Two guys with a microphone hatched an idea to bring local and big name comedians together in Memphis year round.
“There’s no better feeling than put- ting months and months of work into something then seeing people leave with a smile so big you can’t see their cheek bones anymore,” said 32-year-old Memphian and University of Memphis graduate student, Doug Gillon.
Gillon and Kyle Kordsmeier, 33, of Crossett, Arkansas, traveled around the country to see comedians – scouting various venues along the delta for talent.
“We just tried to find comics who would blow people away and the result was that people were blown the f**k away,” Gillon said.
T.J. Davidson, 32, of Houston, Texas, happened upon the Tuesday Show Comedy in July and committed to attending ever since.
“Four of the six comics were nationally touring and all were crazy funny. I did not expect a small city like Memphis to have a better comedy scene than Austin or Boston,” Davidson said.
Gillon and Kordsmeier planned to host six comedy showcases over six months after being inspired by the 2015 Memphis Comedy Festival.
“We thought, ‘Let’s put together a fantastic stand-up show and promote it relentlessly. If people love it, then we’ll know what we saw at comedy fest is continuing and will keep coming,’” Gillon said.
The 8 p.m. show on Jan. 26 at The Brass Door on Madison Ave. will be their seventh show running. The cover cost is always $5.
“It’s a really inexpensive way to go out and laugh for an hour and half,” Kordsmeier said. “A lot of people need joy in their lives.”
Chase The Vape, The Hi-Tone, and The Brass Door are the three venues the Tuesday Show Comedy has circulated since its first showcase in June 2015.
The comedians selected for their showcases are given 10 to 20 minutes each to make the crowd laugh with their best stuff.
“It’s a really unique time for comedy. At a lot of these showcases you are going to be seeing the best of the competition,” Kordsmeier said.
Gillon said they host their shows at venues as opposed to having their own club because it helps local businesses. It’s their way of giving back.
Tuesday Show Comedy also has Ben Aviotti of the Memphis rock band Dead Soldiers as their live music.
“The music is a massive part of what makes us unique,” Gillon said.
Gillon said as Seattle became big on grunge, he wants to make Memphis big on comedy.
“There is Josh McLane’s ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ show, but in Midtown, Downtown, and the belt area, that’s all there was in terms of comedy outside of open mics,” Gillon said. “We wanted to be a part of what’s happening here independently.”
