The Coexist? Comedy Tour

Art for DVD

2012-01-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

This is the art for the DVDs we're sending out to festivals! I think it looks great! Click on the image to see larger.

I've Seen The Movie!

2012-01-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

My wife and I watched The 1st edit of The Coexist? Comedy Tour documentary and I think Larry Brand did an amazing job of capturing both the fun of our live show and the feelings and thoughts behind it as well as our nation-wide search for a funny Christian after our 1st Christian lost his faith and our 2nd Christian didn't want to sign his release form form for the film.
It's a GREAT FILM! There have been a couple of small test screenings on the east coast and audiences are loving it!

Coexist? Comedy Tour THE MOVIE Update

2011-12-20T08:18:00.000-08:00

I talked with Larry Brand a couple of times this week and The Coexist? Comedy Tour film has a preliminary edit finished. A color correction and audio mix are next and then it should be ready to unveil. I have yet to see the latest edit myself but a copy should be on its way to me shortly. I'm very excited to see what has come together.

Originally this was just a concert film with a few behind the scenes looks at the tour but our Christian at the taping opted not to sign his talent release and it became a much more interesting film at that point as we held auditions in New York, Los Angeles and Sacramento to find a new Christian. Many hilarious comics auditioned and it hurt to have to say no to any of them but we were very pleased to be able to say yes to John Fugelsang.
Fugelsang's Coexist? Set was taped in New York and marked the completion of principal photography.

The Coexist? Comedians in the finished film will be Moshe Kasher, Sammy Obeid, Tissa Hami, Keith Lowell Jensen (aka me) and Tapan Trivedi plus Fugelsang. I'm hoping we'll be premiering the film on both coasts in February 2012.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

2011-11-05T20:54:00.001-07:00

Fantastic show Friday night at Cal Poly, SLO. Pictured, Tapan Trivedi -Hindu, Hasan Minhaj -Muslim, Erikka Innes -Christian, Dylan Brody -Jew (atheist Jew to be precise) and Keith Lowell Jensen -atheist.
Great crowd and Terry at Cal Poly treated us like royalty. We wanted for nothing.

Cal Poly this Friday

2011-10-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo hosts the Coexist? Comedy Tour this Friday!

Catching up!

2011-10-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

John Fugelsang

This poor blog has been woefully neglected. Since last we spoke principal photography finished on The Coexist? Comedy Tour movie. John Fugelsang participated in nation wide auditions and ended up our Christian in the film after our original Christian had to drop out in response to higher calling, as in his agent called him and told him to drop out.
We're stoked to have John, stoked to have the film being finished by director Larry Brand who is hard at work editing in New York. More news on that soon. I will try to keep up better with the blogging.

Atheist Church July 4th, 2009 One Nation Under God

2009-07-04T13:49:00.001-07:00

Coexist Comedy at SF Comedy College

2009-07-03T12:32:00.001-07:00

Our Jew Rules!

2009-06-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

Oh man, Moshe Kasher got Best of the Fest at The RoofTop Aspen Comedy festival.
We TOLD you we were bringin' you the best comics around!

Coexist? Comedy Tour Youtube Contest

2009-05-17T11:51:00.001-07:00

Hi! Want to win $100, get 4 VIP tickets to see The Coexist? Comedy Tour and earn the LOVE and ADORATION of all? Of course you do. So, enter the Coexist? Comedy Tour Video Contest.
You can down load audio directly from the youtube clip, if you know how to do that, or get it here in .wav and mp3 formats:
http://www.coexistcomedy.com/cct_contest_audio.wav
http://www.coexistcomedy.com/cct_contest_audio.mp3

Then you can find lots of pictures of us. Start with the ones here: www.CoexistComedy.com/press
You'll see our big logo and beneath it our headshots. Click the images for larger versions.
And, if you need more google Coexist Comedy and/or our individual names in google images. You'll get LOTS of stuff. Heck you can find lots of video of us online too.

Or, get out the crayons, or spray paint or colored pencils and puppets!

Have your video up by May 22nd. Every entry (that isn't super lazy, or insulting, etc.) wins one free ticket to The Coexist? Comedy Tour.

Here is the script if you want to redo the audio yourself:
The Coexist Comedy Tour story starts with Tapan Trivedi, an Indian.. No, the kind from India.
Just think of that kid from Slum Dog Millionare only Tapan had a home, and parents, but he grew up around real live monkeys and that is way cool.
So he leaves India to study business or technology or something boring like that and he chooses to do so in America because he loves Bruce Springsteen, no really.
Once here he discovers Stand Up Comedy, much more fun than studying. Actually he discovers blonds and red heads, much much more fun than studying, but he discovers that the best way to meet said blonds and redheads is stand up comedy.
As a Hindu Tapan has many, many Gods and he is surprised to meet his spiritual opposite. Atheist comedian Keith Lowell Jensen. Keith has no gods, not one.
The two immediately hit it off as they LOVE making fun of each other's religion and lack there of. In fact it's too much fun to keep to themselve's so they bring in
A JEW, A Christian, A Muslim and a Buddhist and The Coexist Comedy Tour is Born heading out across this great land, by van, no airline on earth is going to let this bunch past security.
In your town soon.
Come out for a night of Sacred Cow Tipping!
www.CoexistComedy.com"

We're Back

2009-05-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

Yeah, We're back on the road. with shows booked from LA to Seattle.

You'll see some new faces and there are more new faces to come so if you've seen us before, come see us again. New jokes, some new comics and you'll have forgotten some of the old jokes anyway ya drunken louse.

Very excited about 2009. I'm going to pick up one them cool digital cameras and do a better job of documenting our adventures on the road.

Oh, and dig the new artwork. Thanks to the amazing Tom Working for that. Visit him here: www.fal.net/tomworking/ and give him work. He likes work. He'll give you a good deal on a tattoo.

See you all soon...

Religious discussion is good for the brain

2009-03-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

Come to the Coexist Comedy show! It's good for the brain! Check it:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090309/sc_livescience/scientistsseegodonthebrain

OMG

2009-02-03T22:37:00.000-08:00

OMG I just ran into the Gene Simmons atheist guy AGAIN. AGAIN!!! This time in Union Square. And once again, I couldn't remember his real name.

So, I know some people/religions believe in the powers of the universe, in destiny, in the hand of fate, and all that other mystical cosmic stuff. I have now run into Gene Simmons atheist guy on the street twice in the span of a few weeks. Is the universe trying to tell me something? What do atheists think about these types of coincidences? Keith?

Gaza protest

2009-01-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

I went to the Gaza protest in San Francisco yesterday, and guess who I saw? The Gene Simmons atheist guy! I was like, wait, it's him, it's the Gene Simmons atheist guy. I wanted to get his attention but I realized I didn't know his real name. So I yelled out, "Hey, Gene Simmons atheist guy!" And it turns out he doesn't respond to that name. Who knew?

Things I learned yesterday:

1. Israel is a brutal terrorist state.
2. Learn people's real names.

Under God....

2009-01-09T15:10:00.000-08:00

So there is a lawsuit filed by none other than Michael Newdow to remove the 'Under God' to remove the phrase "so help me God" from the oath because the Constitution does not require its statement and the phrase possibly violates the Establishment Clause.

Now the populi en-masse has the cringed reaction to this. Should Mr.Obama be ostracized by pulling the phrase and offend most of the country ? Or should he dedicate his time and talent trying to save the value of our money that the God we trust in hasn't been able to save ? I would rather have him do the later. We can save the lawsuit for the second term. Let the guy do what we elected him for.

The gut reaction that many God fearing people have is that if we remove Under God then what should we replace it with ? Canada ? One nation under Canada ? Sounds OK by me.

Or alternatively the atheists should insist that we take not just the pronoun God but the actual name of God as given in the Bible (lets give the Christians this one since Christianity is the most popular religion in the U.S. of A.). What is the name of God you say ? Its Jealous. The Bible is the actual word of God and if God says ,like he does in

Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God .

Note that the Hebrew translation, for once, is accurate. Look up the words 'shem' and 'qanna' for more information.

I think I just made you go GODDANGIT. Or rather JealousDangit !

Would You Rather Be Hilariously Funny or Drop-Dead Gorgeous?

2009-01-08T21:55:00.000-08:00

So I was reading my Glamour magazine -- as I'm sure all you guys do every month -- when I came across an article with the following title: Would You Rather Be Hilariously Funny or Drop-Dead Gorgeous?

http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/smitten/2009/01/would-you-rather-be-hilariousl.html

My first impulse was, DUH, are they really asking this? Isn't the answer obvious? My answer -- with apologies to feminists and fellow stand-up comics everywhere -- is DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS of course.

There, I said it. Ahem.

Does this make me a traitor to my profession? To my gender? To my Brown degree? Who knows. Who cares. The simple (sad?) truth is, I'd take gorgeous over funny any day.

I figured other women would feel exactly and I mean EXACTLY the same way. So I started reading the comments below the article and, shockingly, most everyone picked haha's over looks. What?!

As a professional stand-up comic -- and I'll go out on a limb here and say as someone who's more "hilariously funny" than "drop-dead gorgeous" -- let me tell you that being funny ain't all that. But looks? Damn. That's your meal ticket right there.

Okay I'm off to read some Naomi Wolf....

Coexist? Comedy Tour on Romanian Website

2008-12-27T10:46:00.000-08:00

Click Here to visit Punchline.ro and see the Romanian comedy website's interview with The Coexist? Comedy Tour.
Of course, it helps if you read Romanian. I don't. Translators?
:)

San Francisco Atheists show us a great time, again

2008-12-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

Those SF Atheists are a fun and rowdy bunch. We were honored to be their guests again this year at their Winter Solstice party.
Our friend and SF Atheist in good standing, Lenny took lots of pictures and we will share some here soon. Right now I am CRAZY busy with Christmas goings on. Yes, I am one Christmas loving atheist and I hope you all have a merry one.

Los Angeles is AWESOME !

2008-12-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

First off here is the article from the L.A. Times. Thanks to Alicia Lozano of LA Times for taking the time to talk about what we are doing.

http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/la-et-guideevent18-2008dec18,0,6919350.story
Now for the show itself.
We were almost hindered by an act of God from being there - Atheist

We made it there despite a HUGE act of God from being there - Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist.

It snowed over the grapevine and it was impossible to get to Los Angeles the normal route. So all the members except the New Jew had to drive for about 12 hours leading to the second car with the Hindu, Muslim and the Buddhist reaching the Hollywood Improv about 4 minutes before showtime . AND WE GAVE AN AWESOME SHOW !

There were people there who really enjoyed the show and let us know about it. There were students from UC San Diego and UCLA who want us to do their school - which is AWESOME ! Hit us soon school students before you graduate or we get so busy that you can't get us anymore .

Thanks LA for such a great time !

The Jewish Journal

2008-12-15T18:28:00.000-08:00

The Jewish Journal had nice things to say about us on our first trip to LA to play the Westside Eclectic. They come through again with this great write up, sharing the page with the sexy picture to your left. That is NOT Moshe Kasher, sorry. She just stole his look.

"Last year, bagelicious Chad Lehrman represented the Tribe in the Coexist? Comedy Tour, which pits the world's major religions (in the form of stand-up comedians) up against one another in a battle of sarcasm, self-ridicule, bigotry-bashing and warm-and-fuzzy tolerance. This year, the ensemble added another faith, Buddhism, to the lineup, but was "between Jews" throughout the fall tour, until Moshe Kasher came to the rescue to represent the people most desperate for peaceful coexistence. The just-added comedian will have to make up for lost time on the stage, but from what we've seen on his myspace page, the dance-happy Heeb will do well in representing us. Thu. 8 p.m. $14. Hollywood Improv, 8162 Melrose Ave., Hollywood. (323) 651-2583. http://www.coexistcomedy.com."

Sacramento Was Awesome!

2008-12-13T09:37:00.001-08:00

What an amazing show. Thanks to everyone who came out. We had a nice packed house full of loud, enthusiastic, I think I can even say ROARING, yes, they were roaring, people.
What a perfect homecoming.
Looking forward to LA and SF next week and then looking forward to a bit of a break. :)

Moshe Kasher joins us in Hollywood

2008-12-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

As you may know we are between Jews at the moment, mostly because we get a kick out of saying "Where you gonna find a Jew in stand up comedy?"

Of course we have had some wonderful Jewish comedians perform with us. Chad Lehrman was there for our first season. Brian Malow did an amazing set with us in Stockton. And now...

We're very happy to have Moshe Kasher as our very special guest Jew for the evening when we play The Hollywood Improv on December 18th. Moshe has long been a favorite of mine and you're going to love him.

Coexist? Comedy on NPR

2008-12-08T21:02:00.001-08:00

It was a busy day. I was tired as I had a show in Santa Cruz last night and didn't get into my bed until 2am only to be up 4 hours later. I hope I didn't look tired though, as I eventually made my way over to the Channel 10 studios for an appearance along side Tissa on Sacramento and Company, a morning show.

The guest before us was Adam Shepard, a young author who wanted to see what he could do starting with nothing but a sleeping bag, the clothes on his back and $25. He seemed like a pretty cool kid and the book sounded interesting.

Tissa and I went on and did a brief appearance with clips from our show included.

That afternoon I met up with John and Tapan to appear on Insight with Jeffrey Calison, a show on our local NPR station, KXJZ. I laughed when I saw the guest who would go on before us, book author Adam Shepard. Again he discussed his book, Scratch Beginings and while he and I differ politicaly in many way, me being a lunatic fringe liberal and all, he really impressed me. Here was a kid who took all the theorizing and intellectualizing and went out to really experience a life different from his own. Good job Adam. I bought his book and went to his reading tonight.

So, our PR is coming along nicely and I hope we cross paths with Adam again in our travels.

You can listen to Adam, The Coexist? Comedy Tour and more on Insight here:
http://www.capradio.org/programs/insight/default.aspx?showid=5572&programid=10\

Coexist? Comedy Tour TV Commercial

2008-12-05T08:40:00.001-08:00

Now airing throughout the Sacramento Area on Comcast Cable.

Little slave of hot chick wins yet another contest

2008-12-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

Our little buddy Sammy Obeid has won yet another Bay Area comedy contest! Last night, our favorite Buddhist won 1st place at the San Jose Improv Comedy Contest. I believe this is about the ninety billionth contest that Sammy has won in the past two years. Yay, Sammy!

Mumbai

2008-12-03T09:02:00.000-08:00

The Hindu writes finally.

The world watched with interest for 60 hours as major TV networks broadcast the terror that unfolded in Mumbai as 10 Pakistani trained terrorists unleashed a hail of terror on Mumbai - which is not just the financial capital of India but the quintessential crockpot that defines a major metro in India. The writer's mom grew up in Mumbai (then Bombay) and his sister and two aunts still live there.

There are several things that come out of the incidents .

1) The Taj and the Oberoi hotels . The terrorists came prepared and asked the residents of their passports and whether or not they were from the U.S. or Britain .
It took a siege and the best trained Indian commandos about 60 hours to finally finish them.

2) The Nariman House and the Jewish Meditation center where they mercilessly killed about 5 people - mostly because they were Jewish. Once again the commandos had to intervene to take hold of the situation.

3) The Chatrapati Shivaji Railway Terminus - where they killed about 83 innocent civilians. The most interesting part about this situation is that this is where one of the terrorist was captured alive and the MOB captured him. Civilians. Not the police, not the commandos , not uniformed authorities of any kind - just a mob of angry mofos who just couldn't take it anymore.

That is quintessential India. When the authorities fail us - as they consistently have - we take charge and make it better. And I say what I have said many many times before 'Salaam India !'.

Submerge Magazine

2008-11-25T21:07:00.000-08:00

Submerge Magazine did a great feature on us. Click here to read the full article on their website.

Oh dear

2008-11-19T20:53:00.000-08:00

I made the mistake of sitting next to a Mormon missionary on the bus tonight. In my defense, he didn't look like a traditional Mormon missionary. He was African-American, though he was an attractive young guy in a suit, and they're always Mormon missionaries. Especially when they have nametags that reads, "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints," but somehow I saw that too late.

He asked me if I'd had a long day. I said no. He asked me if I'd had a good day. I said yes. He asked why it was good. I said why not. He asked my name but instead I just looked at his nametag and asked if he was a Mormon missionary. He said yes.

He asked if I'd talked to other Mormon missionaries in the past. I said oh yes, on the subway, on the bus, on the street. He said, maybe God is trying to tell you something. He offered me a card with a link to a free DVD about his church, but I declined. I told him my friend Julie is a Mormon, so I already know some stuff about his church. (I didn't mention that Julie is an ex-Mormon. Damn I lied to a Mormon. Does that mean I'm going to heck? Maybe I should have taken his card after all.)

Anyways, I told him I was a stand-up comic, then I wrote down Bengt Washburn's name for him and told him to look him up.

Incidentally, why is it the Mormons send out such cute, young boys to convert you? They are clearly preying on the vulnerabilities of desperate middle-aged women like me. So unfair.

Some pics from Seattle and Oregon

2008-11-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

Here I am posing with one of the other guests at the Portland Hawthorn Hostel. I'm asking for fashion advice.
The Hostel was really cool but unfortunately they only had three beds open so I stayed at my friends Bob and Irina's place. Thanks guys.

Here Sammy and Tissa provide an answer to anyone who wants to know what love looks like.
This is actually at The Bagdad Theater where we played in Portland. There is a restaurant attached with lightbulbs that threaten to burn Tissa's arm as she eats.

Here we have our happy Hindu Tapan hanging out with comics Andy Peters and Billy Wayne Davis. What they're so happy about is that they succeeded in getting our sweet, innocent Christian drunk.

This of course is said Christian, quite drunk. John is a funny drunk.
When I look at pictures like this though, it really surprises me that I'M the one who listens to The Smiths.

Click here to see more, including some rather revealing (read- indecent) pics of Buddhist Sammy Obeid.
It worries me that he and John were taking cheese cake pictures at my cousin's house in Seattle while her lovely children were just one floor up (they kept us in the basement.)

Seattle and Portland were AWESOME

2008-11-09T14:50:00.000-08:00

Amazing shows and an incredible response. We'll definitely be back soon. I'm still in Portland and quite exhausted so this is just a quick note but we got tons of pics and will post more soon.

President Obama

2008-11-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

Our shows this week just got a whole lot more fun. Come out, come out and celebrate Coexisting with extra enthusiasm as the voters of the USA proved that you DON'T have to be a white guy born into money to be president.
This is a wonderful week and I can't wait to get on stage and do our thing in this charged excited atmosphere.

WOOOHOOOOOOO! Seattle, Portland, here we come!

Happy Holidays?

2008-10-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

This is an essay I wrote a few years back when I first started hearing the term "The war on Christmas."

How The Atheists Stole Christmas
Well, apparently the PC Liberals, atheists, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc. are trying to steal Christmas, bastards that we are. Yes, we've gone and forced the stores to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, at gun point if memory serves. Too bad we weren't as effective in trying to get their red, white and blue "We love a good war" decor down during the rest of the year.

I caught wind of the story while watching the evening news. I'm amazed at what can be considered newsworthy. There's a war on for Christ's sake, oops, sorry, already mentioned the war, guess I'm being redundant.

At any rate, say Merry Christmas if you'd like. Nobody will stop you. If a store wants to say Happy Holidays, and thereby wish the Christians a merry Christmas, The Jews a happy Chanukah, the Muslims a solemn Ramadan and the Hindus a festive Diwali in the most efficient way, how on earth could you find a problem with this?

One woman, interviewed on the news last night, said "This is the first thing the communists did, getting rid of religion!" HA! Lady, we're not afraid of commies any more, at least not until the ones in South America get a bit stronger. It's all about terrorists now you silly woman. One must keep one's hysterical fears up to date now. And remember, the first thing the terrorists do is to push their own fanatical religion ON the populace. My point? Quick, push your own religion first, they're coming!!!

In closing this rant let me assure you, I will not insist that the stores put up "Happy cold, noisey, crappy music, consumer-hell season!" if they want my business. I'll just assume that this is one of the sentiments they intended to cover when they said, Happy Holidays.

Happy Holidays!

Best Political Endorsement Ever!

2008-10-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

God wins first lawsuit !

2008-10-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

God Wins In Nebraska Court

Morning Edition, October 16, 2008 · Nebraska state Sen. Ernie Chambers sought an injunction against God last year for widespread death and destruction. Judge Marlon Polk threw out the suit, saying there's no way to properly notify the defendant. You can't serve papers on a suspect with no address. Chambers says he may appeal. He says God is aware of the charges because he is all-knowing.

This brings up a couple of interesting points.

1) They let God go because they couldn't serve her papers ? How about recruiting the Pope to be a server ? He already has all the disguises he needs.
2) Does Mr.Chambers have to fear an 'acts of God' towards him ? This would , atleast , solve the problem of whether or not the God he believes in is a vengeful one or not.

The most important words in 2) above were the words 'acts of God'. It is the power of language of fine print that the insurance companies have levied upon us that we associate a NEGATIVE feeling with the words 'acts of God'. Why ? Everytime a tree gives a fruit its an act of God. Everytime anyone gets a good blowjob its an act of God .(If it is really good then you WILL remember God !). Everytime a puppy takes a tumble after a sneeze , its an act of God.

The Atheist argument that loss of faith is warranted because of all the death and destruction in the name of God. Here is the fallacy in the same . It is a human choice to do the things in the name of God. They could do it in the name of anything. Stalin killed about 20 million in the gulags in the name of 'progress'. I don't see any atheists saying being progressive is bad.

The advent of organized religion is at the most 8000 years back. Before then everyone was spiritual. There were still a LOT of killings that went on in those days. Heck , mankind came down to about 300 people once due to all the killings that went on. If they didn't believe in any Gods then atheism should take responsibility for almost destroying mankind - I don't think relegion has done that - yet !

We are working on a guide to the holidays from all religions. Keep an eye out for the same !

Obama Roasts McCain

2008-10-16T21:28:00.001-07:00

American Politics at it's finest.

McCain roasts Obama

2008-10-16T21:27:00.001-07:00

This is awesome!

The Debates

2008-10-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

I was lovin' the debates. The part where the older candidate said to the younger candidate, "I eat pieces of poo like you for breakfast."

And then the younger candidate said, "You eat pieces of poo for breakfast!?"

Oh man, that was AWESOME!

Then my wife got home and pointed out that the debates were on a different channel and I was apparently watching Happy Gilmore.

So, I switched over to the actual debates.

BOOORRRRRIIIIINNNNGGGGG!

Six More Show in 2008

2008-10-14T16:50:00.000-07:00

We head up to Seattle and Portland in the first week of November. Then we have The Throckmorton in Mill Valley and The Crest Theater in Sacramento before heading back to LA for The Improv. We close the season with our second annual appearance at The SF Atheist's Winter Solstice Party.
Then in the new year, some well deserved and much needed rest as Tapan heads to India for a spell (a spell as in a short time, not literally a spell, not as far as I know anyway.)
Information on all of our shows HERE.

Can you help? Of course. We aren't a big budget, motor home having, entourage and hanger on sporting tour. We can use your help getting the word out. IF you've seen the tour, or if you're just excited about what we're doing, PLEASE, post to your blogs, send out e-vites, organize friends to come out and I promise, we'll do our part and bring the funny.
See you at the shows.

If Obama = Osama then ......

2008-10-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Palin = Stalin .

* Both come from cold lands.
* Both hate their children -
Palin said yes to the VP seat when her Down's syndrome baby was just a few months old.
Stalin let his son die in a concentration camp. When his son shot himself and failed Stalin said ' He can't even shoot straight.'

* Both are white and had alliances with men near death . Stalin with Lenin and Palin with McCain

* Both could see Russia from their house !

Posted by Tapan

Seven in Twelve

2008-10-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

It feels strange not to have a show this week. I've had 7 in the past 12 days and 5 of those were with The Coexist? Comedy Tour.

We hit Sunnyvale, Fairfield, San Diego, LA and Stockton. Thanks to everyone who came out to laugh with us. We had a great time at each of the shows and I really enjoyed performing with our special guest Bryan Malow, one funny Jew.

We've had some great articles written about us and my favorite was written by Aaron Davis for 209 Vibe. Here it is:

The five members of the “Coexist?” Comedy Tour hadn’t previously discussed the possibility of a group field trip to go see Bill Maher’s new world religion documentary “Religulous.”

I suggested the idea. They loved it. And that was the end of my contribution to the conversation when I joined “The Christian,” “The Hindu,” and “The Atheist” at Peet’s Coffee in Midtown Sacramento last week. The rest of the interview was the three of them keeping me in stitches for 40 minutes.

With help from two other religion reps, the three form the “Coexist?” Comedy Tour, which started with small performances in Sacramento and has since become a religion-jabbing sensation.

The five members of “Coexist?” perform at the Empire Theatre on Saturday, October 11. The Empire is at 1825 Pacific Ave on the Miracle Mile. The show gets rolling at 8 p.m. and tickets are $20. For info, call (209) 943-SHOW or log on to www.brownpapertickets.com.

“It wasn’t like, ‘let’s tackle the challenge of seeing if we can get along, let’s do something with the fact that we do get along,’” said Keith “The Atheist” Lowell Jensen. “But people getting along doesn’t make the news, people fighting makes the news. So, we added an element to the getting along; we get along, and we’re funny.”

What began as a series of local performances at Midtown’s Geery Theatre quickly turned into a local craze when these five comics of different religions began taking jabs at each other with gut-busting results.

Oh, and by the way, it’s not an “act” and the comedians aren’t playing characters; they actually are of their respective religions.

“When we saw (the popularity of the shows), we realized we were on to something,” said Tapan “The Hindu” Trivedi. “You can’t really do a lot of religious material at an open mic, it just doesn’t resonate, and you don’t have that confidence where it’s going to work every time.”

“I struggled with that as well,” said John “The Christian” Ross. “When we first did the Geery shows, they were awesome and the crowd was ready to hear God stuff, so you start thinking you’re a really great comic. Then you go to a bar and people aren’t even sure what they’re going to hear.”

Throw Tissa “The Muslim” Hami and Sammy “The Buddhist” Obeid into the mix, and it creates a safe forum for the five to take swipes at each other’s system of beliefs. The five will frequently check each other on the accuracy of their individual material, and live and die by the criteria that, quite simply, it all has to be funny.

“We’re not saying ‘everybody is right, we can all get along because we can all be right,’” Jensen said. “No! It’s written into the religions that you don’t believe they’re all right; there is no God but God. Our point is, you don’t have to water down your own beliefs to get along.

“If you laugh at something with someone, nothing connects you more with each other than that.”

“That’s why it’s ‘Coexist,’” Trivedi said. “We accept you for who you are, we just want to coexist with you. We don’t want to change you, we just want you to see where we are coming from.”

“At the same time, I feel like it gives me a safe place to question and be honest with my fragile religion,” Ross said. “I can see sometimes how ridiculous some things with Christianity are as well, and I have a safe place to do that.”

“Even my family has said you better be careful, don’t get sucked in,” Ross added. “But, we’re five comics, we’re not the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

“That’s because we haven’t gotten horses yet,” said Jensen. “I get to be Pestilence!”

“If five comics are supposed to bring about the end of the world,” Trivedi said, “then it’s a good way to go.”

The Next Virgin Birth

2008-10-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081010-shark-virgin-birth-2.html

The National Geographic today reported that a female blacktip shark was pregnant without the aid of a male shark.

Two very important conclusions - this goes on to show that even in the animal kingdom - sharkdom - the importance of males have gone down. In humans you know that males are purely accessories with the advent of sperm banks , Jiffy Lube and reasonably priced jar opening devices.

The other conclusion is that the VIRGIN BIRTH i.e. the Immaculate Conception that is one of the miracles of Christianity might actually be the sign of evolution. I don't know but I am proposing a theory that while the holy mother Mary was a young girl the men in her town were all horrendously ugly and thus she actually started the process of parthenogenesis in her body. Later came the marriage to Joseph who she found a OK. And then the virgin birth actually took place.

This actually might be the closest that creationism and evolution will come together. Next to Hanuman that is.

Tapan Trivedi

The Pope sells off his jewelry to help the poor?

2008-10-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=29966

The Pope has announced that money is relatively worthless compared to the word of God and he decried the materialism that has enchanted the world.

He then took off all of his gold and put it immediately up for auction. Next to go were his fancy slippers, ostentatious living quarters and finally he will be parting with the platinum spinner rims recently installed on his Pope-mobile.

PTSD

2008-10-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

I'm having 'Nam-like flashbacks to those conversations in that car ride to LA. Cannot. Get. Those. Images. Out. Of. My. Head.

Christian, Hindu, Atheist Coexist?

2008-10-06T22:33:00.001-07:00

Pretty silly stuff.

One Atheist's take on "Religulous"

2008-10-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

I saw Religulous, the new Bill Maher documentary on Religion, last night at a packed theater in Sacramento.

Bill Maher starts the film off in a "Trucker's Church" and it seems he will indeed take the snooty "Smart guy makes fun of the stupid people" approach that I was loath to waste much time with.

But he is compassionate with the men in the church. He tries to have a very sincere conversation, of course with his sense of humor in place, and then he allows them to pray over him. He establishes that the every day religious people are not his enemy, even if he find fault with their thought process.

Then he jumps to talking with a human genome scientist who is Christian and establishes that yes there are smart religious people.

From here, he mostly visits with people that he wishes to ridicule but they're not the stupid people or the smart believer, they're the people who are getting rich off of selling faith or who are embroiled in religious conflict and violence. These are people you like seeing ridiculed.

But Maher doesn't give them a fair chance to speak, he makes rebuttals in the editing room that his interviewees have no chance to respond to. So, for the most part this is like illustrated stand up comedy. But it is GREAT comedy. Maher makes strong points and does so hilariously.

And some of his guests, particularly an older Catholic Priest (I may have his honorific wrong) who is the funniest most charming person in the whole flick, steal the spotlight at times.

Maher does not stray from the big three religions and considering how many Hindus there are in the world and their role, both good and bad in the world's religious conflicts I thought this was an unfortunate omission. Not to mention the Bahai (my favorite target for ridicule) Buddhists, etc. I know he couldn't cover them all but I would have touched on these before Scientology which is one of the few "other" religions he lays into.

At movies end, Maher makes it clear that he is in the "No hope for human kind so long as religion remains" camp with a an impassioned speech in a dramatic location. Unfortunately it seems not to have occurred to him or the filmmakers that this is the scene where Maher's humanity was most needed. The camera angle and the bright sun and Maher's dark small eyes leave him looking like a demon from Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

I saw a movie that says many things I've heard before but am glad to see being broadcast to wide audience and I laughed my ass off.

An Apology

2008-10-02T08:46:00.001-07:00

While I don't think that the complaints lobbied against me last night were completely fair, I will nonetheless offer an apology for the unfortunate misunderstanding.
When I offered, on our facebook page and elsewhere, to "Rock the Rooster" at last nights show at Rooster T Feathers I assure you I had NO idea that this expression had another connotation.
So, to those of you who showed up with your "rooster" at hand expecting to have it "rocked"I am sincerely sorry. I will avoid use of that phrase in the future...

...except when auctioning off dates with our Christian comic John Ross, who will happily rock the rooster of the highest bidder(s).

India Currents Magazine

2008-10-01T09:02:00.001-07:00

India Currents interviewed Tapan and Tissa for their latest issue.

Hindu comic Tapan Trivedi is now an educator—in a way. He is one of five interfaith comics in the Coexist? Comedy Tour, which aims to diminish religious stereotypes and prejudice through laughter.
Click here to read the rest at India Currents' web site...

A Message from The Buddhist

2008-10-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

This message was sent out to us Coexist Comedians last night by our Buddhist Sammy Obeid.

Hey guys,

Just letting you know that my parents will be coming tomorrow, and if they here one curse word or reference to sex they won't let me be in the troupe anymore. Anyway, just a heads up...keep it "church clean". K, Thanks!

Oh, and they don't like political or religious stuff.

K, sleep well!
Sammy

Tapans baby likes Obama

2008-09-28T18:14:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nH37CxedeA

Our Hindu, Tapan's baby girl Grace likes Obama.

Does this make me a terrorist?

2008-09-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hi kids! After airing nationally on PBS and internationally on the BBC, the documentary that I'm in, "Stand Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age," will air on October 1st on (gasp!) Al Jazeera. Yup, the home of Osama bin Laden videos will broadcast yours truly all over the Middle East. I do believe this officially makes me a terrorist. Yesssss!

Coexist? in The Fairfield Daily Republic

2008-09-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Click graphic to enlarge

"Best Of" Sacramento News and Review

2008-09-24T14:22:00.001-07:00

"BEST UNLIKELY COMBINATION OF JOKESTERS
The Coexist? Comedy Tour

An atheist, a Christian, a Muslim, a Hindu and a Buddhist walk into ... oh c'mon, how did you expect us to introduce these guys? Give us a break. The five aforementioned zealots, better known as Keith Lowell Jensen, John Ross, Tissa Hami, Tapan Trivedi and Sammy Obeid, make up the Coexist? Comedy troupe, a group of comedians benefiting from the no-P.C.-equals-new-P.C. trend, devoted to uniting others by poking fun at our differences. Genius, right? Yeah, we thought so, too. The Coexist? Crew has toured the state, including multiple sold-out shows and earned themselves rave reviews by turning troubled waters into fine comedy wine. Don't miss their next local gig at the Crest Theatre, a couple of weeks before Christmas--if you're into that sort of thing. www.coexistcomedy.com. K.B."

Cool. Thanks News and Review. And congratulations also to The Crest which got Readers Choice for Best Movie Theatre. I guess we're two great tastes that are going to taste great together.

Sacramento Magazine Loves Us

2008-09-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

The new Sacramento Magazine has an article profiling 15 "Must See" shows coming to the area and our show at The Crest is included. In addition our hilarious Hindu, Tapan Trivedi, is singled out for a feature in the side bar.
Way to go Tapan! Way to go us! Thanks Sacramento Magazine.

McCain-Palin Vs. Obama

2008-09-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

Posted by Tapan
--If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're"exotic, different."
Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessentialAmerican story.

-- If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

--Graduate from Harvard Law School and you are unstable.
Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

--If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the firstblack President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registrationdrive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a ConstitutionalLaw professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district withover 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health andHuman Services committee, spend almost 4 years in the United States Senaterepresenting a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills andserving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairscommittees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city counciland 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months asthe governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

--If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2beautiful daughters, all within protestant churches, you're not a realChristian.

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left yourdisfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

--If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including theproper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no otheroption in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teendaughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

--If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in aprestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community,then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don'trepresentAmerica's.-

If your husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least oneDWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

Sorry Mr.Darwin ! I feel better now.

2008-09-15T11:11:00.001-07:00

From Tapan:
So the Church of England will make an official apology to naturalist Charles Darwin for criticising his famous theory of evolution. This brings about TWO very interesting points.

1) What good is an apology about 125 years after his death ?

2) If Darwin was called a naturalist - did he wear clothes while conducting his experiments ? This puts a whole new spin on the evolution chart . No wonder EVERYONE on the evolution chart is naked. Darwin couldn't concieve it any other way. He was, as put very wisely by the Church - a naturalist.

Jokes aside , the Church of England has now issued apologies to Galileo and even allowed a Bishops wife to be painted in a portrait. The picture is presented here for your benefit so that you can see for yourself how important the Bishop's wife is. About as important as Q at a Bond girl's reunion .(Yes, I drew an English simile from my similewell for this.)

This is , still a far cry from the Islamic world that there is no picture of either Mohammed or any of the other Prophets. I can understand that there should be no cartoons but no pictures. Ok. So you guys don't believe in idol worship so how come Iraqi idol is so popular ?

http://tinyurl.com/2yu5wu

Lastly , it has just come to my attention that the mega famous rapper AKON - (Smack That Ass all over the floor ) is a muslim. Not a converted Nation of Islam muslim but a muslim born and brought up in Senegal. Wow - Smack that ass all over the dirt floor !

More later.

Tapan on Showtime

2008-09-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a clip from Tapan's upcoming appearance on Comics Without Borders.

Are Europeans any better than Muslims on treating comedians ?

2008-09-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

So we all know about the Mohammed cartoons and the uproar that it caused in the Muslim world. We have seen the Albert Brooks movie (its a friggin movie not a documentary and not a real happening !) Finding Comedy in the Muslim world. And we sit back and think that they are all crazy Koran thumpers out there.

Now comes a case from Italy where an Italian comedian - a FEMALE Italian comedian Sabina Guzzanti supposedly insulted the Pope and Italy has laws against this. Sabina is facing FIVE YEARS IN PRISON for this. The crowd at the show where she did the joke LOVED it.

The joke consisted of her saying that the Pope would be in hell being tormented by homosexual demons , and very active ones , not passive ones.

The joke clearly shows how irreverand Sabina is ! Gods, I want to work with her .

This is what makes the U.S. of A. the best place in the world to do standup. Even an immigrant like me can come into the country , sign up at an open mike and do the most atrocious joke about the leader of the U.S. of A. and he goes home scot free.

Don't try this in China. You make a joke about the premiere of China or any nation that China is doing business with you will see you eye being gouged out by a hot spoon faster than you can order #43 on the Panda Express menu. You try this in India you get assaulted by mass populi and your body is swept up on the street the next morning.

But why is it that in the supposedly advanced nation like Italy (and I hold you personally responsible for Starbucks and Mussolini) you don't have the freedom to do a joke about what is perhaps the most controversial religious head of our times. It is important to note that the first words out of the mouth of the current Pope Benedict , son of Poached and Omlet, was actually a joke. I actually saw his inauguration and he said something to the affect of 'Hello Everyone, my name is Cardinal Ratzinger. No wait , that was my old job. Some habits die hard. I am the new pope.' This Pope gets his advise from the best. He used what we in the business call a classic aside. Of all the comedic instruments available to mankind an aside is one of the lowest. Next only to juggling puppies and baby eating jokes.

So why is it that when a seasoned comic like Sabina makes a joke about the Pope that takes his act to a higher level (pun intended) she faces 5 years prison time instead of getting lifetime royalties and a secure place in heaven.

Your holiness, if you should be so kind to read this note I have but one suggestion for you. In this day and age when religion is under phenomenal pressure to succumb to the whims of the mighty and every major religion is losing thousands of believers to death and atheism - humor is the best marketing technique to win them back and if you strike the right deal with the Almighty - even bring the dead back to life. Embrace humor - you have a standing invitation to come on down to any of our show and do a 5 minute set. If you are any good you will have a regular spot on our show - even if we have to fire our regular Christian comic Mr.John Ross.

A sad anniversary

2008-09-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

It was seven years ago that America got a wake up call from the rest of the world. It was on that day that we were reminded what it feels like when war comes to your home.
I say reminded, but for most of us it was a completely new feeling and a terrible one at that. I can't help but tear up as I think back to that morning.

In the days following it became clear to me that I wanted to talk about reality in my comedy, I had to in fact. For a guy who grew up on Steve Martin, Andy Kaufman and The Unknown Comic this was not the direction I thought I'd be heading. I always enjoyed nonsensical, silly comedy with costumes and vaudeville type goofiness the most.
Of course I had later in life discovered Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Dick Gregory and Bill Hicks so I wasn't without mentors.

Looking over these Mentors in light of the dark times I found myself in I was most touched by the gentleness present in Bruce, Pryor, Gregory and even Carlin's early (really mid) stuff. I knew that I wanted to take the anger and despair and find the humor and humanity in it and share it, not just with like minded individuals so we could fuel each others rage but with the very folks I'd have trouble getting along with but who essentially had the same peaceful, loving goals at heart.

So, I started writing, trying to balance the critiques I had with the compassion and empathy I felt. I dig Bill Hicks and Lewis Black but I didn't see that the world needed another angry man yelling at them in hilarious ways.

This led me to return to the stand up comedy stage (I had focused primarily on writing, performing and directing sketch for the past few years) and I landed on a stage with a Hindu friend of mine, Tapan. I did my atheist material, much of it dealing directly with 9-11, for the first time. This was about five years after the attacks. Within a month of that performance Tapan and I were putting together the Coexist? Comedy Tour.

I know the other comics on the tour were effected deeply by the 9-11 attacks as well. Tissa cites them and America's response to them as being a major catalyst to her going on stage at all. And today, as I think about the horrible thing that happened and I feel a renewed need to respond and to respond carefully and correctly. I'm very happy about this tour. I really believe in it. This is a beautiful thing that I'm very lucky to be a part of.

So thanks John, Sammy, Tissa, Chad Lehrman, Cheese, Bengt Washburn, Mikhail the White Russian and anyone else who has performed with us. And thanks to all the audience members who have and who continue to support this effort.

Shoud I convert to Christianity?

2008-09-09T14:26:00.001-07:00

Hi kids! Please read my recent blog entry on Iranian.com:
http://www.iranian.com/main/blog/tissa/my-honor-i-will-try

It's a childhood story about how my Girl Scout troop leader tried to convert me to Christianity. Sorry John, but she didn't win. But she came awfully close. :) Read the story to find out how and why.

See me on the BBC World News

2008-09-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

Co-existers of the world unite! This Saturday, September 6th, the documentary that I'm in called "Stand Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age" will air around the world via the BBC World News service. Details here: http://www.bbcworldnews.com/Pages/ProgrammeFeature.aspx?id=82&FeatureID=863

It's kind of funny how I found out about this airing. My friend Lara, who is in Tanzania doing refugee relief work, suddenly IM'ed me and said, "omg omg i just saw you on TV here!" Way to go, Lara! But maybe you should be watching less satellite TV and tending more to the refugees. I'm just sayin'.

Seattle is Booked

2008-09-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

I'm stoked. I love Seattle. I head up there most years for The Seattle Sketchfest. This November we'll all be heading up to help christen the brand new location for The Comedy Underground. We're still working on Bellingham and Portland so watch for details on these shows soon. And please, if you'd like us to visit your town visit our www.eventful.com request page and request or rather, DEMAND we pay you a visit.

A Great Night of Comedy

2008-08-28T14:50:00.001-07:00

Whoever you are, wherever you are, go out and support your local open mic comedy night.
Sure there are slow nights, but I went yesterday and it was hopping. This audience paid five bucks, got to see some very promising newcomers but also got see a great number of professional comics in to work on new material. And mind you this was in Sacramento, NOT LA or SF or NYC. The highlight for me was a late night set by the always amazing Mike E. Winfield.
And, I got to say, I did pretty darn good my own self as did John Ross, our Christian. I was stoked at doing almost all new stuff and having it hit hard. Good times.
I'll be hitting another open mic tonight. See you there?

The Playboy Mansion

2008-08-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all,

This is Tapan Trivedi - the Hindu writing. I did a show at the altar of the Atheist's place of worship - namely the Playboy Mansion, The House that Hugh Heffner built.

It was a surreal experience to say the least and I saw more skin than Buffalo Bill on a good hunting day. After a couple of mishaps regarding where to be picked up we i.e. Brad Williams from Mind of Mencia, his friend Tia and myself reached the Playboy Mansion.

As soon as we got in we were amazed by the sheer size of it. This thing is HUGE. Almost immediately we are escorted onto the Red Carpet where I am thrust into a line of microphones and cameras. I gave about 30 interviews in as many minutes. Dennis Hof from the bunny ranch was ahead of me and he says 'Hey funny guy - hang with us it will be good." and I did ! (If you don't know who Dennis Hof is go back to the rock and crawl under it or check this out http://www.bunnyranch.com/.) My first red carpet was a blur for me. It was work and I am not even on stage yet. But it was fun messing with the reporters and trying to yell out the names of the TV/Radio/Internet media they represented. Everyone from CBS Radio and CBS Mobile to Santa Barbara Arts to Ed Magik TV were there. I plug the Showtime thing (Comics without Borders on Oct 2nd ) and Coexist Comedy (www.coexistcomedy.com ).

Then its time to go partayyy! Or so it seems . I am surrounded by Daniel's 'Knockout's' . Stunning girls who are paid to wear skimpy costumes and entertain the guests. An open bar welcomes us ! There is a fantastic view of the grotto and the mansion is breathtaking from the bar and I let it sink in; I am at the Playboy Mansion. This is the bastion of the American culture. This is what the terrorists hate about us. The fact that the 'sinner' lifestyle can be made into a mutlimillion dollar business.

I go down and check out the zoo. Take a couple of pictures with the exotic birds there. Girls in 'ho'stumes surround me wherever I go. I run into a couple of people I know from the Bay. They have seen me at the SJ Improv and they tell me they look forward to seeing my show. I get invited to get into the grotto which I decline as I still have work to do.

I go on a short tour of the mansion and at the end of it Ms.July 2007 says ' I will take you inside as a special favor !'. I see that the fashion show has already started and that we may be asked to go up at any time. I go back stage and Daniel Puder tells me ' Do Two quick jokes and then wait !'. I did two of my best jokes and get down on an applause break. LOVED THAT. Seems anticlimactic but you do what you are asked by the host.

I get down and I walk up to Ms.July 2007 and she asks me to follow her . Me and one more pretty girl walk behind her. She opens a door and we are in the mansion. A security guard looks at us with the disregard. There is ANOTHER party going on in there . I am told that at any given evening there are two to five parties going on at the mansion. This one is indoors and has a dance floor. I kick it for a song and I turn to go to the bar and a door opens and in comes the MAN. Hugh Heffner is a presence. Surrounded by five jaw dropping gals he walks in completely defiant of his age. I forget my order and I just watch him as he does 'his thing' and puts people at ease . A touch of the elbow, a gentle nod, the old yet wolfish smile - everything tells me that he is still the quintessential playboy that he always was.

He walks towards me and points to my drink - a plastic up filled with Miller lite (as most Coexist followers know I am a lightweight) and says ' Are you gonna drink that ?' I pick up and chug it all in. He smiles and says' Give this man another one'. He puts his elbows on the bar and asks me where I am from. I tell him and he asks the usual how long have you been here etc. Then I tell him I am a comic and that I am working the week with Paul Mooney . "Paul Mooney says Hi" I tell him. His demeanor changes instantly and a genuine smile replaces the 'working' smile that he had one before. He ponders for a while . Too long. Long enough for me to think he may be having a senior moment. He says 'Tell him Hugh said Hi !' Then he pats my back and says 'Enjoy yourself !' and walks off to another guest.

There that was my playboy mansion story ! I could write about the crazy things at the grotto but I won't. Ask me after a show - I will be more than happy to share them.

Tapan Trivedi

Benefit Show

2008-08-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

We did a benefit show this weekend, well some of us did. Tapan wasn't there. He was at The Playboy Mansion. Yeah, I'm sure he was really jealous of us getting to play a nice wholesome family event while he had to suffer with the bunnies. Poor guy. I feel for him, really.

Mikhail stood in as our special guest Jew for the day. He is one funny Russian.

It is pretty interesting playing outdoors with dogs and kids running around. A little different than doing a nightclub. John Ross was heckled by a ruthless heckler. She was he worst kind; the kind that is funnier than the person on stage. And the fact that she was his five year old daughter, well that was the killer.

And then there was the awesome two year old bulldog who decided to roll over on his back and roll back and forth in irresistible display of cuteness. How does one compete with cute dogs and cuter kids? But we did our best and I'd say a good time was hall all round.

Chris Anaya of An Angle performed after us. It was really cool getting to see an acoustic solo set from Chris. The opening act, Matinee Idols were great as well.

Thanks to City Life Church for putting the event on. I hope lots of money was raised for The Birthing Project.

The Hindu on Showtime on Oct 2nd

2008-08-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Kids,

Set your TIVOs and DVRs to 10 p.m. PST on Showtime Networks for Comics Without Borders. Our own Tapan Trivedi will be on it with Russell Peters and Angelo Tsarouchas.

CONGRATULATIONS MR.TRIVEDI - YOU DESERVE IT!

Dana Eagle

2008-08-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of seeing Arj Barker this weekend. Our own Tapan Trivedi was on the roster as well as was the very funny Dana Eagle.
Dana, seeing we didn't have a Jew in our current line-up decided to draw herself in. See the results at left.
And check out Dana's myspace here.

After the show I was passing out fliers and Dana was selling thongs (she has funny thongs for sale, check it) and she asked one lady if she was wearing underwear. The lady says, "No, never do." and with that she flipped up her skirt and revealed that she weren't lying!!! Her boyfriend giggled and said, "She does that everywhere we go."
Hmmmmm!
Dana hasn't drawn us a picture of that yet.

Help our Buddhist Bring Home The Gold

2008-08-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

Sammy is in a competition and he is up against two damn funny comics, but you know our boy has what it takes to win, and of course what it takes is you.
So please, click here and vote for Sammy Obeid, our rioutously funny Buddhist

The Blackest show I have ever done

2008-08-13T15:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did the Comedy on the Greene with Mark Curry and about 40 of the best African American comedians in the Bay Area and beyond. The audience of about 2000 was gathered at Oaklands Arroyo Viejo park from 2:00 to 6:00 for what was to be one of the funnest shows I have ever done. Mark Curry who is a pheonomenal performer himself set the stage and then began the cavalcade of comedians who went up to the stage - most of them doing really well . Kirk McHenry, Del Van Dyke, Tony Roberts etc etc etc. Too many to remember. Luenell , Dennis Gaxiola, Speedy,Suli McCollough all did awesome. I went up 3rd in the second hour of the four hours pre planned. I followed an America's Top Model and an actor from Tyler Perry's House of Pain . Mark had a couple of girls up on stage doing a cat walk. Then he announces me. I , have always had a fear of going in front of black crowds which has been lessening over the years.I am not as loose as I usually am but I have my set down and I am ready to rock and I am feeling the energy. I go into my set and the crowd is just as enthusiastic about my performance as anyone elses. They are into it. About 4 minutes into my set I get a little heckle from 5 teenagers in the front who wanted me to break dance. I told them my culture didn't permit it and went on. I did the blacks vs. Indians thing to end and it generated the applause break it always does. I ended the set and Mark Curry ran up and asked me to stay on and told me I had a GREAT set and asked for another applause break from the crowd. AWESOME. Upon coming down from the stage I was approached by Jamiee Foxx's manager who asked me for my card !!! YEAH ! I got down and Dennis and Del told me I had a great set and 'Why didn't you breakdance when those kids asked you to ?'. I said I had no music. They clued me in to what is perhaps the biggest lesson I have learnt in performing at black crowds - the DJ is always attentive. Had I asked for music he would have been ready to give it to me. DJs at black shows are the right hand to the show runners . I will keep that in mind .This was a personal benchmark for me as I have always said that comedy dosen't come in any colors and now I fully believe it.Thank you Dennis Gaxiola and thank you Mark Curry for everything.Tapan Trivedi

Stand Up Bear Shirt

2008-08-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

Stand Up Bear Shirt for sale here.
I like this shirt. I just stumbled across this while surfing the wild waves of the world wide web. I like it. I wear a medium. I'm just sayin'...

Twilight zone

2008-08-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

That photo reminds me of this guy:
http://www.vedda.org/tissahamy-interview.htm

Heckler Stories

2008-08-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a few assorted heckler stories that I have started putting up on here and other places.

Heckler Stories :-
Heckler ! What constitutes a heckler ?
The American Heritage dictionary describes :-
heck·le 1) To try to embarrass and annoy (someone speaking or performing in public) by questions, gibes, or objections; badger.
2) To comb (flax or hemp) with a hatchel.
3) An asshole , usually drunk, who tries to interrupt my fun of telling jokes with his/her own shouts which are usually unfunny.

A heckler is an annoyance at any comedy show. However , a heckler is also a double edged sword. While a heckler can ruin an inexperienced comics show an experienced comic can successfully turn the crowd against the heckler and take the show to a much higher level by adding the element of vigor and energy which makes a live show better than anything you can see on TV.

Here are my heckler stories :-
1) Venue :- Pepperbellys in Fairfield,Ca.
Week :- July 17th to 20th
Heckler Classification :- Drunk and disorderly.
Story :- Shane Murphy is hosting and Dat Phan is headlining. The guy that was drunk even before he entered the club heckled Shane intermittently through his set. Shane announces me and even before I say a word I hear 'Hey where is your turban ?' I have to acknowledge that. There is no way one could NOT acknowledge that as the audience gasped when they heard that. So I very calmly said ' I left the turban in your mom's bedroom. She is waiting for me to come back and treat her like the queen that your dad never did.' A good way to start the show if the fantastic applause was anything to go by. After about 10 minutes he piped again and I used my standard line about how I am going to fuck you in more positions than you can count and after that the bouncer took him out.

2) Venue :- San Jose Improv in San Jose ,Ca
Date :- Pundits with Punchlines date on July 24th.
Heckler Classification :- Intelligent interested customer.
Story :- Right after I did the first half of the joke about the Israeli Palestinian conflict two guys from Israel sitting very close to the front said something to the affect 'Hey you be very careful now.' I told them I was not afraid of their Krav Maga and that you should be thankful to Hindus for having the most peaceful swastika around. Then did the second part of the joke and they said 'We love you.' Nothing like Jewish guilt soaked love. Seems like their mama's raised good kids.

3) Venue :- U.C. Berkeley , Berkeley,Ca
Date :- July 21st
Heckler Classification :- Cutesy Underage Jailbait
Story :- Performing in front of a mainly high school crowd of International students a late comer to the show ( I went up about 45 minutes into the show) waved to me . I asked her 'Why are you late ?'. To which she replied ' Oh . I was in a class. Sleeping 101.' My answer 'Sleeping 101 is not offered after you pass the 7 year mark. You are much more suited for sleeping around 101.' The crowd response was GREAT however in retrospect I should have checked what her age was before making the joke. She was 19 as I found out later so I am in the clear.

4) Venue :- Laugh Trax Live in Stockton,Ca
Date :- August 1st
Heckler Classification :- Clueless person who went to a comedy show 20 years after her first one.
I was headlining the Laugh Trax Live yesterday and while doing the joke about frying a pet a woman in the front row shouted out 'Don't do that I am a dog person.' I had to respond to that. So I asked her what kind of dog she had . To which she replied 'Siberian Huskie'. Siberian Huskie in Stockton where the temperature was 95. I think you ARE frying the dog. The applause break lasted for about 55 seconds. I talked with her after the show and she was the nicest lady ever. Thanks for coming to my show and spending your entertainment dollars on my show.

Two Scoops

2008-08-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks Mark. This audience member at a non-Coexist show that Tapan and I did last night at Garbeau's shouted out "Two Scoops" when I was doing my white raisins joke. If you don't know the white raisin joke you need to come to the show. :)

This triggered Tapan and I to write tags all the way home. Mark, you rule. I've done that joke a hundred times and it never occurred to me that Kellogg's was offering a better deal than one of the world's major religions. Let me put it here, in writing, if we get famous and I use your tag in our network TV special, I'm buying you a coffee (and a bowl of raisin bran.)

The Comedy Store in Hollywood and MORE

2008-08-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

The Comedy Store in Hollywood is a legendary venue and being booked there is an honor to say the least.
We're also booked at The Comedy Store South in La Jolla.
Click here for our Shows page to get more details about these shows.
The booking process for this tour is coming along great as we approach our one year anniversary next week.
Watch for more dates to be announced soon and PLEASE if you'd like to see us come to your town click here to "Demand" a visit.

Listen to Atheist me on Infidel Guy tonight

2008-07-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

www.infidelguy.com
Just click on the linky poo there a bit before 5pm PST and listen as The Infidel Guy and I discuss The Coexist? Comedy Tour and lots more.

Playing The Crest!

2008-07-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, we're playing the Crest. This is certainly an exciting gig, and it'll be a great cap to our tour.

There is no venue in Northern California that I would be more excited to be booked at than this amazing room.

Its exciting, of course but a bit intimidating too. I mean, its where I saw The Cramps, The Axis of Evil, Norman Mailer. That's some pretty hefty company to be keeping.

One of these days I want to get around to researching who else might have played there back in the Vaudeville days when it was still known as the Hippodrome.

Click here for an extended history.

See me this week on SF's PBS stations

2008-07-21T12:32:00.001-07:00

The documentary, "Stand-Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age," will air this week on San Francisco's PBS stations.

The program explores the emergence of Muslim and Arab-American comedians in the wake of the events of September 11th, demonstrating how they use humor to take on stereotypes about Middle Easterners and terrorism. It showcases five performers (Ahmed Ahmed, Tissa Hami, Dean Obeidallah, Azhar Usman, and Maysoon Zayid), their comedy, and the way it is shaped by the everyday tribulations of their lives. This is the story of how each of these men and women felt the aftershock of 9/11 personally. At a time when people of Middle Eastern background were advised to lie low, they all chose to stand up and crack jokes.

Find out more about the film at:
http://www.pbs.org/weta/crossroads/about/show_standup.html
http://standupthemovie.com/

Airdates:

Wednesday, July 23rd at 11pm
KQED and KQED-HD (Ch. 9, Ch. 9.1, Comcast 709)

Thursday, July 24th at 1pm
KQED-Life (Ch. 54.3, Comcast 189)

Thursday, July 24th at 10pm
KQED-Life (Ch. 54.3, Comcast 189)

Sacramento Atheists and Other Freethinkers

2008-07-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Tapan and I were the special guests at the July meeting of The Sacramento Atheists and Other Freethinkers. We spoke about the tour and even did some of our material. Doing comedy, during the day, in a meeting environment for a bunch of skeptics is a TOUGH gig.

Tapan spent over 30 minutes taking questions about Hinduism and religion in general. When it was my turn I was challenged on my belief that the extreme brand of Islam now troubling some parts of the world is related to the economic and political situation in those parts of the world. In fact; I was challenged on pretty much everything I said, but that is what I love about skeptics.

It was a good time and we're both grateful to the fine folks at Atheist and Other Freethinkers for having us out. For more on this group visit www.aofonline.org

How many Charles Schwab fund managers...

2008-07-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

... does it take to change a light bulb?

Five: one to drop the bulb and smash it to bits, and four to pretend they didn't witness anything.

Am I right, people? Anyone? Hello?

Goodbye to the granddaddy of atheist comics

2008-06-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

Goodbye George Carlin.
I'm only sad because I'll miss seeing his HBO specials and because I wanted to shake his hand one day, but I'm glad for him and the amazing life he got to live. He enjoyed more longevity in his career than any comic I can think of. He became a household name and didn't get killed despite saying what everyone else was afraid to say, and I'm sure that his hero, Mr. Lenny Bruce would have been very proud to have had George carrying on that torch. Gorge Carlin will not be soon forgotten.

Treadmills

2008-06-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

So I've been thinking about joining a gym lately. Anyone else?

Sammy is The Big Winner

2008-06-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

I'm really torn here because I want to congratulate Sammy Obeid, our resident Buddhist on his big win at The Rooster T Feathers comedy competition but I also want to make fun of him for being a male model. I'll do both. Congrats Sammy. Oh, and Sammy, BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA.
Click here to see lots of funny pictures of Zoolander Sammy the male fashion model.

And in all earnestness, I just couldn't be prouder to be associated with this funny, funny guy.

We're in The Sacramento Bee again!

2008-06-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

Click here to read the cool article the Sacramento Bee did on us.

Iconography

2008-05-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

If only we could find some iconoclasts to smash 'em.
Thanks to Paige for the groovy design.

Sac State Gig Went Great

2008-05-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

It was our first outdoor performance but it worked great largely because the events staff at Sac State are so on top of things. Lights, sound, even the snacks back stage, everything was great. And a good crowd of students and even some townies showed up to cheer us on. It was probably one of the more diverse crowds we've had with every religion represented on our stage also well represented in the audience.

We didn't get photos but we did get some great video and I'll put some clips up soon.
Until then, I'll leave you with this "White Power Yoga."
I figure that should have us turning up in some interesting Google searches.

Harbin Hot Springs Hilarity

2008-05-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT time at Harbin Hot Springs. We performed in their temple, usually off limits to comedians but we qualified for an exception given the religious nature of our tour (very funny for me as an atheist.) Unfortunately Tissa wasn't able to join us as she hadn't made it back from her appearance "The View" on Thursday. I explained to the audience what The View was since a-lot of them do not watch TV at all. I explained what TV was too.

We got there early, had dinner and did an awesome show in the temple. We performed in our socks and the audience were seated on pillows, in fact of half the audience was lying down. Pretty unusual setting for stand up.

Afterwards I indulged in the amazing hot bath (pictured) followed by the uber cold bath and back to the hot, repeated several times. At first, I really didn't think I could get in the hot bath. It was so hot on my feet but once I'd gone back and forth a few times I got to really enjoy it.
I enjoyed Harbin over all. Beautiful place, wonderful people and I hope we get to perform there again soon. Oh, and the dinner and breakfast we had were delicious. Harbin.org

Sac State Stoked!

2008-05-02T14:11:00.001-07:00

Sac State certainly seems stoked to see us coming as evidenced by the huge posters of us EVERYWHERE on campus. Very cool. Looking forward to the show, which is by the way Thursday May 8th, at 7:30pm and it's FREE!!!

You're right, we don't do many free shows. This is the first, so don't miss your opportunity.

Tissa on The View

2008-05-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

Here it is, our own Tissa Hami and pal Dean Obeidallah on The View

Click here to find out more about the PBS Documentary "Stand Up: American Muslim Comics Come Of Age"

Tissa On The View !!!

2008-04-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

Watch ABC's The View on Thursday May 1st. Tissa Hami will be on talking about the PBS documentary on Muslim comedians that she is also featured in. Be sure to tune in and I'll see what I can do about getting a clip up as soon afterward as possible.

Way to go Tissa.

Bring us to your town

2008-04-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

Even if we've already been to your town, or are already booked there, we'd really appreciate it if you'd go online and put in a DEMAND that we come to your town.
Click Here to visit the Eventful.com page. THANKS

Happy wedding day!

2008-04-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

Happy wedding day to our resident atheist punk, Keith Lowell Jensen!! Can't wait to hear what is served at a vegan atheist wedding. Yummers.

The Sticker

2008-03-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

The Hindu, the Christian and the Atheist arrive in Berkeley via Prius and decide on Tapan's suggestion to check out Vic's for some Indian food. Wow, it was good and their dessert case is awesome. The sticker at left was affixed to a newspaper rack on our way in.

Thanks Berkeley

2008-03-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

image is NOT Sammy Obeid

Superb Productions lived up to their name. They hosted a well promoted Coexist? Comedy show last night. The house was packed and a great time was had.

Unfortunately Tissa, our Muslim was not able to perform with us. Don't worry, she'll be back for our next show. Our substitute for the evening was Hasan Minhaj and he did a great job even if we couldn't get him to perform in a hijab.

We had another guest performer with us last night. We were again joined by Buddhist Sammy Obeid. I originally posted the picture at left on the flyer. Sammy wrote me, worried that his professors and friends at UC Berkeley wouldn't recognize that it was him since the Sammy they know "Doesn't wear robes or sit on leaves." Since he made me laugh I gave him what he wanted and put a photo of him on the flyer.

So How good of a set did Sammy turn in? Find out for yourself. We've invited this funny fellow to perform with us at our next two gigs, Harbin Hot Springs on May 3rd and then Sac State on May 8th (FREE.)

We'll be adding lots more dates soon so check back. We've got some big things cooking. Peace. KLJ

The Atheist's Birthday

2008-03-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's my birthday. I'm celebrating with a film premier on Friday and a Coexist? show in Berkeley the next Friday. And I'll probably sneak some time with my fiancee in there somewhere too. I'm excited about The Berkeley show and the advance buzz on it would suggest it's going to be another packed house, which is always more fun. I hope we see you there.

UC Berkely, Here we come!

2008-02-17T23:26:00.001-08:00

We're at The Bear's Lair on the Campus of UC Berkeley, and our special guest Buddhist will be in attendance so you're getting more Gods for your buck.

Come on out and enjoy the show. It'll probably be our last until May since I have to go off and get married in April.

New poster and new gigs

2008-01-22T07:22:00.001-08:00

Matt K. Shrugg did this great poster for us.
And a new poster comes just in time as new gigs are upon us.
We're playing Sac State, UC Berkeley and the Harbin Hot Springs. I'm very excited about all three.

Starting in May we'll have a much heavier gigging schedule and that's taking shape already. Watch for more gig posting to start flowing in pretty regularly.

And please, if your college or venue might be willing to book us, let them know about us, let us know about them and help us to make it happen.

See you soon.

Oh So Quiet

2008-01-14T13:45:00.001-08:00

Sorry it's been so quiet around here. We have a few amazing gigs that will be announced right quick, just as soon as we iron out the details, like what color M&Ms we want or don't want in the dressing room.

I went to SF for the SF Sketchfest's opening weekend and saw many great comedians. The high-lite for me was Moshe Kasher and Brent Weinbach's show "Smug Shift" which was quite a delight; Morgan Murphy was great, Brent and Moshe where great, they always are) and it was at the legendary Purple Onion. I have a Smothers Brother Live at The Purple Onion record from the sixties so it was very exciting to be there at the club.

As I've mentioned before I'm now hard at work on the Sacramento All Sketch comedy festival, see www.AllSketch.com and also my movie is premiering on March 7th. See www.WhyLieINeedADrink.com. I'm getting married too. Yes, it's a busy year, hell, it's a busy four months.

The SF Atheists Solstice Party

2007-12-16T15:27:00.000-08:00

From far left, audience member Gene Simmons (aka Dave Kong of The SF Atheists) Keith, Chad, Sammy Obeid (special guest Buddhist,) Tissa Hami, John Ross, Tapan Trivedi and the old man who is always revealed beneath the rubber mask at the end of Scooby Doo.

Great Show, nice people, hilariously bad sound system (that little box in front of us there, that's it!!) The SF Atheists were a fun and lively bunch, as evidenced by them coming on this blog and commenting before I even had a chance to get this post up (see last post's comments.)

We had a Buddhist with us, Sammy Obeid. He turned in a great set. I hope we get to work with him again. Thanks again SF Atheists.

And so it is done

2007-12-11T17:39:00.001-08:00

Well we played the Punch Line SF. So, now we're famous right? It was a good show. Kind of a mellow Monday night sort of thing. I much prefer a raucous Saturday night sorta thing but we've got one of those coming up anyway. This Saturday is going to be amazing. We're playing at The SF Atheist Party and the atheists tend to be a fun bunch, not that I'm biased or anything. I'm really looking forward to the show.

Tonight Tonight

2007-12-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

The Punch Line SF. I can cross the Punch Line off of my list of venues
I want to perform at before I cease to exist (or before I begin my
existence as a frozen headwaiting to be resuscitated in some Utopian future.)
So, now I just need to perform at The Purple Onion, Carnegie Hall, The Crest Theatre (I've MC'd
there already, but I'd love to do my own stand up there) and finally,
after travelling back in time, a private show in BrigitteBardot's dressing room.

Really, it's very exciting to be heading into such a show. I can't wait. See ya there.

The Golden Compass (and the golden dress)

2007-12-07T08:37:00.002-08:00

So, just how does an atheist celebrate Christmas? Well, I know what I'll be up to. I'm taking all of the Christian kids I know to see The Golden Compass.

C'mon now folks, could God really be opposed to a movie that features Nicole Kidman in that gold dress? I came darn close to believing in a divine being the first time I saw the commercial.

And what is it with kid's entertainment that gets Jesus' fan club all fired up? Harry Potter, Tinky Winky (or whatever that Tella-Tubbie's name was,) Dungeons and Dragons was a big target when I was a kid, and now The Golden Compass. It's sneaky you say? Right. Its all full of symbolism and what not, unlike good honest films like The Chronicles of Narnia for instance. For the record, I really enjoyed the Chronicles of Narnia. I did not protest it at all.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not really bent about this. I find it quite amusing, and I'm sure the extra publicity isn't hurting the film at all.

See ya there, December 25th. Merry Christmas.

PS: "The words daemon, dæmon, are Latinized spellings of the Greek δαίμων (daimon),[1] used purposely today to distinguish the daemons of Ancient Greek religion, good or malevolent "supernatural beings between mortals and gods, such as inferior divinities and ghosts of dead heroes" (see Plato's Symposium), from the Judeo-Christian usage demon, a malignant spirit that can seduce, afflict, or possess humans."
Just so you know.