Last spring at the Crocodile, a whole bunch of people came together to make the first-ever Stranger Gong Show a mind-blowing success.

This spring at Chop Suey, we’re doing it again.

The date: Saturday, April 26.
The cost: Free.
The line-up: God only knows. We’re looking for any and all human-based entertainments, including but not limited to jugglers, magicians, jug bands, tap dancers, strongmen, yodelers, stand-up comics, sword swallowers, contortionists, slam poets, marching bands, mimes, guys who shove quarters up their noses, bird callers, puppeteers, tuba players, hula hoopers, comedy skits, chanteuses, ventriloquists, clog dancers, celebrity impersonators, butoh dancers, vaudeville acts, accordianists, and air bands.

The rules: All acts must run between 45 seconds and four minutes, and require a minimum of set-up. What this means: full live bands—with amps and drum kits and what have you—won’t work for the Gong Show. We’ll provide a mic and amp and that aforementioned brief set-up time, so musical acts would do well to re-conceive themselves as “unplugged”—think campfire sing-along instead of full show. But there’s still a hell of a lot of music that can be made within the Gong Show strictures: acoustic bands, singers with backing tapes, human beatboxes, cello soloists, etc etc etc.

Acts can get on the bill just by showing up at Chop Suey the night of the show, or by signing up in advance in our forthcoming online form. (Coming soon, stay tuned.)

Also, due to “laws,” no acts can feature fire or kids (it’s a bar).

In the meantime, please enjoy this taste of the late, great, and fuh-reaky original Gong Show.