Chairman of the Ward
Bobby Tisdale On His Undergound Comedy Night Wards of Merkin
By Alex Scordelis
Photographed by Emily Kindler
If you're ever browsing in Greenpoint, Brooklyn's Word Bookstore and
hear spooky chanting wafting up from the basement, there's no need to
be frightened. It was probably just Wards of Merkin, comedian Bobby
Tisdale's "super secret" (yet very popular) comedy show. November 11th, Tisdale is taking his subterranean show above ground to do What's So Funny About Greepoint, a
charity event for the Greenpoint Business Alliance. The benefit, which
takes place at Polish banquet hall Polonaise Terrace, will feature
performances by Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry, and Heather Lawless.PAPERMAG recently met up with Tisdale at the Black Rabbit, the
Greenpoint watering hole that hosts the merry Wards of Merkin
after-parties, to discuss the origins of his "secret comedy society"
and the upcoming benefit.
Although Tisdale has been hosting/curating Wards of Merkin for almost two years now, he has been a fixture on the New York comedy scene for a decade, and is best known for emceeing the legendary (but now defunct) show Invite Them Up at erstwhile East Village haunt Rififi. "After Invite Them Up ended [in 2008], I was freaking out about performing. Eventually, I settled upon the idea of doing a comedy show in my garage," Tisdale said. "I've got this one-car garage behind Word and I started building a show space in there. Whenever I'd take a break, I'd go use the bathroom in Word. That's how I discovered their basement. It was perfect for the show I wanted to do."
Comedy fans who attended Invite Them Up are familiar with Tisdale's love of silly chants and secret handshakes, but at Wards of Merkin he takes his hyperactive antics to the next level. "I love traditions and rituals. At Wards of Merkin, the audience does chants, there are candle lighting ceremonies, you get a membership card. If you come to ten shows, you receive a cameo to wear." Tisdale cited Jerry Lewis movies and Zach Galifianakis, his close friend since they grew up together in North Carolina, as his inspirations in absurdity. Galifiankis has performed several times at Wards of Merkin, and Tisdale shares a scene with him in the new movie, Due Date. "Zach is my brother in silliness," Tisdale said. "When I was younger, Zach
and I would go to bars, and if the vibe was stuffy, we'd start some nonsensical chant, like 'Waffles and pancakes! [clap-clap/clap-clap-clap] Waffles and pancakes! [clap-clap/clap-clap-clap]' And soon enough the whole bar would be chanting along with us. That sort of behavior really influenced my style of comedy."
Despite its growing popularity, Wards of Merkin still remains a somewhat mysterious show, and procuring a ticket through the show's online RSVP system is famously difficult. "I'm not a dictator, but I make no apologies about controlling the audience at the show," Tisdale said. "I want to totally control the vibe. There's reason I have a 'No Heckling' sign on the stage. I don't want assholes in the audience. This isn't a show for the bridge and tunnel crowd." The benefit show will seat more people than a typical Wards of Merkin performance, and Tisdale is in the process of looking for a bigger basement to house the show in the future.
In recent months, however, the frequency of Wards of Merkin shows has dropped off due to Tisdale's employment as a sketch writer for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. "One of my goals is to get Jimmy to come out and do a Wards of Merkin set. I know I can convince him. He's just a busy guy." Now that he's gotten comfortable at Fallon, where he started in March, Tisdale promises more Wards of Merkin shows on the horizon. "If you come out, I'm going to give you a night of complete silliness. Even the stuffiest person will have a good time."
Although Tisdale has been hosting/curating Wards of Merkin for almost two years now, he has been a fixture on the New York comedy scene for a decade, and is best known for emceeing the legendary (but now defunct) show Invite Them Up at erstwhile East Village haunt Rififi. "After Invite Them Up ended [in 2008], I was freaking out about performing. Eventually, I settled upon the idea of doing a comedy show in my garage," Tisdale said. "I've got this one-car garage behind Word and I started building a show space in there. Whenever I'd take a break, I'd go use the bathroom in Word. That's how I discovered their basement. It was perfect for the show I wanted to do."
Comedy fans who attended Invite Them Up are familiar with Tisdale's love of silly chants and secret handshakes, but at Wards of Merkin he takes his hyperactive antics to the next level. "I love traditions and rituals. At Wards of Merkin, the audience does chants, there are candle lighting ceremonies, you get a membership card. If you come to ten shows, you receive a cameo to wear." Tisdale cited Jerry Lewis movies and Zach Galifianakis, his close friend since they grew up together in North Carolina, as his inspirations in absurdity. Galifiankis has performed several times at Wards of Merkin, and Tisdale shares a scene with him in the new movie, Due Date. "Zach is my brother in silliness," Tisdale said. "When I was younger, Zach
and I would go to bars, and if the vibe was stuffy, we'd start some nonsensical chant, like 'Waffles and pancakes! [clap-clap/clap-clap-clap] Waffles and pancakes! [clap-clap/clap-clap-clap]' And soon enough the whole bar would be chanting along with us. That sort of behavior really influenced my style of comedy."
Despite its growing popularity, Wards of Merkin still remains a somewhat mysterious show, and procuring a ticket through the show's online RSVP system is famously difficult. "I'm not a dictator, but I make no apologies about controlling the audience at the show," Tisdale said. "I want to totally control the vibe. There's reason I have a 'No Heckling' sign on the stage. I don't want assholes in the audience. This isn't a show for the bridge and tunnel crowd." The benefit show will seat more people than a typical Wards of Merkin performance, and Tisdale is in the process of looking for a bigger basement to house the show in the future.
In recent months, however, the frequency of Wards of Merkin shows has dropped off due to Tisdale's employment as a sketch writer for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. "One of my goals is to get Jimmy to come out and do a Wards of Merkin set. I know I can convince him. He's just a busy guy." Now that he's gotten comfortable at Fallon, where he started in March, Tisdale promises more Wards of Merkin shows on the horizon. "If you come out, I'm going to give you a night of complete silliness. Even the stuffiest person will have a good time."
Your Comment