Underground Comedy (And Porn) in Parkdale

Ahh Parkdale. Our pretty village-in-the-city of crack dealers and baby-makers. An entire street inhabited by SIGNED indie rockers. People just love to balk at the terror of impending gentrification, but to me it's still safely at bay as long as I can buy Tibetan brunch and a pair of stretch pants painted to look like jeans all for $10.

The other morning, walking our dog, our neighbour Patty handed us a raspberry bush through the fence. "Plant it as soon as you can!" She smiled in the sunlight of her perfect front yard. We thanked her and made plans for a drink later on. Moments later we saw a topless woman literally fly right out of a bus. We hardly blinked an eye. Was she tossed? Did she throw herself? We will never know. But this is Parkdale, and it's a crazy-party 24/7.

Actually, it's why a place like 7-24 Movies & More is right at home. Diversity like this calls for a video store that can provide more than just a great selection of films-why not some fantastic underground live comedy every now and then?

Every month or two, this place hosts a kick-ass, middle-of-the-night comedy show. It may sound strange, but imagine it: about 50 people crammed in wherever they can fit and the comedians performing on an impromptu stage among the movie racks. I went to 3 of these shows and laughed til my guts ached each time. These nights are organized by comedian and longtime 7-24 employee Paul Hutcheson (whom I am pretty sure I saw in a fluorescent thong at one of these shows) and Mr. Rowles, whom you will NOT see in a fluorescent green thong at these shows.

Though the lineup differs slightly each time, there is a loose list of regulars; Mr. Hutcheson himself, Evelyn Reese (Oh my God! Her lipstick! ), the all-too-amazing Parkdalian Kathleen Phillips, plus Tamara Roberts, Jillian Thomas & the rubber-faced storyteller Jimmy Hogg... And this time round, you can finally catch my Interpretive Spoken Dance troupe 'Forbidden Words' performing...well, interpretive spoken dance. Never heard of that before? Neither had we, so we invented it.

In February, the basement, formerly the porn room, (hurry- the store is currently selling off all porn) was transformed into a real event venue. But the flavour of the porn room has been restored (embellished even) with a sexy lounge/couch, pink neon lighting, surround sound and a 100 inch screen on which Matthew will be hosting movie screenings. The unsold porn lining the walls is a nice touch.

Keep an eye open for the hard-to-miss R-rated posters for information on these nights, or check the posters on Facebook (by befriending the Parkdale Poster Lady) - and be sure to get there early, no advance tickets. There is only room for so many in the 'Porn room', and it fills up fast.

7-24 Movies and More Spring Porn Room Comedy Show
April 25th, 10pm & 12am (two shows!)
1530 Queen St. West 416) 539-8439
10$ pay-at-the-door

Featuring Sandra Battaglini, Jimmy Hogg, David Meheje, Sharon Nowlan, Jilian Thomas, Micheline Marchindon, Kathleen Philips, Tamara Robert and Forbidden Words. With your dirty host Paul "Bunny" Hutcheson.

Photo:: Matthew Rowles, owner of 7-24 Movies and More, by Sylvain Dumais