I AM ROAD COMIC, the follow-up to Superlounge director Jordan Brady’s cult-favorite stand-up documentary I AM COMIC, is hitting the festival circuit with a sneak preview of the work-in-progress in New York at THE FRIARS CLUB COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL (FCCFF) on April 4, 2014, at 6:30pm. In the film, more than two dozen comics – including Pete Holmes, T.J. Miller, Marc Maron, Doug Benson, Kyle Kinane, Maria Bamford, Judah Friedlander, Jim Norton, W. Kamau Bell, Nikki Glaser and Alonzo Bodden – discuss the nuts and bolts of working the road in bars and clubs.
“I AM COMIC was one of the funniest, most insightful movies about stand-up comedy ever made and remains one of the all-time audience favorites at the FCCFF,” said Eric Johnson, Director of Programming for the festival. “We are thrilled to be able to show our audience a sneak peek of Jordan’s take on road comics.”
To Johnson’s point, 2010’s I AM COMIC was a virtual who’s who of standup comedy, starring Sarah Silverman, Louis CK, Tim Allen, Jeff Foxworthy, Ritch Shydner and 76 other comics. With I AM ROAD COMIC, Brady continues a filmmaking journey through the current standup boom that has made him the definitive biographer of the medium's modern era. Unlike its predecessor, I AM ROAD COMIC is framed by Brady’s first-person travelogue: after two decades off the road and behind the camera, Brady accepts a gig when a booking agent mistakenly (or just ill-advisedly) offers him a weekend Co-Headlining (with longtime friend and national headliner Wayne Federman) at Jack Didley’s in Kennewick, WA. It’s a hell gig: just two weeks prior to the engagement, bouncers had tossed a patron out on his head, putting him in a coma.
“After 22 years off the road, getting booked almost by mistake was an opportunity I couldn't pass up,” mused Brady, an FCCFF alumnus who wanted to test the picture with a comedy film audience before its formal World Premiere (to be announced shortly). “I'd been wondering what was the road was like in this current third comedy boom, as compared to back in my day, and the new movie is my firsthand exploration of that."
Featuring professional comedians who run the gamut from unknown road warriors to today’s hottest stand-up stars, I AM ROAD COMIC questions the importance of enduring life on the road in the internet era. How well can material developed on the road serve a career or does the road itself consume your life? As Marc Maron puts it, “Do you become the road?” These interviews are intercut with footage chronicling the stop loss endeavor of the Brady-Federman bill, which – with its bumps, bruises, local color and overall fiscal senselessness – plays like a Christopher Guest movie that’s all too real.
“I AM ROAD COMIC”
This time it’s personal.
A comedy documentary by Jordan Brady
Running Time: 79 minutes
About the FCCFF
THE FRIARS CLUB COMEDY FILM FESTIVAL (FCCFF) is a star-studded celebration of the comedy genre in the heart of vibrant New York City. Known widely for its roasts and “100 years of antics,” members of the Friars Club include the industry’s top comedians and entertainers, from Frank Sinatra to Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg to Jerry Seinfeld. The Friars Club introduces FCCFF to foster the next generation of comedy filmmakers, to offer comedic filmmakers a platform for presenting their work, and to fill a void by paying tribute to a genre that often gets overlooked.
About Jordan Brady
Jordan Brady began as a stand-up comedian, touring nightclubs and colleges in 49 states across America. His first big break came when MTV tapped him to host a game show, “Turn It Up!” Next, he hosted and directed the NBC Saturday Morning reality series, “Name Your Adventure”. In addition to NBC promo shoots, Mr. Brady began directing short films and series for Comedy Central and MTV. In 1997, Mr. Brady wrote and directed the feature mockumentary, “Dill Scallion”. Critic Roger Ebert anointed it the “‘Spinal Tap’ of country music.” Mr. Brady followed up with the independent film “The Third Wheel” starring Ben Affleck and Luke Wilson, and the Miramax flop “Waking Up In Reno” with Billy Bob Thornton and an undiscovered Charlize Theron. Mr. Brady’s first documentary was I AM COMIC, which explores the art and occupational hazards of stand-up comedy. It stars Sarah Silverman, Louis C.K., Tim Allen, Jeff Foxworthy, Janeane Garofalo and 76 other professional comics.
Mr. Brady’s true passion is commercials. He has directed over 719 national TV spots to date. Through his commercial production company, Superlounge, he directs ad campaigns for brands and agencies all over the world. As host of the popular podcast RESPECT THE PROCESS, Mr. Brady interviews as wide range of ad bizzers and filmmakers on a weekly basis.
