Nashville Scene: “Local Comics Set the World Record for Longest Comedy Show and Aren’t Stopping”

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS judge Michael Empric with 'Broken Record' co-host D.J. Buckley. PHOTO: LANCE CONZETT.

Thanks to Lance Conzett & The Nashville Scene’s “Country Life Blog” for writing about us: “Local Comics Set the World Record for Longest Comedy Show and Aren’t Stopping”. Here’s a pdf of their article, or just read below:

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS judge Michael Empric with 'Broken Record' co-host D.J. Buckley. PHOTO: LANCE CONZETT.
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS judge Michael Empric with ‘Broken Record’ co-host D.J. Buckley. PHOTO: LANCE CONZETT.

Guinness judge Michael Empric with Broken Record co-host D.J. Buckley
PHOTO: LANCE CONZETT

Last night, at 8:04 p.m., Nashville broke a world record.

Not a record for the most luxury condos shaped like guitars or the most heart attacks during a post-season hockey game. Nothing to do with Jack White, Pekka Rinne or Karl Dean. No. Last night, a scrappy group of local comics bulldozed right through the world record for longest stand-up comedy show with multiple comedians, previously held by The Laugh Factory in Los Angeles.

“I’m so excited to announce that with 80 hours and two minutes, you guys have set a new Guinness World Record,” Guinness adjudicator Michael Empric declared as a jam-packed East Room erupted into cheers, carrying co-host D.J. Buckley on their shoulders with the commemorative plaque raised high above his head.

Conceived by Buckley, who had left the show’s East Nashville venue only once since Sunday morning, and brought into fruition by the efforts of Buckley, Chad Riden, Mary Jay Berger and dozens of volunteers and comics, the Broken Record Comedy Show isn’t just “the greatest, dumbest thing [they’ve] ever done,” but the most ambitious project the local comedy community ever has, and perhaps ever will, take on.

In just over three days, a total of 83 comics performed onstage at The East Room, including drop-in appearances by Hannibal Buress, Rory Scovel, Killer Beaz, Ahmed Ahmed and Nate Bargatze. But the real heroes are the comics that most people have never heard of. At 6:42 a.m. on Tuesday, Narado Moore was woken from a deep sleep on a couch in the balcony of The East Room to perform for an hour and 20 minutes, filling time due to dropouts in the early hours of the morning. Volunteers and comics have destroyed their sleep schedules to ensure that the minimum 10 audience members are always present, lest a technicality dash their record attempt.

Even though the record has officially been broken, Buckley and Riden show no signs of calling it a day. With the venue booked through Sunday night, the show will continue on until April 19 at 8 p.m., making future attempts to break the record more and more daunting. Incidentally, if anyone’s going to break the record, it’s going to be Nashville — again.

“I don’t ever want to stop this,“ Riden said during his set, after the official ruling was conferred. “I want to do this again next year and break the record by one second.”

I wouldn’t call his bluff. The show continues all day and all night until Sunday night, with special guests and excellent local comics abound. (A regularly updated schedule can be found on NashvilleStandUp.com.) After that, hopefully, D.J. Buckley will be able to sleep in his own bed.