Tag: The Tennessean

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The Tennessean: “Nashville comedy troupe aims to break Guinness record”

Thanks to James Nitz and The Tennessean for their nice write-up about our upcoming show: “Nashville comedy troupe aims to break Guinness record.” Here’s a pdf of it, if you want to print that out for your scrapbook. Otherwise, just read it below:

Nashville comedy troupe aims to break Guinness record
James Nitz, MTSU Seigenthaler News Service 1:42 p.m. CDT April 6, 2015

Organizers are hoping for non-stop laughs as the NashvilleStandUp.com comedy troupe aims to shatter the Guinness World Record for longest standup comedy show as part of the upcoming second annual Wild West Comedy Festival.

“It’s the greatest, dumbest thing we’ve ever done,” says comedian and organizer Chad Riden of NashvilleStandUp.com.

The Broken Record Comedy Show marathon is set to begin at noon Sunday, April 12, at The East Room and last until 8 p.m. the following Sunday, April 19. Guest comedians of varying degrees of fame are set to perform during the week, from local up-and-comers to national touring acts such as Jon Reep and Nashville natives Keith Alberstadt and Billy Wayne.

Also, Riden says, unannounced “secret shows” will feature antics ranging from performances in underwear, to catered biscuits and gravy for the crowd, to surprise guest comics, potentially coming from the star-packed Wild West Comedy Festival.

“There’s wiggle room,” Riden says. “We’ll make room for big names.”

The Wild West Comedy Festival is scheduled for April 14-19 at a host of venues, from nightclubs to Bridgestone Arena. Big-name performers include comedians Kevin Hart, Joel McHale, Hannibal Buress, Lewis Black, Tig Notaro, Ralphie May, and Nick Kroll and John Mulaney.

The current marathon standup comedy record was earned at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood, Calif., from Dec. 6-9, 2010 after 170 acts with 150 comedians held the stage for 80 hours. NashvilleStandUp is aiming to shatter that record with its eight-day event, the brainchild of Nashville-based comedian D.J. Buckley.

“Everybody loves the idea,” Riden says, “but they think it’s crazy.”

Riden began doing stand-up comedy in 2000 at an open mic night at a Cummins Station nightclub. During the set, he miscalculated his time, turning his allotted five minutes into a 12-minute performance.

“It was a rookie mistake, but it went really well,” Riden recalls.

Now a full-time comic, Riden has performed shows across the South and has been featured on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”

He hopes the marathon event, combined with the Wild West Comedy Festival, will help increase Nashville’s stature on the national comedy scene. In any case, where else will you be able to see live standup comedy during the breakfast hours?

“It will be interesting to see,” Riden says, “ how people play at 8 a.m.”

While only loosely partnered with the Wild West Comedy Festival, NashvilleStandUp.com will honor festival tickets for the marathon shows at The East Room, allowing admittance for VIP ticket holders for the entire week or for individual-performance ticket holders for 24 hours after a particular show.

If you go

What: Broken Record Comedy Show

When: Noon April 12 through 8 p.m. April 19

Where: The East Room, 2421 Gallatin Pike

Tickets: $10 day pass, $25 three-day pass, $60 all-access pass, $100 VIP pass.

Details: For more information on the marathon, go to www.nashvillestandup.com. For details on the Wild West Comedy Festival, go to www.wildwestcomedyfestival.com.

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The Tennessean: “Nashville comedians go for world-record 8-day show”

Nashville comedians DJ Buckley, left, and Chad Riden, right, are planning to put on a record-breaking, eight-day comedy show.

Thanks to Dave Paulson and The Tennessean for writing up our IndieGoGo campaign and upcoming GUINNESS WORLD RECORD attempt.
Here’s a pdf of their article, in case you want to get the text tattoo’d on your back. Otherwise, read the thing on their website (“Nashville comedians go for world-record 8-day show”) or right here:

Nashville comedians go for world-record 8-day show
Dave Paulson, dnpaulson@tennessean.com 8:48 p.m. CST January 23, 2015

Nashville comedians DJ Buckley, left, and Chad Riden, right, are planning to put on a record-breaking, eight-day comedy show.
Nashville comedians DJ Buckley, left, and Chad Riden, right, are planning to put on a record-breaking, eight-day comedy show.

Let’s say you wake up tomorrow morning at 4:30 a.m. and leap out of bed. You’re struck by the overwhelming urge to see some live standup comedy, right then and there. Well, you’ll be out of luck until the evening, if and when Zanies or another comedy-friendly venue opens its doors.

But for eight days this April, Nashville comedy enthusiasts can live the dream. They’ll be able to see live standup at any time of day, whether it’s just before rush hour on a weekday or well after last call on Saturday night.

It’s becoming a reality thanks to local comedians DJ Buckley and Chad Riden. The pair are looking to break the Guinness World Record for the longest standup comedy show by multiple comedians, so they’re planning a 192-hour, non-stop performance.

The madness begins April 12 and will run through April 19 at the East Room in East Nashville. The dates will overlap with the second annual Wild West Comedy Festival, which is bringing a number of standup stars to Ryman Auditorium, TPAC and other venues on April 14-19.

The current Guinness World Record is 80 hours and was achieved by the Laugh Factory in Hollywood Dec. 6-9, 2010. That show included 170 different acts by 150 comedians.

Buckley and Riden are looking to raise $8,000 to produce the event via a crowdfunding campaign on indiegogo.com. That will cover costs, including venue rental, registration with Guinness and the production of a documentary on their world-record attempt. Funders can buy tickets ($5-$20 for one-, three- or eight-day passes), souvenirs and reserve their own performance slots.

“A lot of people have said, ‘Hey, why would you want to do that? Nobody wants to see a show that long,’” Riden says in the campaign’s video. “Well, that’s true. Quite frankly, we have nothing else going on in our lives.”

To help ensure their success, they plan to have an “Emergency Back-Up Comedian” waiting in the wings at all times and hope to feature “as many talented comedians from as many places as we can manage.”

To learn more, visit www.nashvillestandup.com/WorldRecord