Final Sideshow Goshko Summer Send-Off Show!

Hey Friends!

Well, it's been a great year so far and you all have been amazing supporters of the show! And since you deserve to kick back, relax, and enjoy a margarita, we're taking the month of August off. But fear not! We'll be back in full swing come September and can't wait to see your lovely tanned faces then.

So, please join us for our summer send-off show this Thursday, July 25th, 7pm at KGB Bar. Always free, always at a Soviet Bar.

And our big thanks to Time Out New York for featuring us in their Books Section!

Hope to see you at the show!

SIDESHOW GOSHKO STORYTELLING SERIES SUMMER SEND-OFF SHOW!

Thursday, July 25th, 7pm

KGB Bar (85 E. 4th Street)

FREE!


Award-winning storyteller Leslie Goshko (Huffington Post, SiriusXM, WNYC) invites some of NY’s top writers, comedians, and storytellers to share true, bizarre tales about their lives. There’s live accordion music, a challenging trivia game, and a free wine giveaway where one lucky audience member will walk away with their very own bottle of Sideshow Sauce! Tonight’s stellar lineup includes stories from:

STEVEN BERKOWITZ ("Scientific American", The Moth)

ANDREW LINDERMAN (host "Local Stories")

MICHELE CARLO (author "Fish Out of Agua")

with music by DR. LEONA GODIN

* Time Out NY “Critics’ Pick”
* NY Daily News “Editor’s Pick”
* “a well-programmed night” - The New York Times

Sideshow Goshko Gets Frigid!

Hey Friends!

I'm very excited to announce that in addition to our regularly scheduled Sideshow Goshko at KGB Bar, we have an extra special performance taking place as part of HorseTrade Theater Group's miniFRIDGE Festival! The miniFRIDGE is the carefully curated summer companion to the annual FRIGID New York Festival. This year Horse Trade Theater Group invited ten of their favorite fringe artists/acts, and we're honored to be among the select few.

So, join us on Saturday, June 29th, 7pm at Under St. Marks Theater for a night of true stories from Erin Barker, Ed Gavagan, David Crabb, and yours truly. Music by Dr. Leona Godin.

Tickets available HERE!

May Sideshow Recap!

Hey Gang!

So, there's good news and there's bad news. The good news is, KGB Bar remodeled and updated their bathrooms! And for all the ladies who have had to use that first stall with the half-missing door, you know what an awesome big deal this is.

The bad news is, the once quiet older bathrooms have been updated with the world's LOUDEST hand dryers and crypt-keeper-type squeaking doors. As you can imagine, for a place that runs literary events, this can be quite distracting. BUT, lest I sound ungrateful, I will say that I still heart KGB and you all proved to be the best and most loyal audience out there. So, thank you! Our May show was another full house with tales from Kambri Crews, Joey Novick, Joanne Solomon, and Thomas Pryor. 

We'll be back at it on Thursday, June 27th, 7pm with true, bizarre tales from David Crabb, Emily Epstein White, and Jake Hart. Always free, always at a Soviet Bar.

(full photo gallery HERE. all photos courtesy Maryanne Ventrice)

host Leslie Goshko

"River to River" author Thomas Pryor sharing a sweet family tale.

Off-Broadway performer Joanne Solomon recounting an interesting "Burning Man" experience.

"Burn Down the Ground" author Kambri Crews shedding new light on David Lee Roth.

Comedic Politico Joey Novick on how you don't want to underestimate the Democratic underdog.

Thoughts Become Things: Frank Stallone Edition

Anyone who knows me knows that I genuinely and enthusiastically love the movie Staying Alive. And I don't love it in a tongue-in-cheek Entertainment Weekly-named-it-the-worst-sequel-of-all-time kind of way. I emphatically enjoy it and maintain that it's a good movie to watch. When I was a high school teacher (yeah, that happened) I used to quote and re-enact scenes from it to my students--sorry to all my students who will never be able to un-see that.

So, imagine my utter delight when yesterday THIS happened:

Frank Stallone favorited and retweeted our upcoming "Staying Alive" 30 year Tribute Party at Union Hall!!!!

In case you've been living under a rock, or just have never seen "Staying Alive" which is synonymous to me as living under a rock, Frank Stallone wrote and performed the iconic song "Far From Over" featured in the movie. 

After a gig one night over drinks, I was talking with some fellow comedians about how cool it would be to do a tribute party to Staying Alive. And lo and behold, this was the 30 year anniversary of the movie. I wanted to show video clips, have live commentary, and create a houseband--The StalloneTones--that would cover songs from the movie. And guess what?...THOUGHTS BECOME THINGS! 

On Wednesday, July 10th, the lovely Union Hall in Brooklyn is hosting us and our Staying Alive 30 year Tribute Party. And yes, there will be commentary and dance and prizes and trivia and The StalloneTones! I'm seriously so excited I might wet myself. 

So, thanks to Union Hall for hosting us! Thanks to Frank Stallone for making me squeal with delight at a retweet! Thanks to everyone who's going to be involved with the event! And thanks to everyone who's already planning on coming out to support. This is a dream come true. My Stallone dream...

Staying Alive 30 year Tribute Party

Wednesday, July 10, 8pm

Union Hall, Brooklyn

$8, Tickets available HERE!

April 2013 Sideshow Goshko Recap

Hey Friends!

Well, we did it again! Another Sideshow Goshko down in the annals of history. Big thanks to our amazing storytellers Aaron Wolfe, Robin Gelfenbien, Blaise Allysen Kearsley, & Dr. Leona Godin and to everyone who came out to make it a packed house! I can't high-five you all enough.

Our awesome audience at KGB Bar. Photo courtesy Thomas Pryor

We're back again at KGB Bar on Thursday, May 23rd, 7pm with THIS amazing lineup:

Kambri Crews (author "Burn Down the Ground")

Thomas Pryor (The New York Times, author "River to River")

Joey Novick (Comedy Central)

Joanne Solomon (The Moth)

Music by Dr. Leona Godin

* Time Out NY “Critics’ Pick”
* NY Daily News “Editor’s Pick”
* “a well-programmed night” - The New York Times

And thanks to our faithful photographer Maryanne Ventrice for capturing the evening!

Host Leslie Goshko

Sandwiched between George Carlin and Paul F. Tompkins!

 

Mindy Tucker is an AMAZING photographer who covers the New York comedy scene. I've had the privilege of being photographed by her several times. In 2011, I featured her as the first in a series (which I need to rekindle) of "Genuinely Awesome People."

I am beyond honored to be mentioned in this article by Mindy about photography and the comedy scene. Featuring such comedy heavy weights as Weird Al, Eddie Izzard, Reggie Watts, I'm humbly sandwiched between George Carlin and Paul F. Tompkins! According to paste.com, I am now officially an "up-and-comer."

HUGE thanks to Mindy and paste.com. You just brightened the hell out of my day!

 

Jamming with The Flaming Lips' Drummer! No Big Deal...

Okay, guys. Sometimes I get to be a part of some seriously cool things. This is one of those times.

You may know Steve Burns as the former host of the wildly popular children's television show, Blues Clues. Not only is he an all-around nice guy, but he's a super talented musician as well. Which leads me to my next point...

The Rocktopus! photo courtesy David Bizzaro (L to R: Anthony Joseph, yours tuly, Steven Drozd, Adam Swiderski )

You may know Steven Drozd as the drummer of the wildly popular band, The Flaming Lips. Not only is Steven also an all-around nice guy, but he's a super duper talented musician as well. Which leads me to my next next point...

Steve Burns and Steven Drozd are combining their talents in a new Steve'nSteven collaboration producing a children's music album. But don't let "children's album" throw you off. These songs are layered, catchy, sophisticated, and I've been singing them ever since the first time I heard them. Which leads me to my, okay, you get it...

I got to spend an entire day physically attached to the drummer of the Flaming Lips while Steve Burns directed us as I fake-played a keyboard! All those years of piano lessons paying off. And it was AWESOME!

I also got to meet a great team of other creatives and musicians. The day flew by as we donned green screen suits, talked about Rush versus Led Zeppelin, and snacked on pizza and drinks. All in all, the perfect day.

I leave you with one of my favorite songs from the new Steve'nSteven collaboration as you peruse some photos from the day's shoot. This will go down in my mental history as one of the best days ever!