This one is long!
I was talking to disc0f the other day about the almost pathological friendliness of people in this city. It kind of makes me feel like less of a freak; let me explain. When I meet people in social situations (defined broadly), I tend to assume we're going to be friends until proven wrong. I don't think most other people feel the same way, so I am always the overly peppy dorkwad who tries to make connections that may not exist. But in Chicago EVERYONE IS LIKE THAT.
I don't think I've entered a public women's bathroom in this city without making (at least temporary) friends with someone. Standing in line at the computer lab at BarBri, someone will tell me about waiting for her law school grades. On the El, the dude across the way talks about his service in the first Iraq war. The aforementioned women's bathrooms? Can't get out of there without being told that my shoes are cute or getting a really long and excited response from the woman whose dress I just complimented. Servers in restaurants really care. We stopped by the store where we ordered our couches to check on their arrival time, and were talking to the kick ass woman who sold them to us when her lunch date arrived--she said, "hey (lunch date)--these are my new friends!"
And the real test, the meeting of friend groups in bars. Both disc0f and I have experienced the disoriented feeling of being immediately accepted (of being assumed friends until proven wrong) by people we've just met. E.g., when disc0 recently went to a boys night that involved his introduction into an already established group of friends, he was astonished when the other guys were as interested in the shooting the bs with him, and getting to know him, as they were trolling for the ladies.
Many people in this city live in the same redonkulously friendly, Richard Scarry town square, I love you you love me existence that I've been trying to inhabit for years! I truly think this is just a charming Midwestern thing. So along with (1) the lesbianism and Swedishness in Andersonville (2) the unironic prevalence of karaoke (3) the love of Journey and (4) the eating for entertainment (thanks B!), this unassuming, open friendliness make me feel that I was always a Midwesterner at heart.
Last night a small bunch of us went to see some sketch comedy: Competing Elderly British Detectives to be exact. It was great. This is the second good sketch we've seen in a week (the kids who opened for Baby Wants Candy last weekend were pretty darn cute). But this is some of the best I've seen in a long time. It's funny being a fan of comedy in Chicago, because your favorite performers are often, a couple weeks later, sitting next to you at other people's shows. Even at their own shows, the actors usually come out and have a beer at the theater bar when they're done. So there's not alot of celebrity brouhaha, even though these are the people that will (or should) be going on to be the next SNL players, or movie stars, or whatever. I mean one of those friendly "I love your shoes!!" women's bathroom encounters I mentioned above was with one of my favorite comediennes in Chicago! I try to act super cool and not fan-girly, because otherwise, eventually due to small theater size and knowing some of the performers through friends and general mingling, I fear I will start to look like some kind of comedy stalker. But maybe that's my old, pre-Midwester fear talking--perhaps part of the charm is that the theater folk are more open and less judgmental here, too.
6/14/2007
Comedy is Funny
Posted by tubesy at 1:59 PM
Labels: Chicago, comedy, entertainment, fangirl, friendly midwest
3 comments:
From one midwesterner to another-- everything you write is so true. "being assumed friends until proven wrong" is worded so correctly. That's why this dorkwad fell in love with you when we first me but felt like an idiot cause here in the South you Judge first and then prove otherwise. You, my dear, were never like that.
In fact I think that the whole, Southern Hospitality/ Southerners are so friendly thing, isn't all that true. I mean it's true enough-- but they are not as nice as the midwesterners. Southerners say something because they have to and usually only if they deem you to be in their caste.
Anywho-- off of my soapbox. My heart grows bigger thinking of you in the Midwest.
ps-- I would still be weary of theater people. They are a mixed bag.
That was amazingly well-said. Although I think there may be as many unfriendly people here as anywhere else--they just hide every last one of them at the post office and Lou Mitchell's (right behind the law school--great food, but yikes). But still. Yeah. Trueness.
Also, MAJOR chocolate smell this afternoon. Which, when you're walking along Harrison and expecting something more like sweat/gasoline/rotting-something, is especially nice.
And how much are you loving Prof. Frink...er, Kaufman? His lectures should come with their own set of health warnings...still feeling a little jittery, I think. But I'm more likely to remember the stuff, so I guess that's good. :)
HSWAGH: I totally agree about the south. I think there is more etiquette in the south (and I do love me some Miss Manners) but etiquette is not the same as friendliness/niceness. I had so many experiences of "judge first and then prove otherwise" in GA and VA. Never from you either!
Oh and you speak the truth about theater people...a mixed bag for sure. XOXOX!
Bill: You are also right about there being unfriendly people here, but they DO seem to hide out together in weird crevices like you mentioned. Lou Mitchell's is where they give you donut holes instead of bread on the table, right? That almost makes up for unfriendliness.
As for Professor K, I LITERALLY went and bought ear plugs about 4 minutes in to the tape. It helped alot--I could hear him but the jarring variations in tone and pitch weren't quite as disturbing.
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