The crowd got a free autographed
Chris Coxen headshot.
Chris Coxen and Barry Tattle went out with a memorable farewell show Saturday at Mottley’s. The show was Coxen’s last before he and his cast of characters leave for London this Wednesday, and included many old friends. Gary Gulman, Niki Luparelli, Jon Lincoln, Josh Gondelman, Shawn Donovan, Lamont Price, and Coxen’s old sketch partner, Nate Johnson all turned in great performances. The Grown Up Noise provides musical accompaniment.
It was a lot of fun to see Coxen and Johnson again, whether they were harassing Mottley’s owner Lincoln as bicycle cops or playing, respectively, a thunder salesman and a hurricane salesman. Tattle crooned to the crowd (it was his Valentine’s Day Surprise, officially), and sang a duet of “Up Where We Belong” that included a remarkable accurate eagle impression from Luparelli.
Since it was his farewell show, Tattle also gave out prizes gathered from cleaning out his apartment, including a tube of shower calk and a nacho plate shaped like a cowboy hat. Shamefully, the person who won the VHS Biography channel special on JFK, JR left their prize on the table after they left.
The biggest surprise of the night happened in the middle of Tattle’s rendition of “Single Ladies,” when water started dripping, and then outright spouting on the band. The dripping spread along different parts of the ceiling, forcing the crowd to rearrange. Apparently, a sink at the upstairs bar had overflowed while non of the bartenders were watching.
No one died, though, and the added dampness couldn’t ruin the show. Here are a few photos from the evening.
Barry Tattle gets sensual to open the show.
Gary Gulman praises legend Tattle.
Jon Lincoln's set interrupted by bike cops.
A blurry Josh Gondelman (he is much easier to see in person).
Barry Tattle has been boosting romance in Boston, Bermuda-style, for years as part of Chris Coxen's League of Characters. Tonight and tomorrow at Mottley's, he'll be offering a very special date night with Barry Tattle's Valentine's Day Surprise. I thought it was time Boston got to know Mr. Tattle a little better, so I asked him a few questions about the show and his romantic expertise. Scroll down for bonus video (Tattle sings!).
What do you have planned for Mottley’s, without giving away too much of the “Surprise?”
I have tender moments of all varieties that I plan to nurture the audience with. There will also be live music performed by two lady-pleasing musicians from the Grownup Noise (Adam Sankowski and Paul Hansen). On Friday, we'll have guest chuckles from Jon Lincoln, Erin Judge and Dan Boulger. On Saturday, we outsource our ha-has to Robby Roadsteamer, Renata Tutko and Tim McIntire. Also, if the mood is sensual, I will share some dark, delight-filled stories from my Tattle Tales collection.
Why would couples come to see your show?
To reboot their love-drives. Romance goes stale if you don't take it to the shop for tune-up now and again. Modern lovers are easily distracted in a world of email, cell phones and other beeping mechanisms. It's my duty to make sure remind them of their romantic wonders.
Why would single people come?
To learn how not to be single anymore. This is my guarantee with the class I teach - "Love In Today's Unjazzy World". I teach it in the basement of a Unitarian church. It's a Harvard Extension Extension course. I'm not even sure Harvard knows about it.
What are the key elements of romance?
Chardonnay, an oceanside sleepover and precious intentions will get you started in a precious direction.
How long have you been a romance expert?
It would be easier to answer the question, "When did the first breeze ever happen?"
What is the most romantic song ever written?
"I Want To Be Your Man" by Roger. Basically it sounds like a duet between an ebony hero and a fax machine. It's pure beauty.
When did you first fall in love with Bermuda?
When I exited my mommy...you see, I was born in Bermy.
How do you stay breezy in Boston?
I dream and I speak in hushed tones.
How do you get along in a notoriously sarcastic city?
It's more like: how does a notoriously sarcastic city get along with Barry Tattle? My body has a way of altering any climate, bringing with me Bermuda's soft winds and whispery ways.
What is the rest of the Tattle clan like?
They all have figures that were designed in Paradise, forged in the heavens, and exist in your dreams. The gents all wear a sugar broom (mustache) with honor and the ladies smell better than a vacation resort.
How do you usually spend Valentine’s Day?
With a feminine creature who's beauty is so electric, it could power a city in a very modern world.
I can't seem to escape Chris Coxen. He shows up at just about every show I go to these days. Part of the reason is that he's more than one person. He showed up at Boston News Net Saturday as lounge singer Barry Tattle, and, as the BNN folks said, "Tattle takes over the broadcast and flirts with the ladies in the BNN studio audience."
Oh, the other reason Coxen seems to show up everywhere is that he's very good at what he does. But you can take a look at this week's BNN Mondays clip to decide for yourself:
Last night's Comedy Studio Holiday Show was the usual bizarre affair, complete with bathroom wall poetry, gang rivalry, and fresh watermelon. People braved travel bans and packed the house -- it was standing room only by the time I navigated the North Shore to get to Cambridge. The Walsh Brothers, Josh Gondelman, MC Mr Napkins, Ken Reid, Billy Bob Neck (Paul Day), Barry Tattle (Chris Coxen), and Studio owner Rick Jenkins were predictably loose, if not always on topic for the holidays. Jenkins was honored by the comics with a donation to the Boston Food Bank, and a surprise gift -- an original piece of art illustrating one of the jokes he has told almost every night he has hosted. I caught a bunch of the comics (and the house band for the night, the Grownup Noise) after the show at the party to get their holiday greetings.
Rick Jenkins, making a reference to the joke in the illustration.
Improv Jones has cancelled tonight’s show at the Arsenal Center for the Arts due to weather. They have also canceled the December 26 show, but offer you this link to their YouTube videos instead… DJ Hazard will release Man of Hazardium Monday on CD Baby. You can check here Monday to order your copy… The Wilbur Theatre has added a New Year’s Day show with Joel McHale, who plays two shows there New Year’s Eve… Chris Coxen has announced his jazzy alter-ego Barry Tattle will host Valentine’s Weekend at Mottley’s Comedy Club… Brian Joyce is bringing Irish comedian Ardal O’Hanlon back to the States for a March 5 show at the Somerville Theatre. O’Hanlon, one of the stars of the BBC show “Father Ted,” gave a great show at the Burren last year when Joyce first brought him in. Make a point to catch this one.
