Bailey cashes in at Comedy Attic

Bear sex, stalking and the Red Light Challenge were all a part of this weekend’s storm of laughter as the Comedy Attic brought comedian Ben Bailey to Bloomington.

Bailey, stand-up comedian and host of the Discovery Channel show “Cash Cab,” made the audience laugh while poking fun at Midwest traditions and himself as game
show host.

“Ben Bailey absolutely lived up to his ‘Cash Cab’ name,” sophomore Andrew Igdaloff said. “He included all kinds of excellent jokes and produced a hysterical show.”

Opening for Bailey was local comedian Joshua Murphy, followed by IU alumnus and New York comedian Brian Frange.

“Comedy is probably the truest, most honest art form that exists,” Farge said.

All three comedians showed their passion for what they do on stage.

“There is nothing in the world like it,” Bailey said. “Creative people have this need, and stand-up, music, writing and all live arts fill this need.”

Bailey, a stand-up comedian for 12 years, knows the life of a comedian well. After living in Los Angeles for a few years and working for a comedy club, he eventually was hired to perform stand-up and later moved to New York.

After doing various open mic nights, Bailey began to make his mark in the comedy world.

Because of Bailey’s experience as a comedian, he was a mentor during the weekend to Frange and Murphy.

“This is an amazing and rare experience,” Frange said. “This helps me because Ben has been doing comedy for a long time.”

Frange said being the opening act can be intimidating because it’s the job of the MC and the opener to warm the crowed up with jokes.

Although the opening act can be very hard and sometimes met with hecklers, Friday night’s show had no heckling, and the audience was very receptive to all three comedians.

As the audience laughed the night away, there was a sense of understanding among the people in the club.

“People want to laugh and forget about stuff that bothers them,” Bailey said. “What makes you feel better than laughter, a real belly laugh? What’s better for you than that? Nothing.”