Hey guys, remember Brian McGovern? He wrote hilarious and insightful things for Buzz, and then he wrote hilarious and insightful things for us as music editor, and then, like so many before him, he graduated from the U of I and life led him elsewhere. Specifically, to Chicago.
But now he’s back! At least, for the weekend. McGovern is part of the Other Other Guys, a sketch comedy troupe that is taking part in this weekend’s Malignant Humor Festival at the Illini Union Courtyard Cafe. The show starts at 8 p.m. both tonight and Saturday night, and admission is free. The Other Other Guys are scheduled to take the stage at 10 p.m. on Saturday.
Brian totally knows how to use a computer, and so do I, so we thought it would be really cool to exchange emails and post them here for you to read. Kinda cutting-edge, but hey, so are the Other Other guys.
Smile Politely: So, you wrote and drew a bunch of funny shit when you were Music Editor for SP, which set you on a path to fame and fortune. What’s the most outlandish thing that you’ve purchased in the opulent years hence?
Brian McGovern: Well let’s just say they had to change my Amazon.com Wishlist into an Amazon.com GRANTEDlist. All “sweeping and deadly funny riff[s]” aside (Chicago Tribune, Jan. 2012), my most opulent purchase has probably been this… or maybe this. But in all all seriousness, I bought this BOSS sandwich maker for myself this past Christmas. “Do you like sandwiches? Do you wish they could be both sort of hot AND totally smushed? Then you GOTTA get this sandwich maker!” (Brian McGovern, right now)
SP: And also: is it possible to have too much casual sex with attractive women, in your humble opinion?
McGovern: While casual sex is intercourse-style that I come across most frequently, at times more formal encounters present itself. A gentleman must always be prepared. That’s why it’s important to have pieces in your wardrobe that can work for relaxed environments while also looking stylish and appropriate at a fancy tapas establishment or cocktail hall. You can’t go wrong with a button-down oxford and a nice sports coat. You can take off the coat once the sex begins but save yourself the embarrassment and keep your shirt tucked in at all times.
SP: Really, an owl and a bunch of Hoo-words? That’s how you try to convince people that you’re funny on your website? Or is that some of that irony that I hear the kids are into?
McGovern: You must be referring to our H’website. Why convince people that you’re funny when you can trophy people that you’re funny…
SP: How about this Malignant Humor festival? Where do the Other Other Guys fit into that?
McGovern: All “sweeping and deadly funny riff[s]” aside (Chicago Tribune, Jan. 2012), the Malignant Humor festival is going on Friday and Saturday at the Illini Union. It’s mostly UIUC improv folks, but we’re closing out Saturday night. We’ve been invited back because the six of us are all former UIUC folks and everyone but myself are former UIUC improv folks. We are all now Chicago sketch comedy folks. We perform monthly at iO (the past home of big-time movie stars!) and when we first heard we’d be performing at C-U we thought we’d do one of the shows we did there. Unfortunately, the time slot completely overlapped with a scheduled annual investors meeting we have to present at the exact same time (10ish) and place (The Courtyard Cafe). People can feel free to show up and hear our plans for the next fiscal quarter, but it will be a very business-oriented occasion. The presentation is free, but bring your checkbooks because you won’t believe the investment opportunities we are going to present! Yowza! Wowwee! Boffo! Boom Boom Pow! Ba-Na-Na! Zip! Snap! Wagon Wheel! Huzzah!