Marc Maron was as sharp as ever. Especially his take on how New Yorkers have to be the most amazing people because at any given moment you have someone standing just two inches from your face. There is no concept of personal space in this city. He briefly and purposefully broke the fine tuned 'angry Jew' image when he began talking about his cats. Shortly after, his acerbic self torture and bitterness toward stupid people would bring us back to the Maron reality we all know.

The biggest surprise for me was as I thought it would be. Henry Rollins. For the most part, this was classic Rollins. He stood postured as though he'd break into some punk anthem, with the mic cord tightly wrapped around his hand. I had joked earlier about what it would be like for Rollins to do standup. And ... he was fuckin' funny. No, he wasn't rapping off jokes, but the delivery of his rants was more disciplined, slightly less angry than the Rollins of the past and timed for the well-deserved laughs.

The Gramercy Theatre (127 E. 23rd St., New York, NY) is a classic New York City movie theater that has recently found new life as a mid-sized music venue. The mezzanine area still has the old theater seating. The floor is at times empty for standing room or—as tonight—equipped with grossly undersized, uncomfortable folding chairs. The drinks are very pricy ($9 for mixed, $6 for beer), small, weak and served in plastic cups. Pretty standard fare for these types of venues.

This is my first time here, so I cannot really comment on the sound system or the security since this was a fairly laid back event with no music. I will say that staff seemed friendly enough and looking around I can see the potential for some great loud shows. The stage can certainly handle it but I can imagine the bathrooms getting filled up fast. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing other shows here, as long as I don't drink anything.

For now, please join me in a prayer of hope from Henry Rollins that America will once again be a
Devo/P-Funk/Ramones Nation. AMEN!