1992_10 The Daily Collegian October 1992

              October 9, §992''
Artspeak
Page 2
Local comedians laugh it
up at The Comedy Shop
Camarata exhibit examines
dark side of human spirit
By Tabatha Mum
Artspeak Writer
At the Athenian Comedy Shop Friday
night the air was thick with laughter as
Fresno's comedians made political, sex¬
ual, and, stupid people jokes. .
The illuminating lights that shined up
on the stage bounced off Barbara Scott's
guitar and shined into die audience's eyes
but that didn't bother diem.
Scott was doing her impression of a
country singer by whaling die song " I have
my head in the fridge over you!"
This is the kind of thing you might see
any given night at the Athenian Comedy
Shop in Fresno.
Vincent Cefalu, Amy Shuklian, and
Keith Evans are die regular local comedi¬
ans here.
Underneath the hoopla of being a co¬
median there are some realities, and one of
* the realities is that being comedian may not
always be lots of laughs.
Comedy hell is what
Evans called his first
By A viva Rosenthal
Artspeak Writer
Martin Camarata has lived in die Val¬
ley since 1964, and is the c hair of die art de¬
partment at CSU Stanislaus.
About twenty of Camarata's lithographs
are being shown at the Fresno Art Mu¬
seum, all around 18" by 24".    .
The works shown are a retrospective of
the last twenty years, and deal with a wide
range of topics, mainly disconcerting ones.
The early works of Camarata deal with
the isolation of the individual, showing
male figures alone in a bleak room or on a
road.
Some depict the general nasriness of
society and the workplace, with, people
savagely attacking themselves, each other
and animals (a moose, a frog and what
appears to be a bear). Bureaucracy is also
criticized for its dehumanizing effects.
la die works of the last fifteen years
Camarata has created depictions of sexual
behavior, most notably in die sado-maso¬
chistic "Invitation a la De Sade (1977)",
and concentrated heavily on media im¬
agery, the false and follow pictures shown
to us nighdy on our television screens that
we have come to accept as reality.
All of his works (except one) have one
or more disturbing human figures in them.
The faces appear tobe n.ade out of in¬
testines , and die arm s are immobilized at
their sides; either held in a stiff and helpless
manner, or actually restricted with rope,
electrical cord or straitjackets.
The lower limbs are often mangled or
amputated altogether.
. All these serve not just to sneer at the
high regard in which we hold' allegedly.
cerebral existence, but to express the exis¬
tential pain and impotence we all feel.
"Something About Eating in Strange
Places (1977)" runs along the same lines,
diptych portraying a man eating a raw steak
in one room, and a monkey cowering in
another.
The monkey looks over his shoulder at
die man, who seems slightly uneasy under
tins sly scrutiny.
,   A grin, almost human in its malice,
seems to hover over die monkey's mouth.
The subject of mortality, with its sub¬
texts Of flesh as vulnerable, edible meat
and the experience of pain, both self-in¬
flicted and otherwise, are shown in "Some¬
thing About Playing in Strange Places
(1977)" and T Dreamed I had Supper with
Vincent Van Gogh (1970)".
The motifs of vulnerability and pain are
a constant in all the works, usually through
sharp objects such as teem, scissors, knives,
hedge trimmers and so on either piercing,
sawmg or simply menacing the figures.
Mate and female symbolism are also
present, with phallic imagery shown more
frequenUy and in a more powerful manner.
Camarata s technique, imagery and use
of symbols is reminiscent of Max Ernst's
early Dada collages, but to an even extent
of George Grosz's work before and during
WW II (and thus also of die more modem
Grosz-influenced Ralph Steadman).
The three share the same dim outlook
on the present and grim apprehension of
society and die human race.
Camarata's exhibit runs through No¬
vember 15.
Read Artspeak. CSU,
tertainrnenl Magazine.
He said, "there was
little recognition and the
pay was very bad."
Shuklian agreed.
"Mostiyhowwegot
paid is by splitting the
tips dial we got," she
said.
She remembers
going home more than
one night with less than
seven dollars in her
pocket, but tilings are
not always so gloomy,
she said, the business of comedy itself can
be wonderful.
"The real reward is getting up there on
that stage and that first boufof laughter lets
you know that you are in control," Shuklian
sail
When Amy Shuklian was asked to leU
her comedy secrets, she was more dun
willing.
"I've always been funny, in met I was
voted teachers pest in high school,"
Shuklian said.
Shuklian got into comedy as a result
of her friends encouraging her.
"* "One night we were at a club and a
local radio station was having a joke con¬
test and my friends prodded me to get up
there so I did and I won," she said.
"I won only a t-shirt but that was the be¬
ginning.*'
She tells stories about family, mar¬
riage, diets, and dating.
Shuklian does find one aspect of die
comedy business challenging and that is
being a woman.
"I can sense that people feel uneasy
about a woman getting up on stage and
swearingortalkingaboutwomen'sissues,n
In what other
job can you
sleep until noon
and say what¬
ever the hell
you want?
Keith Evans, lo¬
cal comedian
she said.
Over all though Shuklian said she
really likes being a comedian.
Keith Evans always knew he was
interested in being a comedian and got
into the business through a comedy
competition which he did not win.
Aher suffering awhile he sent a
video to die Comedy Shop and die
owner let him do a guest spot—from
then on it's history.
When asked how it feels to get up
on stage in front of all those people
Evans said, "it depends on how big die
gig is, when I opened for George Carlin
I was nervous as hell!"
Evans also writes his own material.
"People find tilings like sexual dys¬
function, drug references, throwing up,
and hiccups funny," he said.
Hiccups? His ideas just come to
him while maybe driving i n the car or
talking to friends but
he said he can't just sit
|   down and write ihem.
Vincent Cefalu
got into die business a
little differently.
"Iwasfreezingmy
ass off in Madison so
I moved to Fresno, die
Comedy Shop had just
opened and I got a job
seating and e ven t ual 1 y
started presenting,"' he
said.
Cefalu has been a
stand up comic and
presenter at the Com¬
edy Shop off and on
for seven years.
Keith Evans is doing comedy full
time now and said it's the best job in the
world.
"In what other job can you steep
till noon everyday, drink on the job,
and say whatever the hell- you want?"
he said.
Evans has a degree in Radio and
Television Broadcasting from CSUF.
Amy Shuklian does stand up as a
part-timer. She also is finishing her de¬
gree at CSUF.
Vince Cefalu now lives in Bour-
hank and is involved in theatre.
He comes back to Fresno quite of¬
ten though to present for the Comedy
Shop.
All three comedians are aiming for
die stars and dreams of becoming
famous one day.
Amy Shuklian is doing the Improv
October 13th in Santa Monica.
Vince Cefalu is spending alot of
time in LA
He's turned his interests towards
acting, even though he says he will
always be part of me comedy scene.
-o
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