Join us for some of your favorite comics telling stories of sex, drugs and hell gigs! Ritch Shydner, Doug Ferrari, Steven Pearl, Felicia Michaels and Johnny Steele!
Comedy legend Ritch Shydner hits the stage with amazing, crazy, and downright hilarious stories about his life as a stand-up comedian in the 1980s comedy boom. From his roles in movies such as Steve Martin’s Roxanne and Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop II, to writing on sitcoms such as Roseanne and The Jeff Foxworthy Show, working for and writing material with Ron White and Jay Leno, to his drug-fueled escapades and his road to recovery; Shydner’s journey is nothing short of fascinating.
Author of the newly released “Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life as a Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom,” Ritch Shydner has been described as “an incredibly funny observational comedian.” He has made numerous appearances on TV, including Late Night with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. He did an HBO half-hour special, “One Night Stand.” He played Al Bundy’s co-worker on “Married with Children”, and made guest appearances on many other TV shows, such as “Designing Women” and “Roseanne.”
Ritch was able to translate his modest success on TV into an obscure film career, appearing in Steve Martin’s, “Roxanne,” and Eddie Murphy’s, “Beverly Hills Cop II,” before moving on to minor roles on smaller pictures. Ritch wrote for sitcoms such as “Roseanne”, “The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” and HBO’s “The Mind of the Married Man.” Ritch wrote material for Jeff Foxworthy’s Grammy nominated comedy albums, “Totally Committed,” and “Big Fun.” He also wrote for Ron White and Jay Leno.
In 2006 Ritch was co-author of a book on stand-up, “I Killed”. In 2010 Ritch produced and performed in an award winning documentary on the world of stand-up comedy, “I Am Comic”. Currently Ritch is writing a movie adaptation for HBO of Bill Maher’s book, “True Story”. In short, Ritch worked hard at avoiding work for years. He’s given up any dreams of stardom for the satisfaction of being the best comic in his price range.
“And remember, Shydner, don’t tell anyone you wrote those jokes for me.” – Jay Leno
“Ritch Shydner is a terrific comedy writer and definitely one of the good guys.” – Jerry Seinfeld
“Back in the day, in the dingy ratskellers in which we learned our craft, Ritch Shydner was always the comic the other comics came into the room to watch, because he was the funniest. That hasn’t changed, and I’m afraid neither have the ratskellers.” – Bill Maher
Kicking Through The Ashes Book Reviews
“Ritch Shydner is one of the best comedians I’ve ever seen. Ritch is Seinfeld good, Kinison good, Pryor good.. Ok, maybe not Pryor good, but still an absolute killer. Every time I’ve seen Rich on stage he always took the audience to a place where all the other comics in the room had no idea they could go. I’m sure this book is in a section of the bookstore with other books written by other famous comedians well Ritch might not be the most famous but he’s definitely one of the funniest.” – Chris Rock
“Ritch Shydner is one of my comedy hero’s. I remember watching him kill in the 80’s and thinking that He is one of the greatest comics ever. Through the years we have written and worked together many times. He is a fabulous writer. Ritch’s journey as a stand up is a fascinating story. I know I was there for a lot of it! – Jeff Foxworthy
“This book is hilarious and heartbreaking, stories that move and shake, much like the author.” – Margaret Cho
