Do you like what you read here at Fly on the Wall? Do you dislike it intensely? Either way you’ll want to know about Saturday’s Wiseguys: Storytellers Unplugged event (Sept. 21) so you can come by to cheer or heckle, depending on your disposition. For I, your Pesky Fly, will be the featured storyteller. And, as anybody who knows me will quickly confirm, you never know what will pop out of my mouth. Or where it’s been.
For me this performance already feels like a celebration. The new and improved Fly on the Wall is now three months old and I couldn’t have gotten this thing off the ground without The Wiseguys who took a chance and agreed to participate in my weird little fusion of comedy, cool things, and community journalism.
In a very short time we’ve covered the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of the Memphis music scene. We’ve taken you on an alternative Elvis tour and exposed Janis Fullilove’s deepest darkest secrets. We’ve been topical. We’ve been obscure. We’ve invented our own holidays and were even on the Miley Cyrus WTF beat weeks before twerking was the only thing anybody could talk about.
And on top of that we’ve continued to chronicle all things weird and wonderful about Memphis. I’m proud of our progress, and hope this is all just a surface scratch.
So, why did The Wiseguys join me in this endeavor? I have no idea. But for my part, the seed was sown the last time I was asked to be the featured storyteller and found myself, quite unexpectedly, telling a room full of strangers about an unsettling period in my life when it seemed like I couldn’t go a week without being surprised by a dildo of unknown origin. (Yes, you read that correctly, and I apologize for the NSFW language, but that’s the long and the short of it).
I’d go for a walk: dildo. My car would break down: dildo. I’d reach into a crack in the wall: dildo. It was like the universe was sending me some message: But what?
In the storytellers format the comics are tasked with creating original comedy performances on the spot responding to whatever tale the storyteller happens to share. I gave the Wiseguys dildos. They, in turn, showed me a good time. So when I needed to assemble a Fly-Team, able to roll with whatever story the news cycle threw our way, these were the guys I thought of first. And every so often I intend to write a post reminding our readers that I haven’t assembled just any old Fly-Team. I’ve got The Wiseguys.
Please forgive this brazen act of shameless self-promotion. But I’m really happy to return as a featured storyteller and I wanted to say so here for any Fly fans who might care to join us.
Details below the fold:
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The Wiseguys Present Storytellers Unplugged on the Third Saturday of each month at the original Midtown location of Cafe Eclectic. Showtime is 10:30 p.m. This show combines fast-paced improv, guest storytellers, and scenic improv.
This late night show is uncensored, and may not be suitable for all ages.
Cafe Ecelectic will have a special menu on hand for the show. The Cafe does not serve alcohol, but people 21 and up are welcome to bring their own to the show with no corkage fee!
Cafe Eclectic is a non-smoking venue.
