Oh, and the rest of the festival. Those are good pics, too.

If you’re in Austin that weekend, then you HAVE to see us. You may never have an opportunity to see Gunshow perform ever again, and it’s the ONLY time to catch that show. It’s improv!

Buy tickets here!

Out of Bounds Improv Festival
Saturday, September 10th, 8pm
The Hideout
617 Congress
Austin, Texas

Lou took a bunch of great photos, which are up on Flickr.

(In the unlikely event that someone reading this is going to be at PIF, our shows are listed on the calendar.)

This message was brought to you by pirates.

I think this is going to be an important trip for Gunshow. There are only THREE possible outcomes:

1) It will forge the group as a whole, making us stonger together and ensure that we kick ass on stage and receive the deserved love of mass throngs of onlookers.

2) It will make us realize that after being forced to deal with each other upclose and personal, all Real World Style for 48-72 hours, we really hate each other’s quirks and end in bloodshed on the stage. I will be victorious and wear the ears of my fallen teammates as trophies.

3) Be kind of fun and okay but, you know, not a big deal. One of us will probably buy a souvenir t-shirt. You know, that kind of thing.

I am thinking it will be a blend of the 3… Definitely wouldn’t say no to a souvenir-shirt covered in the blood of my teammates while receiving the deserved love of mass throngs of onlookers…

We’re also performing with a UCB team know as Mailer Daemon one of the nights as a Best of NYC type show. Should be fun! Especially since we know several people on the team. So I suggest that you stop reading this now and start making car reservations to see Gunshow at the PIF! What else could you possibly have to do? Seriously.

This update was written by King Lou. He will be victorious.

Come see Nate’s show tonight! Nate is one of my favorite improvisers and I’m sure this show’ll be gutbusting, hilarificating, surprising and laugh-inducing to the max.

<— Show info.

“Buen caminos!” all around. Time to start walking.

Regardless of the weather, we start slowly and stop to stretch after a km or so. Then we walk. Up. Down. Over bruising tarmac. Along graveled paths. Through mud. Through small hamlets hundreds of years old with peculiar populations averaging well over 50 years old—terrifically gnarled old men with toothless smiles chewing on ancient cigars. If we find a cafe, maybe we stop for a cafe con leche and some bread & jam, maybe not.

Dogs bark, and we bark back. It gives us all a moment of purpose.

They’re posting some great pictures, too, with the new camera Ryan bought after he left his on a train. Enjoy!

p.s. Come to our show tonight. <— Details over there. :)

In a little switch-up we did a form called "Repressed Memories." Starting from the suggestion of a word from the audience one member of Gunshow tells stories from his or her life. The rest of the group asks questions to get more details out of the person. It's great fun. Mainly we get to make fun of one of the people in the group and this is something we love to do.

(Read on for an extended recap.)

2) A guy has trouble at home. His mom offers him some advice about dealing with bullies. His stepdad does too and it's rejected. Cut to the bully at school beating up the guy. The bully is concerned about his victim's lack of fight. He asks if the victim wants to talk about any problems at home.

3) Dungeons and Dragons scene. Ryan and I did another in the series of our exquisite D&D scenes. They aren't full of jokes but they are sincere because we both used to play D&D as kids so we can talk about it for hours. The audience really enjoys it. The scene: a dungeon master and a player are about to start a game involving the player's lesser character. They get into an argument about something about the character. Time dash 3 hours: they are still arguing; time dash 3 months: there is a birthday party and the player has come back to the DM's house for his birthday. The player has been playing D&D at a gaming store and there are obviously bad feelings about.

4) Father and son talk while son is putting on weight. When the father asks the son to power up the son starts thrusting his crotch and reveals that he has taken off his pants and is only wearing jock. He goes to the weigh-in. He is underweight until one testical pops out. Then he wrestles and his ball pops out and he uses it as a weapon against his opponent.

5) Jock Strap store. Mom comes into the store to buy one. She remarks that the salesman is about the same size as her son. He offers to sell it to her right off his body. For $20 extra he'll put on a show of taking it off. He offers to power up for her.

6) A Dungeons & Dragons scene. A wizard is speaking to another character but the dialogue is forced. "Look, I'm married and I have a job..." -- cut the the real world. The players from the earlier scene are back playing D&D together but they have been playing apart for a while and things have changed. The player starts gathering his things and leaves.

7) A man enters a store and is confronted by the Camp Black Dragon Adventuring company. They offer him an exotic adventures. "Perhaps a long walk across Spain?"

BLACKOUT: Way to go us!

Afterwards we walked to McManus and drank a few. As usual there were a few comedy heavyweights there. Besides us, I mean. The best part was that I got to split a cab back to Brooklyn 3 ways so it only cost $6! Now that's a treat.

Color It Clean was very well received. Its blend of intelligence and adult humor with a professional edge made it a hit with everybody. Also, many tears of laughter during the Pinata sketch were reported. :) We're very proud of that show. If you missed it, we may put it up again, but nothing is certain.

If you saw Color It Clean, we'd appreciate your feedback on how we could make the show better. Email us.

In the meantime, we'll be back to doing what we know best. No, we mean improv. March 18th and 25th we'll be back on stage with Jonly Bonly at Gotham City Improv. The show is cheap and funny, and if you haven't seen us do improv in a while (or ever) you're in for a treat. Our shows the past year just keep getting better and better. If you want us to let you know about upcoming shows, check out our Subscribe page.

Using the Dog's Natural Navigation Ability to My Advantage

I love having my dog. But I hate having him around for parties, bothering my guests and going crazy at all the food scents.

But we've all heard stories of lost dogs crossing miles of unfamiliar terrain to get back home. Why not use that to your advantage?

Say I'm planning a party. I want this party to last three hours.

I drive my dog to a spot from which it will take him three hours to find his way back. Over his pleading protests, I kick him out into the snowy woods.

I drive back home. I hold my party.

As the three-hour mark approaches, I begin to tire of my guests. Before long, my trusty dog returns, bursting through the front door. Amid screams, he knocks over tables, slobbers upon coats, sinks his teeth into ankles, and leaps onto meat platters. I smile and nod calmly as my indignant guests pick up and leave, noses upturned.

As the door slams shut behind the last reveler, I give my dog a big old "thumbs-up." He flinches, having been betrayed by me once too often.

Tough nuts, Rusty. You are my dog.

/end gush, Mr. Positive out.

Addendum

Lou took some pictures during our preshow drill and postshow drink. Check 'em out.

They wrote 50 sketches.

Picked 10.

Dropped one.

Added two.

Integrated components.

Rehearsed endlessly.

Now it is ready.

COLOR IT CLEAN
A sketch comedy about taking risks or suffering mediocrity.
Performed and written by Gunshow
Directed by Dan Goldstein

We actually wrote 60 sketches; I remember one rehearsal where Goldstein bumped up the per person quota by two. Never let it be said that Gunshow slacks!