While Ocean Beach is not known for having a plethora of live music venues “” this in contrast to its burgeoning local music scene “” the pickings for comedy fans have been even slimmer, until recently.
For fans of fast-paced, no holds barred laugh-fests, the town’s lone beacon of activity, Winstons Beach Club, is a winner.
Held every Friday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Ocean Beach Comedy Night features a regular group of local performers as well as the occasional touring comic.
On Friday, Jan. 12, Joey “Coco” Diaz, will make an appearance at the event’s one year anniversary party. Though his name is not quite household, his face will be instantly recognizable from such hit films as “Spiderman II,” “Dickey Roberts: Former Child Star” and “The Longest Yard.”
“He’s an old friend from my touring days,” said Steven Kendrick, event organizer. “It makes our first anniversary show extra special to have someone of this caliber aboard.”
And while Ocean Beach may not provide the target demographic for shows a la Laugh Factory, Winstons general manager Jesse Egan isn’t concerned.
“We are a little off the beaten track,” Egan said. “We’re known for live music but we want to offer something different to the community “¦ [something] more for a patron’s entertainment dollar than just great tunes.”
While greater San Diego is home to a few comedy venues, Egan points out that the OB venture is different.
“This isn’t a polite ‘sit down and listen to my jokes’ scenario. Winstons is a rock club, and that’s the audience that we’re hoping to appeal to “” it gets rowdy.”
Egan bristles when the group of regular performers is likened to a troupe, though the comedians’ mugs do grace a T-shirt sold at the bar. In fact, the gig is open to anyone with the cojones to audition and perform.
“All we ask is that they be funny,” Egan said.
Kendrick described the weekly show as “punk comedy” and issued a disclaimer for sensitive ears. For a guy inspired by the likes of Sam Kinison and Richard Pryor, Ocean Beach is the only logical place to hold these comedy nights.
“People here are more open to new ideas and are more willing to listen to rough-and-ready comics from our underground comedy scene,” Kendrick said. “[Comedy] needs a little danger, a little bit of an edge “” and that’s where we come in.”
One of the area’s biggest bargains, most nights have free admission, though performances with touring acts are $5. For more information, visit www.winstonsob.com.