"Someone like Jean-Luc Godard is for me intellectual conterfeit money when compared to a good Stand Up Project show." - Werner Herzog
After the 80’s comedy boom, San Francisco was a devastated area characterized by smug political comics, alternative comedy with elliptical material, boring sketch and improv, disorder, and a general breakdown of society, especially in the coffee shops and smaller clubs of the city. When Kurtis Matthews arrived in 1997, his Aerosmith t-shirt tucked defiantly into his sweatpants like a suit of Catskillian armor, he found a deplorable state of affairs.
Upon witnessing yet another mediocre local showcase, Matthews began to consider forming a troupe patterned after entertainers that were popular during his time, such as Yakov Smirnoff, Willie Tyler and Lester, Charo, and Ray Stevens. When the premise of prescription drug advertisements was brought up 7 times in one evening, Matthews called together sixteen of the city’s leading comics, who met in secret, emerging as a united front dedicated to fighting hackery. The group became known as The Stand Up Project. The originality displayed by the collective eventually gained local attention. Their highly-acclaimed extravaganzas, such as, “The Nipsey Russell Poetry Slam,” and, “BJ and the Bear on Ice,” solidified their legendary status.
Still operating out of their home base, The Clubhouse at 414 Mason Street in San Francisco, the members of the Stand Up Project hope to one day leave Godless California and open a theater in Branson, Missouri, where they shall entertain true Americans and Japanese tourists.
Their new show, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Stand-Up,” opens in the fall.
We all have names, and here's what they are!
Daymon Ferguson
Anatoli Brantvein
Scotch Wichmann
Red Scott
Loren Kraut
Joe Nguyen
Ryan Kasmier
Natasha Muse
Adam Mcglaughlin
Ken Townsend
Jeff Reitman
Tom Anderson
Karen Smyth
Jason Armenio
Ryan Cronin
Sam Wilcke
