The Paper Machete

Matt Klingler shares his birthday with Elvis . . . and several other people of note. On this their birthday, we go to the archives for Matt's debut performance as Terrence McCarthy, The Paper Machete's Big Idea Man, on the woes of celebrity birthday sharing. Recorded at Ricochet's on 1/8/11.

In this Extra Slice from the 11/5/11 show, Kim Bellware (the Chicagoist) welcomes Al Jazeera English to its new Chicago home.

For this week's Machete Extra Slice* we present the full comedy set of New York comedian Nick Vatterott, who investigated the oracle powers of Google at the 10/22 show. *Machete Extra Slices are bonus clips from shows, beyond what we're able to fit on the Radio Magazine.

For our first web-site-exclusive Machete Extra Slice, we present the full 10/15/11 set of local singer/songwriter/comedienne Thea Lux, who appeared in the show as indie rock sensation Nadine Valentine. You know: Nadine Valentine? Pronounced Valen-TEEN? She's that chick who sounds like she might have a speech impediment and you hear her all the time in Starbucks and the Apple store? Well, she has a Christmas album coming out! Give a listen.

The 8/20 show featured guest host Steve Waltien in for Christopher Piatt. Table of contents (hh:mm:ss) ACT I 0:00 Steve's Intro 05:00 - Jeremy Owens on Kim Kardashian's wedding 14:01 - Mary Fons on Madison Young's MILF art exhibit 24:03 - Paul Whitehouse with the Expert Expart report on Wisconsin 33:40 - Mal Darcy's first set 40:10 - Steve's pre-intermission improvised song ACT II 46:00 - Dennis O'Toole on the Lincoln Square Athletic Club 58:27 - Robyn Okrant on the dangers of TV 1:09:19 - James Fritz on Barney Frank's fart 1:20:10 - Mal Darcy's second set You can play the entire show above or download it here. You can also find this week’s issue of THE PAPER MACHETE RADIO MAGAZINE (featuring selections from the show with producer commentary) at WBEZ.org and iTunes.  

Topics in the 7/23 show included the heat wave, Groupon, En Route, Marilyn's statue, sexual coming-of-age in the internet age, and a religion report. Musical guests Good Evening brought the house down with two sets & a little tap dancing. Recorded at The Horseshoe, 7/23/11 You can also find this week's issue of THE PAPER MACHETE RADIO MAGAZINE (a condensed version of the show with producer commentary, occasional archival selections & more surprises) at WBEZ and iTunes. The Line-Up (mm:ss) 2:29 Corey Rittmaster (actor/writer, The Second City) 10:56 Kris Vire (Theater editor, Time Out Chicago) 18:51 Fred Sasaki (writer) 28:34 Good Evening Set #1 37: 54 Spencer Ham (iO) 48:44 Julienne Bilker (Time Out Chicago) 57:42 Tim Paul (The Second City, No Fats, No Femmes at The Annoyance)

The 7/17 docket reads like an all-star line-up of our favorite Machete regulars.  We also present the Machete debuts of Mark Bazer and Will Phalen! Mark hosts The Interview Show at The Hideout on first Fridays, and Will just released his new album, Holy Ghost/Gold Coast. Remember, you can now also get this week's issue of The Paper Machete Radio Magazine, a condensed version of the show with commentary by the producers, at WBEZ.org and iTunes.   Table of Contents (hh:mm:ss) 00:02:18 - Aemilia Scott (writer/actress) on the debt ceiling 00:12:31 - Mark Bazer (The Interview Show) on Google Plus 00:19:05 - Katie Rich (The Second City) as Patti Benassi on Chicago's new slogan, "Second to None." 00:26:19 - Katie Watson and Lindsay Harrington (of Sirens Improv) aka The History Girls, as Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan on IL teacher pensions. 00:32:37 - Will Phalen set #1 00:43:58 - Coya Paz (writer/performer) and Ricky Gamboa (Barrel of Monkeys) on the "Take Back Boystown" campaign 00:53:02 - Ken Barnard (comedian) as Pedro Cavadas, the surgeon in charge of the world's first double leg transplant. 01:02:17 - Tim Sniffen (actor/writer, The Second City, comic book artist) and Brendan Dowling (actor/writer, The Second City, Improvised Shakespeare) 01:11:39 - Will Phalen set #2

Here's the third edition of The Paper Machete Radio Magazine, where we bring you multiple pieces from a single Paper Machete show. With the 7/2/11 issue, we launch a new format: The producers DJ a few selections from that week's live show. Christopher Piatt and Ali Weiss offer a little behind-the-scenes info about each piece and share various fun facts and senseless banter. In tandem with this new format, we will continue to release individual pieces on the podcast, as fast as the hamster at our headquarters can turn his wheel. So listeners will now have the option of checking the archives for a particular performance, or listening to the Radio Magazine for a condensed, narrated account of the week as we saw it. This week we bring you Robbie and Donna Fulks, Bilal Dardai, Stephanie Shaw, and musical guest Dastardly. We'll say no more. We say it on the podcast now. Thoughts about the new format? We welcome your comments. Thanks for listening! Live performances recorded by Nick Keenan at the Horseshoe on 7/2/11. Photos by Evan Hanover.  

The 6/25 show included a number of Pride-related pieces, ranging from an uproarious gay iconography lesson by Rob Anderson (Impress These Apes) to a provocative essay about the gay movement's path from camp to moral seriousness by Sharon Greene (The Neo-Futurists). This week's Radio Magazine also includes Zach Wahls (University of Iowa student best know for his speech to the Iowa House of Representatives) with the "Expert Expat" report on the Iowa caucuses; Dr. Bill Savage (PhD. Northwestern) on Al Capone's legend and cultural stereotypes; Caitlin Parrish (playwright, A Twist of Water) on Catfish Day and Reagan's AIDS record; and high school teacher Jacob Steward (also Zack's speech coach) with our "This Day in History" segment, about the 1,758th anniversary of the beheading of Pope Cornelius (and a whole lot more . . . just you wait). We top it all off with some fiddling by Machete house musician Jonas Friddle. Table of Contents (mm:ss) 00:00 - Christopher Piatt's Intro (recorded later) 00:23 - Rob Anderson 9:30 - Bill Savage 17:22 - Jacob Steward 25:48 - "Smoke That Cigarette" interlude 26:24 - Caitlin Parrish 34:08 - Sharon Greene 46: 36 - Zack Wahls 50:35 - Jonas Friddle  

We're proud to present the second installment of The Paper Machete Radio Magazine, featuring selections* from the 6/18/11 show, our inaugural gig at the Horseshoe. We've got Kate James of Schadenfreude, with her story of unintentional viral video stardom; slam poet Emily Rose with a piece imagining Sally Ride's message to Amelia Earhart; music from Jon Langford with Tawny Newsome and Jim Elkington, as well as a capella group Faces for Radio; a message about privacy from Steve Waltien and Katie Rich; writer Steve Heisler's take on Comic-Con; and Nancy Friedrich and Amy Speckien with a piece from their show at The Annoyance, Waiting for Drew Peterson. Table of Contents (mm:ss) 00:00 - Christopher Piatt's Intro 2:26 - Steve Heisler 9:18 - Nancy Friedrich and Amy Speckien 18:09 - Kate James 31:01 - Faces for Radio 34:06 - Emily Rose 40:55 - Steve Waltien and Katie Rich 51:19 - Jon Langford with Tawny Newsome and Jim Elkington Recorded at the Horseshow on 6/18/11 by Ali Weiss. Photos by Evan Hanover. *Why selections and not the whole show? The usual reasons, including: Some pieces just work better live, on occasion our recordings don't come out as nicely as we'd like and sometimes we don't have permission to post certain pieces.  

In a first here at the Machete, we present you with an entire show in one podcast. We call it The Paper Machete Radio Magazine, Issue Date 6/11/11. This show will always hold a place in our hearts, as it was our last regular Saturday afternoon performance at Ricochet's. We welcomed our own 47th Ward alderman Ameya Pawar, who discussed disaster preparedness and the interconnected infrastructure of Chicago's neighborhoods. We were honored to host award-winning author and journalist Alex Kotlowitz, who told a moving story about the eviction of an urban family. We saw brilliant Machete debuts from writer Shannon Cason, who shed light on recent cuts in the Detroit Public Schools, and Clare Zulkey, who contemplated Jennifer Anniston's Spike TV "Decade of Hotness" award. We also relished the usual wit of a few Machete regulars. Writer and digital media strategist Scott Smith took on Chicago's "flash mob" hysteria, while writer Kim Bellware read between the lines of a controversial Real Housewives quip. Host Christopher Piatt weighed Anthony Weiner's problems against Thomas Jefferson's, and comedian Ricardo Gamboa drew parallels between the X-Men and disenfranchised Americans. Our musical guest was funnyman Matt Baron of Baron Von Something. The show also features rare musical accompaniment for Piatt's traditional Act I closer and, of course, a heartfelt farewell to Ricochet's, our original home. Table of Contents (hr:mm:ss) 00:00 Christopher Piatt's Intro 01:29 Scott Smith 10:36 Clare Zulkey 19:48 Shannon Cason 30:26 Alex Kotlowitz 38:44 Christopher Piatt sings his traditional intermission song "Smoke That Cigarette," this time accompanied by John Szymanski and John Bliss on vocals & guitar and Mike Przygoda on drums. 42:21 Kim Bellware 51:16 Christopher Piatt 57:07 Ricky Gamboa 01:06:25 Ameya Pawar 01:20:47 Musical Guest Matt Baron 01:27:05 Christopher's Farewell & Thank You to Ricochet's Recorded at Ricochet's on 6/11/11 by Kurt Heintz. Photos by Evan Hanover.

The Second City's Tim Sniffen and Brendan Dowling share the transcript of a marriage counseling session with their friend Newt Gingrich. Introduction by Christopher Piatt. Recorded at Ricochet's by Tim Mata for WBEZ.  

In a new experiment, we asked playwright Brett Neveu (A Red Orchid Theatre) to write a radio play based on a current event of the week, and we then performed it in the show. Brett chose a New York Times article, "Learning to Let Go of Your Money," about the outlandish scam of a so-called psychic in Greenwich Village. The play stars A Red Orchid ensemble members Lance Baker and Mierka Girten, with narration by Christopher Piatt and sound effects by Dan Caffrey. Recorded at Ricochet's on 5/28/11 by Ali Weiss.

So, for 5/28/11 show we assigned the sports report before the Bulls lost the NBA Eastern Conference Finals to the Heat. Nonetheless, writer Dennis O’Toole's piece on Joakim Noah’s $50,000 fine, sports heckling and Catholic school nerds is one for the ages. Note: Edited out are some dramatic pauses where Dennis, dressed in the most jockish regalia, stops to crack open a Bud. Introduction by Christopher Piatt. Recorded at Ricochet's by Ali Weiss.  

Dan Caffrey (writer/director, Artistic Director of Tympanic Theatre) speculates about the upcoming new Muppet Movie in the 5/21/11 show. Introduction by Christopher Piatt. Recorded at Ricochet's by Anna Weber.