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LOTS OF LAUGHS from page 88
Funny Business
Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle celebrates 20 years of laughter.
Iff
ark Ridley's Comedy
Castle in Royal Oak
celebrates its 20th
anniversary this year.
It's owner, 48-year-old Mark Ridley,
grew up a Lutheran, but converted to
Judaism in 1974.
His ex-wife — and mother of
his sons, Ryan, 22, and Adam,
17 — is Jewish, but that is not
why Ridley converted, he says.
He was drawn to Judaism on his
own. In college, at Wayne State
University, Ridley majored in
Near Eastern studies, which
focused on the history of
Judaism, Israel, the Mideast and
the Bible. He and his family are
former members of Temple
Emanu-El in Oak Park.
Ridley shares his observa-
tions about the funny business:
JN: What other changes have you
noticed in the last two decades?
MR: The one thing that has been very
unusual is that there are more comedy
clubs here in metro Detroit than any-
where else in the country.
JN: Has there been anything that's
surprised you — particular types of
humor or comedians that hit it big?
MR: I didn't think that Paul Reiser
would be as big as he is because years
ago, when he played my club, people
walked out in the middle of his show.
Lots of people. They said he was "too
New York for us." I was surprised to
see Jon Stewart get as big as he is. He
had the same problem with people
walking out.
JN: Who are your favorite comedians
to watch?
MR: I like Richard Jeni, Roc
LaPorte, Kathleen Madigan and Gary
Shandling.
Le : Mark Ridley: "There are more com-
edy clubs here in metro Detroit than
anywhere else in the country"
Below: Ryan Ridley: Humor that's
"edgy" and "kind of out there.
JN: What's been the biggest
change in comedy over the
past 20 years?
MR: Each season there are
more comedians up for sitcoms
than ever before. The comedi-
ans coming out of the comedy
scene 20 years ago really laid
down the foundation.
Ryan Ridley _Plows in his dad's footsteps.
A
1/22
1999
90 Detroit Jewish News
JN: What kind of impact did Seinfeld
have on the industry?
MR: Seinfeld can talk about the most
obvious things that go on around us
and make them funny. He can talk
about those things in a non-threaten-
ing and non-vulgar manner. It's made
a lot of the comedians more aware of
their writing abilities and showed -
them they can use more of their per-
sonal humor rather than swear up on
stage. Seinfeld really set the example.
JN: How have your audiences
changed over the years?
MR: My demographics have
remained the same over the years.
Anybody young, old, black,
white, Jewish or non-Jewish who
loves to laugh.
— Julie Weingarden
Second Generation
decade ago, Mark Ridley
often brought his two sons,
Adam and Ryan, to his
club, Mark Ridley's Come-
dy Castle in Royal Oak, to watch
comedians like Gary Shandling and
Jim Carrey perform.
Adam always acted in talent shows,
while Ryan never even stepped on
stage. But it was Ryan who started
performing stand-up comedy about
seven months ago.
"When he first started doing [stand-
up], I didn't know about it. He was try-
ing out his comedy at another club in
Ann Arbor before he came to my place.
He went by Ryan Matthews initially,"
says Mark Ridley.
Now, Ryan Ridley is using his real
name and performing stand-up at
Club Bart in Ferndale, and at his dad's
club as well.
JN: Is there more Jewish humor
today in comedy?
MR: No, there were a lot of Jewish
comics 20 years ago, and there are still
about the same number today. But the
comedy is not so much about their
black, Catholic or Jewish background;
it's much more observational about
life in general.
"When he first started perform-
ing [at the Comedy Castle], Ryan
still used the other name because he
didn't want the nepotism thing to be
a factor. There are about 40 people
that call each week to perform for
only six slots," says Mark Ridley,
who is helping celebrate the club's
20th anniversary by scheduling
favorite performers throughout the year.
Ryan, a second-generation comedi-
an, remembers watching his dad M.C.
at the club when he was little. "I'd be
embarrassed by him just because it
was my dad on stage. I didn't think I
wanted anything to do with comedy
when I was younger," says Ryan.
But he realized he had a knack for
it when his friends found him funny. •
"All my friends are funny and I fig-
ured if I could make them laugh, I'd
try it on stage. Plus I like watching
comedy, and I try to write on a par
with what I think is good," says the
22-year-old, who grew up in Beverly
Hills and now lives in Hazel Park.
His father calls Ryan's material
"edgy" and "kind of out there." Ryan
hits on subjects rarely touched by
other comedians. "I like dark humor
about serial killers, the Unabomber
and ghosts. It's a high if you can get
laughs from something you thought .
was funny in your own head and all
of a sudden a roomful of strangers
think it's funny, too," he says.
The Jewish comedian does not use
Jewish humor in his act but
believes there is a "Jewish person's
sense of the world that other
comedians talk about."
Ryan chose comedy over a
college degree. He plans to do
stand-up for a few years and
eventually write a quality sit-
corn for television and perhaps
do movies.
If he heads to Los Angeles, he'll
be prepared. Despite his connec-
tions, says his father, he'll need to
have a thick skin. After 20 years
in the business, dad should know.
"Things run in a cycle," says Mark
Ridley. "It all depends if you are the
flavor of the month." 17
— Julie Weingarden =(
Ryan Ridley performs between
10 p.m. and midnight Thursday
nights at Club Bart, 22726
Woodward, in Ferndale. No
cover charge. (248) 548-8746.
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