Nick Offerman Sings for Free This Saturday at The Green Mill

Actor and American hero Nick Offerman will be stopping by the Green Mill this Saturday to appear on the live magazine show Paper Machete.

The Joliet-born Offerman, known for his breakout role as Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation, reportedly wants to sing on the live reading series-slash-variety show. He was in town last week for the Chicago Humanities Festival and is signing books Friday in Madison, WI. He’s also supposedly been hanging out in his hometown, Minooka.

Offerman is swinging through the Midwest on a national tour for his just published-book, Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America’s Gutsiest Troublemakers featuring profiles of people who’ve inspired him, from George Washington to Willie Nelson to Yoko Ono.

USA Today says Offerman can carry a tune and was on stage at the recent BookCon in New York City strumming a guitar and singing about rainbows and his hot wife. Offerman has also been appearing at some events sans mustache.

Veterans of Chicago’s theater scene who’ve gone on to make it big in Hollywood or television have been known to drop by Paper Machete for stimulating conversation and laughs, the ways the stars used to pop in on Johnny and Ed at The Tonight Show.

Paper Machete managing editor Kim Bellware told Chicago Magazine that Offerman will be the cabaret guest at Saturday’s performance, which means he’ll sing and play guitar.

“He may talk,” Bellware said, “but he asked if he could play guitar—and who wants to risk a sharp kick to the junk for turning down Nick Offerman?”

Also performing are Adam Burke, Brad Einstein, Natalie Jose, Bill Larkin, and Bellware herself.

Paper Machete is performed live every Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Green Mill, 4802 North Broadway, Chicago. The show is always fun, and always free.