John Vanderslice Tickles Michael Showalter's Funny Bone

Posted on Jan 22nd 2008 10:00AM by Benjy Eisen
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Anybody with a microphone thinks they're a comedian so perhaps it was inevitable that musicians would eventually find kinship with stand-up comics, but the bond between the two types of entertainers has increased exponentially in the past few years. On Monday night, comedian Michael Showalter paired up with singer-songwriter John Vanderslice as part of San Francisco's two-week 'SF Sketchfest,' in a showcase aptly titled, 'Michael Showalter Meets John Vanderslice.'

"I think comedians are the new rock stars," Vanderslice tells Spinner. "What's amazing and what's really beautiful is that the two worlds intercept perfectly. Those guys pay attention to indie rock and we pay attention to comedians. The sensibilities are the same. I certainly would love to be somewhat shocking in the music that I do and I know that comedians would love to be somewhat shocking with the material that they do."

Making fun of the fact that the two entertainers performed individual sets and would not actually collaborate live, Showalter introduced Vanderslice to the audience while introducing himself to Vanderslice. He called the singer-songwriter on stage to shake his hand and officially "met" him, as the title of the showcase promised.

"The difference between indie rockers and indie comedians," Showalter later told the crowd, "is that comedians wear looser pants."