The History
First a little history. About a quarter century ago, when the Internet was something only known to a handful of computer geeks and Al Gore, a number of undersexed young men gathered on the campus of Beloit College, a renowned safety school famous in certain semi-prestigious circles. At the time Beloit College was slowly returning from the brink of financial disaster. That did not discourage these young men from seeking the fount of wisdom perched high above the Rock River, hard by the Illinois state line. They arrived randomly from locations that were straight out of Johnny Cash's auctioneer ditty "I've Been Everywhere, Man." They came from Appleton, Schofield, Princeton, Fond du Lac, Winneconne, and, oddly, New Canaan, Connecticut, among other places. Eventually other lads and occasional lasses would also move to this new amalgamation, this subdivision of mirth. The group came to be known as Comedy Acres.
Twenty-five years on, they are scattered about the country, some in Chicago, others in California, others in Minnesota. They have sought fortune and, generally, have found a reasonably comfortable middle-class lifestyle. They are fine individuals that most people wouldn't give a rat's ass about. But they will gather here, in a virtual reality, called Comedy Acres.
The Players
You will meet various people here. One is a bearded, balding corporate lawyer playing a proud guitar. Another is a dashing young man with a porno star mustache and the moniker "Chairman of the Board." Another is an itinerant actor/tenor/photographer living in a dazzling Mies van der Rohe apartment on Lake Shore Drive. Another is a mysterious merchant banker/CEO of an Iowa equipment company, possessing equal amounts of business acumen, audacity and a remarkable ability to simultaneously charm and offend everyone he meets by way of caustic bon mots. And you will meet the author of this piece, a genial, somewhat obese smart-ass with an ample supply of wit and without a current portfolio.
Ah, it's a glorious place, this Comedy Acres.
6 comments:
Is one of the bloggers still basically a "truck driving man" at heart?
Indeed, anonymous, although he would be loath to admit to such propensities, unless you can fill him with a couple of brandy old fashions, the kind they serve at the Hoffman House in ol' Wazoo.
I can assure anonymous that I am basically a truck driving man at heart, and am pround to have some Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, and, a personal guilty pleasure, Kris Kristofferson, on my ipod, a small country sampling to join the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's rock and R&B that predominates. I spent most of my traveling time on a train. I used to listen to CD's and read, and now I listen to 8,445 songs on random on the ipod, read, and reflect about the Green Bay Packers, Martin and Fender guitars, my next CD purchase, whether it is time to move to Canada to escape (1) the terrorists, and/or (2) Dick Cheney, and occasionally about my job. You can't get brandy old fashions in Illinois that compare to those served at the Hoffman House (although God knows I have searched, in vain), but I have been known to talk after a few Jim Beams on the rocks.
I watched the Packes scrimmage on the NFL Network. Finally, a TV show that enhances the Packer fans' capacity for constant devotion and obsession. They could have a heck of a defense this year. Favre looks fine. James Jones and Ruvell Martin appear to be coming along nicely for the 3d/4th receivers, and that young line should really come on. The jury's out on the running back and tight end situation. Brandon Jackson had an incredible catch, and appears to be a sold future candidate for a prize third down back at least if he doesn't have the size to work out as a feature runner. Hawk looks like an animal, and is going to be a lot of fun to watch. Ted Thompson will get run out of town on a rail if Justin Harrell doesn't pan out. If Justin Harrell DOES pan out, they could have a very dominating defense, although even without Harrell, they are loaded at defensive tackle. There was an article the other day on the improvement of Johnny Jolly, and he's probably the fourth man at DT. I recall the days we got excited when all we had was Dave Roller.
Anonymous Truck Driver
I recall the days we got excited when all we had was Dave Roller.
So do I, although in retrospect I think Roller's popularity was in large measure because his name was easier to pronounce than "Barzilauskas." Especially after a few brandy old fashions.
When does the comedy start? I've sitting at Charlie Browns which is now has live internet, just waiting and waiting....Trust me the only thing that's funny in Beloit these days is the occaisional stench of Turtle Creek. We need a laugh, we need humor...Just kidding about the live internet!
When does the comedy start, you ask? We're working on it. I do appreciate the Charlie Brown's reference - I suspect it would be the very last restaurant in the world where you'll see someone sitting with an open laptop computer, while simultaneously tucking into a big ol' plate of corned beef hash and some abysmal coffee (brewed with Turtle Creek water, no doubt).
Post a Comment