I love this video for several reasons.  First, it describes the Hollywood disease to a frickin’ T.  Second, it’s hilarious and deeply sad.  Third, it mentions improv.  Fourth, unless you live in LA, New York or Chicago you may not fully get it.  Fifth, my old teammate Anne Gregory is in it.  Sixth…I don’t need a reason to love.

If you haven’t seen it, now is the time.  And away we go!

Written and Produced by David Taylor - @CelebSlightings

Name: Dave Taylor

Code Name: Brary

How long have you been improvising? 13 years

When/How did you join USSRR? I was there at the beginning in 2007. I was fortunate enough to be selected when USS was being put together.

What are 3 of your strengths as an improviser? Referencing things like literature, sports, and pop culture, coming up with character names, and playing incompetent people.

What are you most afraid of on stage? Playing foreigners or women and making big, thematic moves that shape the show.

What is one of your favorite moments on the team? There are many, but I have really fond memories of when we performed around the Boston area in 2009. It was like a slumber party with all of us sleeping together in one room on the floor. I think both Tony and Annie had sleeping masks. I remember laughing for hours as we all riffed on the “fat kid on Hollywood Boulevard” video that we had all watched a hundred times.

What makes USSRR different for you? It feels like a family who happens to do improv. There so much character, kindness, and humility in the group. It’s pretty incredible.

What inspires you now artistically? Music: the ambient drone of William Basinski, Tim Hecker, and Loscil. I love the repeating and building on a simple, recurring idea. On the flip side, I’ve also been listening to a lot of Rihanna. So many hooks. So much candy-coated polish. So immediate. Comedy: I’ve been enjoying Tim Heidecker’s (of Tim & Eric) podcast, “On Cinema.” I just watched “The Trip” with Steve Coogan & Rob Brydon. So many great impressions. I can’t stop thinking about their Liam Neeson and Pierce Bronson.

Why do you do improv? It’s fun, most importantly. I love the people I perform with. I love the discovery of it, not knowing where things are headed. I love the feeling of creating something out of thin air and connecting with the audience. When it works, the high you get after a show is unbeatable.

Who do you look up to? A lot of people. Here are just a few in no particular order: Woody Allen, Sean Forman (creator of the website baseball-reference.com), my Canadian/Mennonite friends, Scott and Margie Cameron, the writing staff of “Real Time With Bill Maher,” my wife, improvisers Craig Cackowski and Dave Hill, as well as my teammates on USS.

Are you an artist or a comedian? Explain. Comedian. I’d like to say artist, but that makes me feel pretentious.

Pick one of your teammates and describe them as a performer. *(3 sentences

or less)* Tony Lewellen: He gets lost in his characters and in his own weird world. He’s like a walking David Lynch movie. It’s an absolute joy to behold.

Below are a list of random words. Write the first thing that comes to mind

(a word or a phrase) as you read each.

Ensemble – group mind

Tony – weird

Wolves – pack

Theme – thread

Erica – character

Laugh – feel good

Riki – brah

Coach – Pat O’Brien

Story – Robert McKee

Bryan – Power pack

Opening – sinewy

Pardo – shepherd

Dave – talker

Character – character

Annie – loud

Style – Annie

Levin – funny

Ego – Eggo

Perfection – Perfect Game

Harold – Lloyd

In honor of USS’s 5-year anniversary show coming up Tuesday, May 8th, I decided to write about my biggest USS memory.

(My originally planned article for today, entitled “The #1 Secret To Improv That Nobody Has Ever Told You And You Need To Know About This Right Now!!” will just have to wait for another day)

I had seen USS play, and had been taught by some of USS’s members.  Like a lot of my classmates, I had been inspired and awed by them (both as a group and as individual improvisers).

But in September of 2010, I had a chance to really see what they were like.  They were holding a fundraiser to help pay their way to the Vancouver Improv Festival.  They had several sponsors helping them out by raffling their wares.  USS had thrown in their own prizes and one of the raffles was to win a chance to perform in a Harold WITH USS.  As luck – or the improv fates – would allow, I won that raffle and was brought up on stage to do a mini-harold with this award-winning team.

I don’t remember any specific lines or even, any specific scenes…but here’s what I do remember and have held on to since that evening:  Playing with USS was like doing improv wrapped up in a warm, cozy blanket.  It was like doing a trapeze act with the net 1 foot below you.  It was like being hugged on stage.  Pick your analogy.

I could do no wrong.  Every move I made was supported and heightened.  I never felt judged on stage, I felt that every action / line I did was incorporated as part of the recipe of the show.  And when we did group games, everyone moved like a flock of birds.  There weren’t outliers who went their own way, because if they did change the direction, the rest of them just went along with that change.  In one group game, they had made me the center of attention, and EVERYBODY was on board with what was going on.  I didn’t feel a single player give off “oh, this is weird” or “oh, this is dumb”.  Everyone went along because that’s what a really good team does.  You go with it and find it.  There wasn’t any ego on stage, I could feel all of that gone and what remained was the show and the creation of that show together.

As improvisers, we may discuss ego on stage or supporting your teammates or saying YES to whatever the other players do.  I knew about this logically for a while.  But, it was that September night in 2010 when I actually FELT what it meant.  And that was something worth way more than the $5.00 I spent on that raffle ticket.

Thanks, USS Rock n’ Roll, and congratulations on 5 years!!

LoPez

p.s.  If you missed this fundraiser, you didn’t get a chance to see them act out the talent show scene from the movie “Revenge of the Nerds”….here’s the link…and you’re welcome.

Written by USSRR member Riki ‘The Touch’ Kalil

As an improviser, you hope that at some point in your career you get the opportunity to play on a team that is special; a team that pushes you to be the best performer you can be; a team willing to fail in order to discover who they are as individuals and as a collective; a team whose members genuinely care about one another and who all share a single macro objective – to be great. For me, that team is USS Rock N Roll and while I have been lucky and blessed to have had five great years with my shipmates, I am also increasingly aware that this ride won’t last forever. But nothing does right… well except margarine. The fact of the matter is, I am part of a team that, after many many moons still wants to grow and get better. We’re a family, and I couldn’t ask for more.

Not to say it has always been easy. Like most teams, we have had our fair share of adversity to deal with, from several performance night and time changes, to losing teammates, to arguments, to people getting married and having babies to whatever other sweeping curve balls life decided to throw at us. Luckily we chose to stick together and persevere with the belief that what we had was special enough to make sacrifices for. Of course, the enormous checks we cash weekly from IO didn’t hurt! We gettin’ paid balla! (Statement not approved by James Grace).

If there is one key ingredient that has kept us going after all these years, I would say it has to be the willingness to be unsatisfied. Sure, we have had our share of great shows just like we’ve had our stinkers, but neither has ever been strong enough to deter our pursuit of be better than we are. To be honest, I don’t know that we have all said what that means for us or that we even would agree on the definition. I think the point is that each of us harbor’s our own interpretation that guides us and keeps us hungry. And like any team, we all have our own set of strengths that we bring to the table. Tony is the character savant, Annie the momentum, Levin the visionary, Dave the reference machine, Erica the natural, Bryan the energy, and I’m the minority. Perfect recipe for high octane comedy if you ask me.

I know what you’re thinking, “Who is the best?” Well, publicly we will tell you that each of us brings our own unique strength to the table, but that’s bullshit. The fact of the matter is there was one who stood out amongst the rest. He was the alpha, the cock of the walk, the Neo. He was only on the team for a short stint, but ohhhhh what a bright, beautiful stint it was. His impact on the team and the art form as a whole will be felt for a millennia. Who was he you ask?

His name was Bongo. He was the full-time party gorilla…and he was remarkable.

Written by Bryan Minh Truong (Staff)

I apologize ahead of time if anything I say offends anyone. This is what stands out for me, as a team and as the components of the team. I think of USS Rock and Roll as something very magical, mysteriously enchanting. Their style is their own and at the same time incorporates all styles of improv. Funny how the team name is a ship because they’ll truly take you on a journey if your willing to hop aboard. One of the ways that I see they accomplish this is riding the waves of the moments and how that feels to them (haha there i go again making ship/water references, be warned there will be more). Their shows are like they are out to sea, they cannot see the end of their show/destination but they know if they keep feeling the wind/moments and following it they will find the end/land. Because of this moment to moment style they have the freedom to explore anything they find interesting and are not limited to a structure that says we’re only allowed to spend so much time on each thing. Next i’ll talk about my favorite thing about the team which is their team dynamic and how it all comes together in my opinion. I’ll go alphabetically.

Annie- The human connection, she is the one that reminds me with her improv, that we are all humans trying to live life the best way we can and even though the way we go about persuing those wants and needs isn’t always the best way, the good intent is there. With that human connection the characters always have a reason why they are doing what their doing.

Bryan- commitment, I’ve never seen anyone that commits more than Bryan and with such consistancy. Reminds me of Atlas carrying the world on his shoulders. If I were fighting in a war I can’t think of another person I’d want with me there than Bryan. With that commitment it makes the whole team fearless.

Dave- The philosopher, Moral Compass, Lady Justice. Dave has such an interesting perspective on life. Remind me of the questions we all struggle to find the answers for life. and Dave brings new light to answer those questions at the same time keeping a moral compass so that ethic aren’t sacrificed for the easy answers. With this perspective the team can keep striving to improve and feel good about the journey they’re on.

Erica- I’m sorry Erica I haven’t seen you enough times for me to be comfortable writing anything about you.

James- There’s a reason why James is nicknamed “The James” I really have a difficult time writing about James. James is awesome, interesting, unique. Truly a mystery. James fits into everything and doesn’t fit at the same time. James is a paradox in the best way possible. He’s ying and yang. He’s his own best friend and his own worse enemy. James is hella cool. With that kind of mystery the team has unlimited possibilities. Because you never know what your going to get with James.

Levin- The Zen Master. The counter balance. The support. The Frame to the ship. With that sense of awareness the ship never capsizes or gets lost for too long going in one direction. For example hearing about a characters wants too much or asking life questions for too long or being too cool.

Phillip- Funny that they nicknamed Phillip “The Mouse” I think of Phillip as the opposite, to me Phillip is the big man. Big and bold choices that reminds me how the our world, situation and environment affects us. With that the team is world conscious.

Rikki- Swagger. Cool and calm. Reminds me of how much fun and easy imrpov can be. Life is too short for it to be serious all the time. With that the team can put in the work while having fun doing it.

Tony- The man with the many faces. Tony’s characters are incredible. I can’t even imagine the characters he plays. They are so different and unique from anyone I know but at the same time there’s an element I connect with. Just reminds me that we are the same in just as many ways we are different.

Happy 5 year Anniversary USS Rock and Roll!!!

Twitter @USSRockNRoll – FACEBOOK

Members of USSRR were given a list of questions to answer about their time on the team. This entry is submitted by USS Rock N Roll’s Annie Kouris aka The Mouth. USSRR will be celebrating 5 years of playing together in a special live event on Tuesday, May 8th on the iO West Mainstage at 10:30pm. We hope you will join us for FREE PIZZA, DRINK SPECIALS, PRIZES & MORE!!!

Twitter @USSRockNRoll -or- FACEBOOK

———————–

Name: ANNIE KOURIS

Code Name: THE MOUTH

How long have you been improvising?  I’ve been improvising since 1997 when i auditioned and joined the college improv team, Absolunacy. Fun fact Tony Lewellen and I were also on that team together! SO how many years is that? 15 years? oh god. I should be better than i am.

When/How did you join USSRR? Levin and I used to be on a harold team called the Jungle. One day, near the last days of this harold team, Levin and I went out to lunch. We had a fun afternoon of trying to come up with our “dream team”. Not a dream team of perfect players but players that were exciting to us, in the same space in life & wanting to grow as performer and most importantly as a team. When the Jungle was cut we decided, what the hell, and asked James Grace if we could start this team. And to our utter surprise he said YES and gave us shows immediately. It was crazy! We didn’t even have a full line up yet! But myself, Levin O’Connor, Molly Hale, Riki Kalil, Dave Taylor, Tony Seales and Tom Blank set sail on the improv sea.

What are 3 of your strengths as an improviser? HA! asking an improviser their own personal strengths is about as easy as asking a politician what he’s most likely to lie about. UGH. Ok. None of these answers are tooting my own horn. You asked.

1.I’ve got a great internal clock. I can edit with the best of them. It’s always been a strength of mine and I try to move to edit, even when I don’t know why or what will come next, every time I feel it. It’s only gotten better. Because of this clock…

2.I can make a choice when a choice needs to be made. In a group game or an opening piece I can feel the energy start to sag down and can bump that ball up again. They might not always be the most elegant or best of choices but I will can make them. It’s a funny thing. A lot of young improvisers say in these moments “i felt it and just didn’t know what to do.” and I would say to them, I don’t know what to do either, but I do something anyway.

3.Lastly Most people tell me I play emotional grounded characters well and I guess that’s true. If you’re a big or not grounded character then I will always choose a realistic counterpart. It’s kind of selfish because it’s just my aesthetic to see the realistic side to any wacky guy.

What are you most afraid of on stage? Two things. 1. Letting a great show drift out to sea. It makes me so mad and frustrated to see a perfectly constructed beginning loose it’s greatness due to lack of listening, strong choices or lazy editing. I’m to blame more than anyone because I see it and do nothing to save it. Fuck that. 2. Rapping on stage. It’s a good thing I’ve got two expert Rappers on this team because I might die if i have to do it. I WILL DO IT. but i really don’t want to.

What is one of your favorite moments on the team? There are so many great ones. Here’s 3.

1.The entire “AMERICA” show we did in a harold competition. The entire “TOM IGACHI” show and the entire “MOLLY’s DEAD” show we did. They were magical.

2. Bryan trying to blow out the candles on a bday cake (i was the cake) and maybe levin and riki wrestling him… ACTUALLY wrestling him… to stop him. At one point he got SO CLOSE and maybe levin grabbed his leg and pulled it out from under him and bryan missed the cake by inches. It was unbelievable.

3. Me writing a blog about how I wanted to be treated more aggressively as the only girl on the team and then immediately in a show bryan body slammed me and it knocked the wind out of me. I asked for it and will NEVER forget it!

What makes USSRR different for you? There is never a moment of complacency. Everyone on the team is constantly working and striving to be the best we can be at this moment. It never feels like we are done growing. If we walk off stage and think, yeah that show was fine and good, it doesn’t fulfill us. We would rather try our damnedest to have the best and most amazing show ever and risk having the worst show ever than to have a middle of the road good show. Besides that…everyone challenges me to bring my A game every single time. And if for some reason I can’t bring it… they are they to support and carry me and no one judges me. I love everyone on this team like they were family and honestly am thankful for every moment we get together. Our coach, Jason, is always saying there are only a finite number of shows you will ever get to do in your life and even less with this particular group. So best make them count every time you get to do one. I think the team really has embraced this and strives for best every time and that in itself i think makes this team unique.

What inspires you now artistically?  We’ve been working with Jason Pardo for the last year and he’s really drilled the idea that I don’t have to lay everything out there. The who were are to each other, or  where or what’s going on or why were are talking like this… it doesn’t have to be said. Striving to talk like humans talk and not like improvisers and trusting that it will all work out somehow. It’s like jumping out of plane and not pulling the shoot(aka labeling) when you get scared and think NOW IT’S TIME! Instead waiting past that point to explore the free fall and trusting that the shoot will open and i’ll land safely.  It’s SCARY and exciting and it’s inspiring to be a part of. Trusting my skills can get even more subtle and my scene partner will STILL get it! Just by being the character I can convey everything. So i guess what I’m saying is Trust inspires me. Actual trust.

Why do you do improv? Because it challenges me to grow on and off stage. It makes me face my fears and asks me to become a better person. It feeds my soul and connects me to others. It pushes me to be present and rewards me when I am.

Who do you look up to? I look up to the guys of MI aka Mission Improvable of Westside Comedy Theater! Those guys are real heroes of mine. Not only are they fantastic improvisers, but they started a touring group in college and decided they wanted to stay together. AND THEY DID. Now they own a theater and touring company and are continuing to grow and change. It’s amazing.

Are you an artist or a comedian? Explain. I’m both. I approach the art of improv as just that… an artform. And that artform requires me to be whatever the moment calls for. So if the moment asks me to dramatic, then I am dramatic. If it calls me to artsy then I am artsy and if it calls me to be funny then I am a comedian. Because it is the true act of being present to moment you have to be willing to give yourself over to that moment. If i was only a comedian then every moment should be eliciting comedy and then I am not present to what the scene or show may be asking for me to do. I am selling out moments for jokes or not building with my group because I see a laugh. Every time I’m a comedian when the artform doesn’t call for it I take away for the greatness of what the show could be. So I have to be all things in improv.

Below are a list of random words. Write the first thing that comes to mind (a word or a phrase) as you read each.

Ensemble – Your ideas ARE my ideas

Tony – I’ll never get to experience the glory and magnitude of what’s actually going on in his head.

Wolves – On Meat

Theme – Doesn’t have to be BIG.

Erica – Killed a mouse with a vacuum.

Laugh – Only feels good if it was earned.

Riki – can do some amazing improvised roller skates

Coach – I owe you everything.

Story – Has to have a beginning, a middle arc and an end.

Bryan – The other side of my coin.

Opening – My favorite part of a harold. It can be so magical.

Pardo - never late. always serious.

Dave - He was just getting to that.

Character - repetition of any choice

Annie - a one timed all about loud miss.

Style – mostly is a plaid or solid colored button up with converse.

Levin - me mate.

Ego - wish it didn’t matter and try to make it not.

Perfection –  only happens when you embrace every flaw.

Harold –  anything you want it to be.

Is there something else you want to say? This is your chance. Sometimes it feels like a fairy tale that this team exists for me. I can’t believe that just an afternoon jokes about turned into the last 5 years of my life. Looking a back threw all the pictures and reliving all the shows and memories and times we’ve had has been amazing. I’ve gotten to know these people on a level I never thought possible and now they aren’t just friends, they are my family. They comfort me in my lows and celebrate with me in my highs. They fuel me to get better and encourage me to continue when I fail. They are my team.

I look forward to another 5 years of growth. 5 more years of amazing great and amazing bad shows. 5 more years of striving to be  better, learning from each other and growing. 5 more years of great adventure with this team from blogs to websites to green screen shows to sketch projects to traveling to teaching to babies to marriage to more babies to all that life can offer. 5 more years of friendship. 5 more years of team. Thank you for all you’ve given and thank you for all you’ll give.

Written by USS Rock N Roll’s Erica Gowland aka The Vac. USSRR will be celebrating 5 years of playing together in a special live event on Tuesday, May 8th on the iO West Mainstage at 10:30pm. We hope you will join us for FREE PIZZA, DRINK SPECIALS, PRIZES & MORE!!!

As the newest member of USS, my history with the team is the shortest. I met Levin in Chicago, he was a good friend and Playground teammate of my, then boyfriend, now husband. I admired Tony from afar as he performed on his team Social Grenade, and I saw Bryan perform with Molly Hale (alumni) in their two person sketch show that none of us can remember the name of. I just remember that I loved it, and Bryan sang a song about a Scunci steam cleaner. Flash forward to LA several years later where I was able to meet the rest of the gang and watch them perform when USS shared a night with Local 132.

So then I got knocked up, and chose to leave Local 132. They are such a fun group of people onstage and off and I was lucky to perform with them (and husband!) for the time that I did. I just felt it was going to be too much of a challenge to have a husband and wife juggling a new baby and the team, and I felt it wouldn’t be fair to the team to have two players present 50% of the time, when they could have Husband and someone else 100% of the time.

I was asked to join USS in November 2011, and have been struggling to get Pardo to remember my name ever since.

Happy 5th Anniversary USS!

Twitter @USSRockNRoll

Kermit from Encino, CA writes:

Hey Tuck,

With the 5 year anniversary of USS Rock n Roll coming up next Tuesday (May 8th), can you tell us how you got on this team and how you knew everyone?

Sure Kermit.

In 2007 Levin O’Connor was on The Jungle with Annie Kouris, and I was on Hey Swayze with Riki Kalil.  When The Jungle was broken up, Levin and Annie had the unique idea to ask the theater for permission to create a new team.  They approached both Riki and myself to be on the team, along with Molly Hale and Dave Taylor.  I initially said “yes” and jumped at the chance to be on a team with all of these great people.

Then reality hit.  I was already on one team, that rehearsed once a week and performed once a week and was about to join a team that was going to perform once a week and was going to rehearse twice a week for the first few months.  That would be five nights of improv a week.

It was going to be too much for me.  I easily get burned out on improv if I do to much of it.  So at the first meeting of the team, I quit.  Everyone was bummed, but I knew it was what was best for me and the team.

Why didn’t I quit Hey Swayze?

I am an extremely loyal person and I thought it would be pretty shitty to quit one team for another.  Maybe I should have been selfish and done that, but at the time it wasn’t something I wanted to do.

As luck would have it, USS was place on the schedule in the same time slot as Hey Swayze.  I got to watch this team perform and mature over the course of a year.  It was tough.

Fast forward to summer of 2008 and Hey Swayze decided to call it quits.  I immediately reached out to USS to see if they still had a spot on the team for me.  The graciously asked me to join and I have been with them happily ever since.

So I am officially the only member to be an original member,  quit the team and come back.

How did I know all of those people?

Levin O’Connor – Known since 2002.  Went through classes together at iO Chicago.

Dave Taylor – See above.

Annie Kouris – Watched her perform in The Jungle  since 2005.  Became good friends with her when I joined the team in 2008.

Riki Kalil – Known since 2005 when we auditioned together and were placed on Emperor Penguin.  Have never been on an improv team without him.

Tony Lewellen – Watched him perform with Job Fair in 2006.  Really got to know him since 2008.

Erica Gowland – Watched perfom with Local 132 for a number of years.  Really got to know her since she joined the team in late 2011.

Molly Hale (retired) – Known since 2002.  Went through classes together at iO Chicago.

Phillip Mottaz (retired) – One of the few people I didn’t know at all when I joined in 2008.  Good friends since then. Just had dinner with him last Friday.

James Kirkland (retired) – Watched him on The Jungle.  Didn’t really know him until he joined the team in late 2009.

Enjoy Kermit!

Twitter @USSRockNRoll

Written my Mark Piebenga (Staff) – For more from Mark, check out his website www.wikipiebenga.org

One of my favorite improv class platitudes is “be real,” because the funniest moments in all of our lives come when we’re not trying, and real life just happens.

Aspects of it are tragic, but there is a tremendous amount of comedy in last week’s early morning escapade by Delmon Young. He is a left fielder for the Detroit Tigers. Five hours after arriving in New York for a series with the Yankees, Young was arrested by the police in baffling situation outlined here.

The long and the short of it are summed up in the first two paragraphs:

Detroit Tigers left fielder Delmon Young has been arrested on a hate-crime harassment charge after police say he attacked a group of men and yelled anti-Semitic epithets.

Police say Young was standing outside of the Hilton New York, not far from Times Square. A group of about four Chicago tourists staying there was approached by a panhandler wearing a yarmulke.

The emphasis is mine – I have certainly never seen those words together and they are formidable.

There is also a pretty good post about it on Yahoo by David Brown which features the titanic line, “So, he’s got a temper. And possibly a problem with alcohol. And maybe a problem with Jewish people.”

As Brown points out, this is not Young’s first brush with indiscipline and indiscretion. He notes that the incident Friday morning occurred six years to the day of this incredible incorrigibility:

Because we know the umpire is fine, I can’t help but laugh (this might make me a bad person, but meh), and marvel at the cinematic feel.  What we don’t know makes it all the more fascinating. The plate is not raised, so we can’t see if the pitch is over. We can’t hear what he says to get booted. And the fact of the bat flying in from off-camera is like something out of Duck Soup, so unexpected. (Also the commentator kills it with the closing words, “Oh boy…that’s a bad move by Delmon Young.” You said it, fella.)

Finally, another blast of online reality-based hilarity. My friend Jeff Lung, ultra-marathoner and curator of the baseball blog Red State Blue State, has catapulted into a different kind of cyber-celebrity along with his family on the Awkward Family Photos site. (It’s also very worth checking out the Couch Potato people the day before.)

There’s a lot to admire here in the photo itself, but I can’t get over the pithiness the first couple comments. “The wind didn’t stand a chance”!! And some random Norwegian gets in on the action?? Too good, too funny. Real life is so full of tragedy that comedy can’t help happening.

Twitter @USSRockNRoll