It was no joke when California comedian Bruce Baum headlined earlier this month at the recently opened Club Inferno, located at 1601 West Evans Avenue, just above the world-famous PTs Showclub. A listless Sunday-night crowd sat around on zebra- and leopard-print lounge chairs while the David Crosby-looking Baum pitched out a set full of non-vulgar Dad humor, complete with puns and props. Baum, who has appeared on The Simpsons as himself and worked on other shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Americas Funniest People, was all good, clean fun and an interesting contrast to all the T&A action just downstairs at the strip club. The pounding, bump-and-grind music coming up through the floor made the evening feel like the set of a wacky 80s sitcom, and when Baum gushed out a sincere Fozzie Bear Wocka, wocka, wocka, the scene was fucking genius.
You can smoke inside Inferno, making this a destination spot for those who need a good excuse to get out of downtown. The upstairs club is currently only open on weekends, with live music on Fridays and rotating comic acts on Sundays. Theres usually a cover charge, but if you know the secret word, you can shave a dollar off at the door. Find the word at www.myspace.com/ptsinferno, or call 303-934-2424 for general club information.
By staying off the beaten path, you can catch local comics in other unnatural settings around town. The Squire Lounge still hosts a wicked open mike on Tuesdays, as does Club 404 on Fridays; for girl-on-girl laughs, slip into the Dyke Mic every Wednesday at tHERe Coffee Bar & Lounge. On December 15, the Oriental Theater will host a variety show called You Suck, Get Off the Stage, featuring an array of performers. Jazz@Jacks has been promising an open mike since its relocation to the Denver Pavilions, and if you can keep up with the punks, the Lions Lair occasionally brings in comic acts to light up its tiny corner stage.
