Before the Twin Cities established themselves as a hotbed for stand-up comedy, producing some of the biggest names in comedy history, the local scene consisted of five guys in a basement bar doing their best to make people laugh.
The birth of Minnesota stand-up traces back to the 1970s and five people who paved the way: Scott Hansen, Louie Anderson, "Wild Bill" Bauer, Alex Cole, and Jeff Gerbino. The "original five" got their start performing in a Minneapolis dive bar called Mickey Finn's, and together they led the charge in establishing one of the most vital and vibrant comedy scenes in the country. They opened clubs and comedy stages across the Cities, brought the nation's top stand-up acts to town, and inspired future generations of ground-breaking comedians—from Lizz Winstead and Joel Hodgson to Mitch Hedberg, Fancy Ray McCloney, and Maria Bamford. But like any artistic passion that rises quickly to become a mainstream phenomenon, the comedy scene eventually was fractured by bloated egos and an influx of money and drugs—until a second wave, led by the nationally renowned Acme Comedy Club, helped bring comedy back to the forefront in Minnesota.
Decades later, the impact of these early comedy pioneers lives on through television, movies, clubs, and countless stand-up acts who followed their path. The way they carved that path—well, it's actually a pretty funny story.
ISBN-13: 9781681341866
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press
Publication Date: 02-02-2021
Pages: 232
Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.70(d)
Patrick Strait moved to Minneapolis in 2007, and a year later he began writing for City Pages, where he was (at that time) the only writer regularly covering local comedy, including profiles about up-and-coming comedians, unique events, major club shows, and start-up open-mic nights. He has served as the regular comedy-beat reporter for City Pages, The Growler, and Thrillist, writing more than fifty stories a year about all aspects of stand-up comedy in the Twin Cities. Beyond the major clubs (Acme, House of Comedy, Joke Joint), he covers trends such as the growth of and breakthrough of Black and other comedians of color, an increased focus on diversity, and the cooperative nature of the local comedy scene that has helped it to continue to grow and thrive. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two children.
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As the 1980s began, stand-up comedy was on fire. Nationally, names like George Carlin, Robin Williams, and Steve Martin were becoming regular fixtures on TV. Locally, Mickey Finn's was still pulling in consistently strong crowds, out-of-town comedians were coming to perform for Twin Cities audiences, and even comedy forefather Dudley Riggs was expanding his shows to include stand-up.
While the growth of stand-up comedy was great for fans and provided more opportunities for performers, things were still pretty hectic when it came to getting stage time. "Mickey Finn's was basically just Bill [Bauer] and Alex [Cole] by then, because Jeff [Gerbino] left for Los Angeles in 1980 or '81," recalls Scott Hansen. "At that point, it was just a drug den."
That's not to say that the quality of comedians or the quantity of fans at Mickey Finn's had dipped, but without Hansen or Gerbino to maintain order, things could get a little out of hand. "We called ourselves the Comedic Revolutionary Council," recalls Cole, "and we had handbills made up that we handed out all over Riverplace [in Minneapolis]. At that point we had moved the stage into the basement of Mickey Finn's, and we had people like Lizz Winstead and Sid Youngers working there quite a bit. The difference between how it was with Scott in charge and what it was like with us in charge was that Scott really didn't like pushing envelopes. Billy loved it, and I was always kind of a revolutionary-minded person. So the feeling at Mickey Finn's became, go up there and do whatever you want . . . as long as it gets a laugh."
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Table of Contents
1 A Bar Called Mickey Finn's 1
2 The Original Five 21
3 Jeff Gerbino 29
4 Bill Bauer 37
5 Louie Anderson 45
6 Alex Cole r 55
7 Scott Hansen 63
8 Welcome to the Comedy Cabaret 71
9 Dudley Riggs Presents: The Minneapolis Comedy All-Stars 87
10 The Birth of the Comedy Gallery 99
11 The Arrival of Louis Lee 121
12 The Hansen Comedy Empire 131
13 Comedy Turmoil 141
14 Vices 157
15 A Woman's Place Is in the Spotlight 163
16 The Bubble Bursts 187
17 Aftermath and Legacy 195
Epilogue 205
Acknowledgments 207
Selected Bibliography 209
Index 211
About the Author 223
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