Photography Via duckduckgoofs.com | Shot by Candice Conner
Weekdays in Boston can drag, especially if you’ve been living in the city for some time.
Often, particularly during the pandemic, it can feel like there’s very little to do, very little to see, and very little to laugh your ass off at. A good comedy show is probably the last thing you’d expect to fill the void on an (often chilly) Thursday night in Boston - that’s where “Duck Duck Goofs” comes in.
Cambridge is arguably one of the most well known areas in the country, it’s smack dab in a city, full of concert venues, higher institutions, and subway trains that catch fire. But in the depths of this post-gentrified city is an “if you know you know” gem like no other - a late night comedy show featuring local and acclaimed comedians, all hosted in a speakeasy behind a little red door.
LONER had the opportunity to not only see the show, but also chat with Ryan Howe, comedian and lead coordinator of Duck Duck Goofs. We'll be releasing that interview later this week :)
Pictured - Ryan Howe; Photography Via duckduckgoofs.com | Shot by Candice Conner
The people and energy
We won't spoil much about the process of entering this underground comedy space (we want you to experience that on your own) - but we will talk about the great energy that fills the dark underground room as soon as the mic clicks on.
At first glance, it looks like any other room full of people sipping (reasonably priced) cocktails and waiting for a late night show. But once the show gets started, you start to realize it’s much more than that.
The space was filled to the brim with other comedians, cult fans of the underground event, eager newcomers looking for laughs, and yes, people there to drink (reasonably priced) cocktails.
Duck Duck Goofs is so underground that performers made jokes about getting hit by subway cars - subway cars you could hear rumbling closely behind the stage as if they were just on the other side of the wall. The vibe was relaxed, with jokes covering controversial topics like from Boston’s rat-birds, Alien Abductions and “beating off” in the bedroom you take zoom calls in…” (that one was a crowd favorite).
Why it’s important to the local scene
A really good question that comes up whenever we talk about the weird and wonderful underground scene is - “why should we even care?” or “so what?”.
The short answer is;
it’s events like these and people like this that carry the local creative scenes on their back. Just the willingness to commit time every week to put together a show filled with your favorite comedy aficionados takes heart - and isn’t that what art’s all about?
The fact that so many people come together in such a hush hush space is beautiful. Part of that beauty is because it’s really easy to sit at home and NOT take part in something - or in this case, rewatch comedy specials from comedians you already KNOW will make make you laugh instead of going out, downing a fish bowl of your favorite cocktail and taking a chance on people who might just make you chuckle.
What we’re trying to say is - local art movers and makers are fantastic, and you should look for them in your city whenever you can.
LONER Magazine would like to give a big thankyou to Ryan Howe, Stevie Baek, Dan Boulger and the rest of the Duck Duck Goof crew. If you’re living in Massachusetts and have enough self love to treat yourself to a good time, hit the links below and catch their next show -
You can Catch Duck Duck Goofs at The Cantab Lounge every Thursday at 8PM. Also Night School, another underground speakeasy series, happens at the Cambridge Community Center at 8PM and 10PM, every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month.
