Comedy in the City

Last week, I had a rare treat: a committee meeting that can best be described as hilarious.

The action before the Public Safety and Regulatory Services committee was a staff proposal to allow more comedy in the City. We currently require that an establishment have a class A license – the most expensive and difficult to receive – in order to feature live comedy. The proposed changes that passed the committee unanimously will allow solo live comedians to perform in venues with class D, C, B and A licenses. Class D licenses already allows solo musicians, so this seems like a simple question of fairness. I think this is a great move for both comics and the cultural landscape of Minneapolis.

The fringe benefit for committee members was that a number of local comedians came in to testify in support of the change. As you might guess, they used all of the considerable comedic skills at their disposal to make their case. Council Member Samuels, no stranger to the world of entertainment, joined in the fun. During an exchange with Fancy Ray McCloney, "the best-looking man in comedy," Don noted that it was interesting to have McCloney presenting to the best-looking man in politics.

You can find the whole thing here.