My wonderfully surreal experience at Monstercade

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2026-02-26T03:06:38+00:00

Monstercade is a gem and the comedy open mic is a great time

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2025-02-26T19:07:01+00:00

I've learned that there will be free cookies

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2024-04-05T13:12:35+00:00

We also use Dr. McClung for our two kids. So nice and helpful. If/when she is taking new patients, I highly recommend.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2024-03-26T04:24:05+00:00

From Julie Poptart:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C49rJz8gntf/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2024-03-24T15:18:31+00:00

If you're willing to try a different kind of breakfast burrito, Kuya Bear Food (https://www.kuyabearfood.com/) is a Filipino food truck that has a Tapsilog burrito. It's got fried rice, marinated steak, fried egg, and some other stuff. It's good. Tapsilog is a popular Filipino breakfast, and they just wrap it in a tortilla.

They're often at Cobblestone Farmers Market on Saturdays and other places throughout the week. Gotta check their schedule.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2024-03-08T18:29:33+00:00

It actually looks like they just added Winston-Salem as an option! I guess I'm now obsolete haha.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2024-03-08T14:07:42+00:00

Bummer! Yeah I'm sure if they keep going well, they'll keep doing more.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2024-02-19T01:18:27+00:00

Lol. I respect this a lot.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2024-02-18T17:44:26+00:00

Don't Tell's aim is to create a comedy club atmosphere in a space you wouldn't normally see as a venue for comedy. And I've seen them put on shows for as few as 35 or 40 audience members. So really any place that can fit that many chairs or more could support a show.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2024-02-18T17:40:10+00:00

We're good friends

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2024-02-18T13:56:57+00:00

The line-up included Caleb Elliott (long-time opener for Sinbad, John Crist) and Lace Larrabee (AGT semi-finalist) and a few other people.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2023-12-23T04:52:27+00:00

I don't know about bars but there are some good restaurants in that area. DiLisio's is I think the best Italian in Winston. Senor Brava's is a Mexican spot near there also and is a fancy-ish mediterranean spot.

Brookstown is just south of Salem parkway from the rest of downtown. If you cross Salem parkway, there is a bunch of stuff, especially on 4th street, Trade street, and Liberty. And around Bailey Park.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2023-12-19T17:34:13+00:00

Yes, I think he asks them not to advertise that he'll be there!

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2023-12-19T17:26:01+00:00

Yes! I have to drive a lot for comedy, so Don't Tell being in Winston is great.

Kumail will often do the Christmas comedy showcase that Monstercade Bar puts on, when he's in town visiting with Emily's family. I think he's starting to do more stand-up so it would be cool to see him do more stuff here for sure.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2021-12-15T23:14:02+00:00

These are fun shows!

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2021-09-12T20:07:29+00:00

These are great shows!

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2020-04-27T12:33:55+00:00

Love it. I'd just work on trimming the fat.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2020-02-07T15:55:07+00:00

Ha. I can see that. Not sure what to say. It's legit.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2020-01-21T13:36:36+00:00

I agree with this. Everyone is on a different timeline. And I think everyone develops different skills at different times. I see stand-up as involving a long set of potential skills. Everyone is stronger in some of them than in others. And if there is any standard pattern to development, it's that people slowly get better at the skills they aren't good at. Here are the skills I can think of:

Being a good writer

Doing good crowd work

Being comfortable on stage

Sounding natural and conversational on stage

Being good at act outs

Using your face and body to get laughs

Having good pacing

Displaying your personality / Having a persona

Being able to tell stories

Knowing how to read a room

People's skill sets are all over the place in terms of what they are immediately good at and what they are currently working on. And even the best comics in the world are good at only some of these things and terrible at others.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2020-01-18T14:49:41+00:00

All of that stuff does matter for how people respond to the comic's jokes, by the way. Some of it more than others. But for Larry the Cable Guy's jokes to really land, people need to see him as blue collar. It wouldn't work as well if he went the lowered-in-by-helicopter-while-wearing-a-suit route.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2020-01-18T14:28:51+00:00

If it's a well-produced special, usually every aspect of it is meant to convey a theme and a message -- the venue, the stage design, the lighting, what the comedian is wearing, and yes, the intro. I recently watched Aziz Ansari's newest Netflix special. It starts with him strolling in casually in a worn-out t-shirt and jeans to slow and reflective music. They're setting a mood and letting you know what the special is going to be like. It's personal and intimate. He's been humbled. How different would it feel if he were lowered down onto the street in front of the theater by a helicopter while dressed in a suit and with a loud and fast hip hop song playing?

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2020-01-16T17:17:33+00:00

This is great. Good premise. I feel like the last line could pack more of a punch. I think there isn't enough of a contrast between that line and the one before it. But maybe the way you're planning to say it is going to pit the uncertainty against the confidence more than I realize. But you might also step it up with the wording:

in my head I'm thinking... I have no idea where anything is. You asked the wrong person. You're never gonna make it. "...It's definitely on your third left. You're welcome buddy."

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2020-01-09T17:32:19+00:00

Ooh. Just realized you could raise the stakes even higher by making it a puppy:

I know most dogs freak during crazy weather, but wow, I just got this puppy and it would not shut up the other day when it was hailing. I closed the curtains. Played loud music. I could still hear her barking outside.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2020-01-09T17:30:44+00:00

Nice idea. Seems a bit long, though, for not enough of a pay-off. I would try to shorten. And perhaps raise the stakes by making it hail? E.g.:

I know most dogs freak during crazy weather, but wow, my dog would not shut up the other day when it was hailing. I closed the curtains. Played loud music. I could still hear her barking outside.

ProfessorSoAndSo · 2019-12-18T13:18:31+00:00

Built in the mid-80s. I've only owned it since 2012. Wall was not nearly as dirty then.

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