Live in Austin: Comedy Mothership

We had just arrived in Austin, and our son Danny invited us to see “Joe Rogan and Friends” at Comedy Mothership, Rogan’s hot new(ish) comedy club.

Now, we don’t watch much stand-up comedy; we’re more into live improv theater and occasional clips from the Late Show and SNL. At the risk of sounding totally out of touch, we’d never heard of Joe Rogan or his famous podcast. When I did read a little bit about him, I suspected that a show at his club might be an uncomfortable experience. But Steve and I are always curious to learn more about things our kids like, and we weren’t about to pass up a chance to spend some time with Danny and his girlfriend Mei.

Comedy Mothership is in the historic Ritz Theater on 6th Street (Austin’s version of Bourbon Street). We waited briefly in a line around the corner from the club. Security was tight - they locked our phones into pouches, checked bags, and wanded us with metal detectors.

I forgot to take a photo outside, so here’s one from The Hollywood Reporter:

The inside of the club had a cool vibe, with cabaret tables and blue neon lights. I have no photos, of course, because my phone was locked up. There were seven comedians in the lineup, including Brian Simpson, Ron White, Mark Normand, Ari Shaffir, and of course, Joe Rogan. (No female comedians that night, alas.) Apparently some of them had just finished recording a podcast, and it was an effort to stand upright, but that made it even funnier.

I’ve heard enough salty and explicit language for a year, and yes, there were some uncomfortable moments. But there were also plenty of universally funny moments. It was like the musical The Book of Mormon - an equal-opportunity offender.

The verdict? Comedy is becoming a big part of the Austin scene, and this is a nice place to see it. We haven’t become Joe Rogan fans, or stand-up comedy fans, but we laughed a lot and had a good time.