Chad Briggs Brings Alternative Persona, Comedy to the Mette

The second Saturday of every month a couple of critically acclaimed comedians dust off their Metra passes and schlep up to the suburbs for the ongoing Comedy at the Mette series at the Wilmette Theater. Borrowing talent from Chicago Underground Comedy, whose usual based of operations is the Beat Kitchen (2100 W. Belmont), Comedy at the Mette showcases some of the most hilarious and critically-recognized alternative comedians you’re likely to see on the North Shore.

This particular brand of alternative comedy was recently featured in TimeOut's recent “Best Comedy Clubs” list. But what, you may ask, is alternative comedy?

Though it’s hard to put labels on Saturday’s pair of performers, opener Adam Burke was a witty, culturally literate Irishman trying to downplay both his incredible intelligence and his lilting accent from Chicago’s buttoned-down crowds, as headliner Chad Briggs was a self-loathing ex-Texan lost in a crazy world where awesome classic rock always seems to synch up with life’s most pathetic moments.

Burke, in particular, was brilliant because he came across as a true student and BS-recognizer of Chicago’s culture. While Burke's jokes about us not getting the Olympics might've been the only thing not to go over well, his digs at Chicago’s abusive weather, the recession and, in keeping with Chicago Underground’s political edginess, self-denial of neighborhood segregation, did.

Late in the routine Burke went on a hilarious free-form tirade about camping, to then land on a self-consciously erudite series of jokes tying Chicago’s bicycle thieves to the 1948 movie Bicycle Thieves. Believe it or not, not everyone “got” every joke; however, Burke’s British-influenced wit was a welcome trans-Atlantic breath of fresh air. Though it wouldn’t be quite right to call him an Irish comedian (Burke came to Chicago by way of Australia, the U.K. and Texas) but he does having something of a similar wit to Irish comedians like Dylan Moran. His smart take on Chicago’s foibles was downright hilarious, prepping the crowd for the next two acts, which happened to be the same person.             

Headliner and 2009 “Impress these Apes” winner Chad Briggs appeared both as himself and, as a character, D.K. Ediger, in a “public safety announcement” prior to his “real” act. In this opening sketch Briggs, as the “professional accidentalist” Ediger,  warned Wilmette of “The Dangers of Enjoyment.”

Ediger, who was Chad Briggs disguised with a redneck accent, bolo tie and windshield sunglasses, spoke out against what he claims is a epidemic of “grab ass” and raised several important issues of about cyber-safety, including the question, “The internet pages, are they haunted?”

Unfortunately Brigg’s dirtier, sadder and more sex-life-centric routine seemed more hit or miss than Burke’s, though his hard-to-explain D.K. Ediger routine was dead-on. Briggs joked about living in a bad neighborhood, choosing food over sex and the way the baseball games only give money to charity after a ridiculous amount of stipulations.

Though Brigg’s self-deprecating sad-sack routine was fairly relatable, as I especially agree that eating Healthy Choice meals regularly is the culmination of “any number of unhealthy choices” in life. I personally ended up enjoying Burke’s stage persona, D.K. Ediger, a bit more, though Ediger was the kind of ridiculous can’t-see-anywhere-else routine that makes alternative comedy, and Chicago’s brand of whatever that is, just so enjoyable and distinctive.

Comedy at the Mette, hosted by Ken Barnard, will return to the Wilmette Theater May 14, tickets are $12. Comedy at the Mette is a 21 and over show.