host, a new guest host is chosen weekly. That guest host gets to decide how the whole first hour is to be spent. Some have done a comedy showcase, choosing a few comics and everyone does 15 minutes, some do interviews with their favorite comics, there have been plays on air, but this week was a little more refined. This week the guest host was the entire literary magazine, Fourteen Hills. Fourteen Hills is a wonderful publication that presents many forms of literature, ranging from poetry to fiction and many other cross genre formats that captivate and inspire. I sat in on the interviews with some of the staff of Fourteen Hills as they spoke of the hard work put into each issue, and read some of their own entries to the magazine.

I am not a poetry buff, but I must say one poem really touched me. A poem written and read on air by Ivan was titled “A New Suit for Graduation” really hit home as it spoke in such detail of his father, it was so involving to me, I became lost in the thoughts of my own father.

Soon after these wonderful poets, writers, and editors spilled their guts to the entire listening audience came the second hour. The second hour is always an open mic. This open mic has such a warm welcoming feeling filling the entire studio and spilling out the front door out onto 21st and Florida. It is easy to find yourself lost in conversation with comics that feel like family, even if you have only met them the night prior. This week the show even had a fantastically funny group of young comics from Denver, CO. All the comics and poets alike share such an appreciation for Mutiny Radio and Pamtastic’s Comedy Clubhouse, comedian Alex Q. Huffman described it as “…a den of creatives that nurture and support in many creative ways, and Pamtastic’s Comedy Clubhouse is a shining example of that, letting you express yourself in any way you want including comedy and poetry…”

As I walked away to my next show that night, I left with the lingering feeling of a big warm hug from a best friend. Really I can’t express how inviting and special this place is, I encourage all to attend every Friday they have the chance.

If you would like more info on Fourteen Hills please visit 14hills.net, and if you would like to come join the fun every Friday at Mutiny Radio for Pamtastic’s Comedy Clubhouse, come to the corner of 21st and Florida in the Mission District of San Francisco, CA at 8pm.

Justin Alan is a comedian in San Francisco, California who also writes and reviews shows near where he lives. You may reach him at justinalancomedy@gmail.com – and he’s open to suggestions of shows to review!