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 June 3, 2004 Hey, the right laughs, too By Brian McTavish Sooner or later it had to happen: a Republican-friendly comedy tour called "The Right Stuff." Indeed, about 10 stand-up comics from around the country have joined forces under the election-year banner, "No more shame, no more fear: Conservative comedians are here!" Of course, one could argue that they're already in charge of the White House. Offering a counterattack to such insidious lefty potshots are conservative comedians (apparently not an oxymoron) Chris Warren and Steve Eblin, who will take their turn sharing the "Right Stuff" comedy platform tonight through Saturday at Stanford & Sons Comedy Club in Overland Park. Both Warren and Eblin have performed for U.S. troops in Iraq. Naturally "Right Stuff" comics like to make fun of presumed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, whom they have ridiculed not only for his politics but also for the extremely large size of his head. As a member of the knee-jerk liberal media, I have to wonder about the basis for such humor. Could it be brain envy? Oops. There I go again. Whatever your political leanings, there are plenty of reasons to expose yourself to the "Right Stuff" at 8 tonight at Stanford & Sons, 106th and Metcalf. Cover is $10; call (913) 385-3866. May 31, 2004 New York Post Read the article here. May 27, 2004 The Pitch Read the article here. April 28, 2004 Baltimore Sun A right to be funny
By Jonathan Pitts If a good impresario is always updating his act, Eric Peterkofsky must have a pretty decent idea what he's doing. Take what happened about a year ago, when the veteran Hollywood TV writer, a closet political conservative, was listening to a favorite talk-radio show one afternoon. The host, syndicated pundit Larry Elder, invited his listeners to come to a Los Angeles nightclub that evening, where a passel of comedians would spend several hours lambasting ultra-liberal filmmaker and conservative bane Michael Moore. Peterkofsky, a native of Columbia, liked the idea. "When you're a conservative out [in L.A.], you end up downplaying your beliefs more or less out of self-preservation," he says. "But if you ask me - and if you ask millions of Americans who think the way I do - nothing's funnier, or more ripe for satire, than the way liberals like Moore claim one thing and do the opposite." The evening of standup inspired an idea: Why not, Peterkofsky thought, assemble a troupe of like-minded comics to play clubs across the country? Tomorrow night, Baltimore audiences will have the chance to experience the result when the 37-year-old gives The Right Stuff its local debut. If the past year is any indication, the four-performer program will more than satisfy lovers of comedy who have, like the producer, tired of what he calls the entertainment industry's ground-level assumption that questioning George Bush's intellect is the height of hilarity. "Not all comedians are angry, bomb-throwing, left-wing types, like Moore, Bill Maher or Janeane Garofalo," he says. "That's a myth. Lots of intelligent, educated Americans respect President Bush as a man of strong values and above-average smarts who has dedicated himself to protecting them. "And what's funnier, anyway, than [Democratic presidential candidate] John Kerry saying, in that self-important voice, `I voted for the $87 billion [in support of the Iraq war] before I voted against it?' Liberals are hilarious. Sometimes they just skewer themselves. You don't have to write their material." Delivery Peterkofsky speaks with the rapid-fire delivery of a stand-up comic and has a jokester's knack for turning a phrase. For example: "Liberals don't let the facts interfere with a good emotion, while conservatives don't let emotions interfere with the facts." The skill has proved useful in a career spent writing, so far, for game and reality shows and sitcoms such as Murphy Brown. For The Right Stuff, though, he confines himself to promotion, management and the online sale of merchandise such as the group's line of "John Kerry Flip-Flops," rubberized footwear ($17.95 a pair) that memorializes some of the Democrat's more infamous reversals of position. (They are available on the troupe's Web site, www.rightstuffcomedy.com.) The producer leaves the stage work to a team of 10 comics he has assembled from across the country, including Chris Warren, a standup artist from Eugene, Ore., who has performed for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The show's emcee, Kentucky-born "Big Daddy" Jeff Wayne, a frequent performer on HBO's Comic Relief, tackles issues such as gun control and "the media's insensitivity to the plight of white males." The two share billing tomorrow night with another former Baltimore-area resident, Julia Gorin, a 33-year-old sometime contributor to the opinion page of The Wall Street Journal. The Right Stuff Web site describes Gorin as "the Democratic Party's worst nightmare. ... She's Jewish, a Russian immigrant, Republican, female and lives in Manhattan." In many ways, Gorin's resistance to stereotyping epitomizes a troupe some might consider oxymoronic. "People have been brainwashed to think conservatives can't be funny," says Gorin, who has always felt like a contradiction in terms. Her father, a violinist, moved the family to Pikesville when she was 3 to take a job with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, part of what she calls "the first wave" of Russian emigration to the United States. "Democrats pander to immigrants," she says, "but our experience of the extreme results of left-wing politics made us conservative. The welfare state is totalitarian by nature. We hated anything socialistic." She spent years reassessing her dad's belief in the virtues of small government and free enterprise, only to find his views confirmed, she says. Today she has a regular standup act, "Republican Riot," at a New York cabaret that prominently features a bust of Ronald Reagan. A review of the show caught Peterkofsky's eye, and he recruited her. "She has an incredible gift with language, both in her columns and in her act," he says. "She's insightful." She made a name for herself in the Journal not long after Bill Clinton left office. When the ex-president's dog was run over and killed outside his Chappaqua, N.Y., home, Gorin's piece, "Buddy's Dead; Is Anyone Surprised?" outraged Clinton supporters. Gorin, an animal lover, admits to mixed feelings about Clinton - "when I first saw the guy, I didn't know whether to laugh or take my clothes off," she says - but his "antics in the White House" turned her even more conservative. "He was irresponsible in every way, so why would he be a good dog owner?" In her stage act, Gorin skewers Clinton; his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton; the liberal reluctance to question the tenets of Islam, which violate liberal orthodoxy such as women's rights; and critics of Bush, whom she calls unimaginative: "They hear him mispronounce a word and say, `Hey, I can say `nuclear,' not `nukular,' so I should be president.'" "It used to be that liberals were the progressive ones," she says, "but today, political correctness is so establishment. It's no risk anymore to make middle-class whites squirm in their seats. Edginess comes from the right." Coming home Gorin and Peterkofsky are enjoying their returns to Baltimore, where each is busy looking up old friends and relations and marveling at changes in the landscape. And in their act, they hope to make their audience feel, in many ways, at home. "It's a PG-rated show," says Peterkofsky, "which our fans enjoy, and it's a place where folks who don't compare the president to Hitler can find some solace and entertainment." And both keep updating their stuff. Gorin is working on a bit about Hillary Clinton's remark that Bush lacks "intellectual curiosity." "She's just parroting what all her comrades say," says Gorin. "I'll nail her on that." And Peterkofsky managed a trip down to Washington, where he found himself picking through the leftovers of Sunday's much-publicized abortion-rights march. "Those placards were all over the place," he says. "I put a bunch in my car. It was a mess. "I mean, liberals' motto is 'we care.' If they care so much, how come they leave so much garbage? Who's going to clean up after them? "That's just what our show is about." April 1, 2004 Minnesota Daily Read the article here. March 31, 2004 Offering Comedy from the Right Side By Jon Tevlin
How many liberals does it take to screw in a light bulb? We posed that question to Julia Gorin, a New York comic who will appear tonight in "The Right Stuff," a showcase of comedy by four standup comics who -- gasp! -- sling jokes from the conservative side of the political spectrum. "None," replied Gorin. "They like to be in the dark." Besides Gorin, comics Steve Eblin, Chris Warren, and host Jeff Jena will wade into the belly of the beast, the University of Minnesota's Coffman Theater, home to anti-war protests, PETA parades and sit-ins. They will come armed with plenty of jokes about John Kerry, the war in Iraq and those protesters "who scream 'No blood for oil!' after driving their SUVs to the demonstration," said Eric Peterkofsky, who conceived of the conservative comic group last year. It is their first performance on a college campus (between seven and nine comics trade off shows). They live in cities across the country and share a need to speak up on political issues they sometimes have kept buried to succeed in what they see as the largely left-leaning entertainment industry. "I certainly wasn't going to say a peep about my politics when I wrote for Murphy Brown," said Peterkofsky. Eblin, a big fan of Steve Martin, has always been conservative, but started doing right-leaning jokes only after Sept. 11. "I had to pick and choose when to make a stand," he said. "If you're looking for a sitcom, you might be risking the chance of offending people in Hollywood." The Right Stuff has so far worked small clubs, but they've sold out almost every one. Their audiences are mostly conservatives, but all are welcome, said Peterkofsky. So far, there have been no liberal hecklers. "Every time out, we think 'Will this be the one?'" said Peterkofsky. "I know the University of Minnesota is a pretty liberal place, so this might be the one." The Right Stuff was brought to campus by several activity and program committees, as well as Students for Family Values. There was some hesitation at first over whether they meet "the university's mission," Peterkofsky said. They agreed. "We bring diversity -- diversity of thought." Unlike many of the most acerbic liberal comics, The Right Stuff comics keep their material pretty clean. But they do nibble at sensitive issues, such as terrorism and abortion, and when it comes to politicians, the gloves are off. Consider Gorin's assessment of Kerry: "The buzz is back that Hillary Clinton may seek a vice presidential run with Kerry. He'd have to be crazy to pick her. I mean, does he really think she'd let him live long enough to see his first 100 days? She's not waiting four years to become president. She'll wait until the guy's inaugurated, and then he'll go the way of Ron Brown, Vince Foster, and Buddy the Dog." Ouch. Eblin said the shows have been well-received. "After shows, people come up and tell me they haven't been to a comedy show in years, because all comics do is offend my politics," he said. March 28, 2004 Transcript: (photo of Terry McAuliffe with caption 'Don't Tread on Me') CHRIS WALLACE: "Campaign paraphernalia is in the news. Democratic Party chairman Terry McAuliffe's new office sports a doormat with a picture that looks like George W. Bush (photo of doormat). The caption says 'Give Bush the Boot!'" (Photo of John Kerry and flip-flop sandals with the caption: 'If the Shoe Fits.') "Not to be outdone, a group called 'Right Stuff Comedy' has come out with a new brand of summer footwear -- John Kerry Flip Flops. Each one has a before and after for Kerry on a number of issues ... Well, there's never any flip-flopping by our panel, Brit Hume, Washington managing editor for Fox News, and Fox News contributors: Ceci Connolly of The Washington Post, Bill Kristol, Editor of The Weekly Standard, and Juan Williams, Senior Correspondent for National Public Radio ..." March 17, 2004 Comics offer liberal doses of conservatism By Paul Sterman They had had enough. It was time to come out into the light and make their voices heard. No more suffering in silence, passively standing by as one more fellow funnyman cracked wise about George W. Bush's intellectual development. They wanted -- no, they demanded -- equal rights. The right to proudly take the mic and quip about Kerry, mock the tree huggers and skewer Streisand. "No more shame, no more fear: Conservative comedians are here!" That is the impassioned battle cry of the Right Stuff, a group of 10 stand-up comedians formed last summer by a television writer and producer who lives in Sherman Oaks. Shaping their routines around their Republican politics, the comics play at clubs, colleges and political fund-raisers. Eric Peterkofsky created the Right Stuff after seeing conservative comic Jeff Wayne perform last summer at a North Hollywood event lampooning documentary filmmaker and Republican arch-enemy Michael Moore. Peterkofsky says that overall, his troupe employs gentle, playful humor, not the mean-spirited barbs he says many liberal humorists shoot at Bush. "We're not going to call John Kerry a Stalin," he says. But the size of his head is fair game. Witness Right Stuff comic Eric Lopez, doing his regular bit where he imagines a tipsy President Bush finally letting loose and talking trash about his rival: "Senator Kerry reminds me of a talking piņata, because his head's huge." Tonight the crew will perform at the Improv in Brea. It seems only, well, right that it plays in Orange County, traditionally a Republican bastion. Fed up with the lack of conservative voices in the entertainment world - there are particularly few in the field of stand-up comedy - Peterkofsky banked on there being comedy fans who shared his views. The group's first three shows, in Los Angeles and Valencia, sold out, and the Right Stuff was off and running. "We just wanted to counterprogram the Janeane Garofalos, the Bill Mahers, the Margaret Chos - the bitter Bush-hating comedians - with less angry, less bitter Republicans who like to poke fun," says Peterkofsky, who has written for "Murphy Brown." "Why should the music business and the comedy business and the entertainment business just be the domain of mostly liberals? Why does Kelsey Grammer have to 'come out' as a Republican?" Julia Gorin, a 31-year-old New Yorker in the Right Stuff, has been a stand-up comic for seven years. Night after night, she says, she's had to hear jokes with a liberal slant. "You have to politely swallow what to you are these blatant distortions of reality," she said. "That's what I've been doing my whole life." The friendly, fast-talking Gorin is a provocative performer; she's not afraid to broach sensitive cultural and political issues, and push buttons in the process. She does graphic satire about terrorism, riffs on promiscuity and abortion, and gets off a jab about nonbelievers ("Even atheists go to heaven - they just feel really stupid when they get there.") The Right Stuff comics are from all parts of the country, and they perform on a rotating basis. Seven - Wayne, Gorin, Lopez, Steve Eblin, Chris Warren, Tony Robinson and Steve Marmel - will be at the Brea show. Lopez will open the festivities. This is only his third show with the comedy troupe. The 25-year-old, who grew up in a "really old-school" Republican family in Arizona, recently auditioned for the group at a Hollywood club. "They liked my George Bush impression," he notes. "That's what sealed the deal right there." February 17, 2004 THE RIGHT STUFF will perform March 2 at the Punchline, located at 280 Hilderbrand Drive in Atlanta. Tickets for the show are $17.50 per person. The show starts at 8:00 p.m. Make your reservation now by calling (404) 252-LAFF (5233), or call (818) 207-2997. E-mail: rightstuffcomedy@yahoo.com. February 17, 2004 THE RIGHT STUFF will perform March 17 at the Improv, located at 120 South Brea Boulevard in Brea. Tickets for the show are $17.00 per person. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. Make your reservation now by calling (714) 482-0700, or call (818) 207-2997. E-mail: rightstuffcomedy@yahoo.com. November 19, 2003 2 NEW YEAR'S EVE SHOWS -- Dec. 31, 2003 Ha Ha Cafe Comedy Club Tickets: $25 each with a two-drink minimum (plus tax and tip)
RESERVATION LINE: 310-915-7587 November 5, 2003 August 22, 2003 August 21, 2003 Do you wish that Janeane Garofalo would just shut up? Are you closer to the thinking of Dennis Miller than of Michael Moore? Then why are you reading this rag? Have an open mind and check out The Right Stuff: Comedy for Real Americans with Bush-loving comics "Big Daddy" Jeff Wayne, Steve Eblin, Shayla Rivera, Chris Warren, Caroline Picard and Jeff Jena. JR's Comedy Club, 27630 The Old Road, Valencia (I know it's a haul -- make a day of it and visit the Ronald Reagan Library while you're out here!); Thurs., Aug. 21, 8 p.m.; Fri., Aug. 22, 9 p.m.; $10. (661) 259-2291. Read the original press release announcing THE RIGHT STUFF's first engagements in Southern California.
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