“Everyone should enjoy laughing.” – Jamie Bendall, owner of The Punchline comedy club.
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s the saying goes, “laughter is contagious.” That is sure to be true about the chuckles heard throughout Atlanta with the number of comedy clubs seen here such as The Laughing Skull, The Punchline and Uptown Comedy Corner. Each one of these raving places have their own origin and stories that will provide incentive to follow each trail of laughter.
The Laughing Skull
Skulls will be rolling with laughter! Conveniently located inside Atlanta’s famous restaurant, The Vortex, The Laughing Skull features open mic nights. They also offer comedy classes, comedy festivals and comedy roasts.
“It is much smaller than traditional clubs which makes it a much more intimate and welcoming environment for comedy,” Andrew George, Manager of The Laughing Skull, said.
The club was conceptualized and created by current owner, Marshall Chiles. The Laughing Skull opened up in 2009 and strives to create the best experience for visitors. They want to see you leave their establishment with tears of laughter streaming down your face.
“It’s the perfect date spot. You can laugh with your boo without having to talk to them! Plus, we’re inside of the best burger place in Atlanta,” George said.
Like most comedy clubs that focus on having the quality comedy rave through the wall, The Laughing Skull follows a process when choosing which people can perform on stage. For them, it’s pretty simple: are the comedians funny and can the business afford them?
The club allows comedians to bring their own material on open mic night, creating a free zone for comedic expression.
“It’s a 100 percent open house. As long as nobody is actively trying to fight you because of what you’re saying, we’ll allow it. By signing up for our open mic nights, if you’re funny there, you’ll get invited back!” George said.
The Laughing Skull has had many legends come and lay down their epic jokes for audiences. Some of these comedians include the late Robin Williams, Bobcat Goldthwait, Pete Holmes, Jen Kirkman and Lyle Kinane. With these comedy gods leaving numerous iconic acts behind in the memories for those who were fortunate enough to witness them, The Laughing Skull is a haven for those who want to make a name for themselves in the comedic world.
The Punchline
“Everyone should enjoy laughing,” Jamie Bendall, owner of The Punchline comedy club, said.
This historic club seems to have no issues with getting to the punchline of a joke. The Punchline first opened in February of 1982 during what can be described as the “waning days days of the Urban Cowboy craze that followed the death of disco.”
The Punchline is the oldest comedy club in Atlanta. As the oldest comedy club in Atlanta, The Punchline has had the pleasure of countless comedy greats perform at their venue. They have an endless amount of memories to be shared with those who pay a visit.
“We are the only stage that all the greats of the modern comedy era has performed on. We’ve had more than 10,000 shows and over 5,000 performances seen by more than 1 million guests over the years. The Punchline is the crown jewel of Atlanta comedy. Our shows are terrific and our performers are the best at what they do,” Bendall said.
Like most comedy clubs, they want to add as much diversity as possible to the mix. Comedy is an entertainment piece that works the best when new jokes and scenarios are incorporated. The Punchline wants comedians who have their name out there. To decide who gets a shot at the stage, The Punchline wants to make sure that the comedian in question has some experience under their belt. Along with — of course — an open mic night weekly.
“Because we are the preferred room for the majority of comedians, we generally start from the proposition that we want the best comedians that are working comedy clubs at that time. We want the best. Period,” Bendall said. “Bill Hicks, Daniel Tosh, Seinfeld, Amy Schumer and Steve Harvey have all been performers at The Punchline. We have a great cross-section of comedians and among our customers. We want funny.”
Their main goal is to create the best experience for their guests. They want to see the audience leaving with smiles permanently stuck on their faces and they are attempting to achieve that goal with continuously having a fantastic lineup of comedians. For instance, the comedians who will perform in the upcoming shows will be Chris Tucker, Jeff Foxworthy, Dave Attell and so many more.
“The audiences at The Punchline get a great show each and every time. I can’t tell you how many times I shake hands at the back of the club and people want to tell you how much fun they had laughing at our club,” Bendall said.
Uptown Comedy Corner
There is no getting closer to the real roots of Atlanta than visiting Uptown Comedy Corner. Uptown Comedy Corner reflects the indie history of Atlanta, reliving the classic comedy club style by offering multiple comedic formats.
“We have open mics on Thursday and Sunday, but we usually have an open liner that plays Thursday through Sunday. Sometimes we will have bigger names come through on typically wednesday. However, generally speaking we are only open Thursday through Sunday.
Its a typical comedy club where you have a host, an opening act, a feature act and a headliner,” Craig Wilson, one of the owners of Uptown Comedy Corner, said.
Uptown Comedy Corner is also one of — if not the biggest — comedy clubs in Atlanta. Seating 378 people, Uptown Comedy Corner first opened in 1992 located under Houston’s restaurant and across from Benihana. However, that location ended up closing in 1998 – 99 and reopened seven years later.
The most unique characteristic about Uptown Comedy Corner is that they view themselves as the “only African American centric club” in the Southeast as far comedy clubs go. The audience can experience several different themes when watching the comedians up on the stage.
“You see a lot of experiential comedy like ‘When I was growing up …,’ ‘Man, my grandmother was mean …,’ or ‘My girlfriend did such and such …’ You see a lot of political comedy like things about Obama or Baner. You see a lot of commentary on current events,” Wilson said.
Another feature that allows more interaction between the people there is that Uptown Comedy Corner offers open mic nights as well. They want to establish a place where comedy is the main focus and the only aspect that should be addressed.
“There is a sign up sheet; you try to get there as early as possible and hope you get up. Sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t. It’s sort of a first come, first serve kind of process. However, there is the politics of comedy. Depends on who is hosting and whether you offended them last week, all the underground hater stuff,” Wilson said.
The Uptown Comedy Corner has a long list of big name acts who have stepped foot onto their stage. Due to the comedians who have graced their presence, a common theme of urban comedy has been created and continues to flow in that direction.
“Everybody has been through. Richard Pryor came to the club as a member of the audience a while back. Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Earthquake, Mike epps, John Witherspoon and Paul Mooney have all been performers here,” Wilson said.
Uptown Comedy Corner has a long list of upcoming comedians that will be sure to draw Atlanta residents to their front — for those who are 21 and up, of course. The method to retrieve big name comedians is extremely tactical.
“Bill Bellamy is coming in the upcoming week. The whole thing varies though; it’s a game of if the big names are playing theaters when they can because they make more money,” Wilson said. “So if you want someone to perform you have to get them between theatres or on their off season. It a consist game of trying to figure out how the puzzle goes together.”
Each one of these comedy clubs have a theme about them that makes them unique from one another. One strives to connect with the audience within their intimate setting; another club is the Grandfather of them all who continues to bring in an eccentric crowd; and the final club thrives off Atlanta’s old urban lifestyle as their guiding light.
