May 20, 2016
Shane Gillis/for PhillyVoice
Chris Wood gets mocked for having a tiny head. [Shane Gillis wrote this caption.]
The Good Good Comedy people are fast making a name for themselves as presenters of unpredictable comedy shows built on strong premises. There's the one where you have to figure out who's high (Weeding Out The Stoned). And the one where comedians write jokes for their mothers (Ur Mom Is Funny). All have the potential for chaos but none, so far, seems intent on bringing joyous cruelty into the world as Digital Graffiti (which returns with another episode tonight at Plays and Players Theatre). I caught up with comedian and show co-creator Shane Gillis and asked him to explain himself.
Please run through the Digital Graffiti premise for me.
Digital Graffiti consists of 10 comics doing four to five minutes each in front of a panel of other comics. The panel is [chatting] in a group text and that group text is displayed on a screen behind the comic. So basically the comic is getting roasted behind their back and they have no idea what is being said because they can’t turn around. The audience is almost always totally ignoring the comic’s set and only laughing at the mean things being posted behind them. It’s a roast designed by people in their 20s — so it’s going to be memes and gifs and pictures. The gifs and pictures usually get the hardest laughs.
Matt McCusker and I both created the show and young Mekki Leeper is the tech guy who puts it all together. Also, he’s got a phone in the group text, so he chimes in with some really hurtful stuff.
How long have you been doing it? How’s it been going so far?
We kind of just started this show. This’ll be our fourth show since January. What’s nice is that it has sold out each time. We haven’t had to market too much mainly because the prospect of seeing certain comics get roasted usually packs the place. Love or hate the comics on the showcase, it’s really enjoyable to watch them get roasted. The show sells itself, especially among local comics. Every comic wants to see this show and watch their peers get their feelings hurt.
The first show we ran, the hour flew by and I don’t think there [were] 10 seconds that the audience wasn’t laughing. The show was so intense. We really didn’t know what we had until that first show. After that, we knew we were on to something pretty great. I’ve never seen a show like it.
The Good Good Comedy name has some shows that really put people on the spot, but yours seems the meanest of them all.
This show is easily their meanest show. It’s not even debatable. We usually end up making fun of the audience and even Good Good Comedy.
It really is wonderful watching comics with egos go up there and get slammed
Was meanness your goal? Does mean = funny?
As much as we’d like to pretend that this is some social experiment and that this is some sort of counter to political correctness maybe it is just an excuse to be mean. I don’t know exactly why it’s so great but it really is wonderful watching comics with egos go up there and get slammed. Mean is funny if it’s directed at the right people and for the right reasons.
I notice you created the show but you’re not the host. Why is that?
Matt and I created the show but neither of us [has] hosted. We were trying to get as many of our friends involved as possible. Also, the host gets roasted throughout the show and that isn’t enjoyable. Matt and I have both been roasted on this show and we both know it’s not really enjoyable.
What can people expect from tonight’s show?
Tonight’s panel is great. Tommy Pope and John McKeever [from Comedy Central’s "Delco Proper"] are absolutely two of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I’m always excited to work with them and I know every local comic looks up to them so watching everyone get crushed by them will be great. Matt, Mekki and I are always excited about this show but tonight will be great.
Plays and Players is such a perfect venue for it. It’ll be packed and hot and very intense. There are some comics on this lineup that I know people are excited to see get roasted. It’s easily my favorite show every month and this looks like it’ll be great again.
I’m already excited to see how awful this gets. A lot of comedy shows will say something like “if you’re easily offended, don’t come” or things like that but this is a show you’re definitely going to get offended at. It’s the best thing.
Friday, May 20
10 p.m. | $5
Plays and Players Theatre
1714 Delancey Pl.
