Humor

All Hail the Hotdish

June 14th, 2023

By Annie Prafcke

annieprafcke@gmail.com

AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right – that Midwestern mashup of mystery meat, creamy Campbell’s soup, frozen veggies and of course, tater tots.

While I identify wholeheartedly as Chinese, I am also adopted and deeply tied to my North Dakotan roots. I now live in Texas and have found that while…

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Standup Fargo

January 15th, 2023

By Jan Syverson 

Jan.r.Syverson@gmail.com

For the past 30 years live, stand-up comedy has had a place in the Fargo Moorhead area, Starting with Courtney’s Comedy Club in the former Days Inn Moorhead which closed back in 2016.

The Cellar comedy club, in the basement of the Front Street Tap Room has become the area’s premier spot for weekend shows.

Due to the pandemic of 2020, there was a moment in…

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​Mock Tales V2

December 15th, 2022

By Spencer Thomas

spencerthomascomedy@gmail.com

My wife and I celebrated our 6th anniversary in Two Harbors, Minn., about 20 miles north of Duluth. If you have not been, it’s a lot of big lake-ness, seagulls, trees and people being polite.

Every meal on the trip, including lunch at Le’s Banh Mi in Fargo on our way out of town, was just excellent. They were all “Holy crap, you try a bite of this” meals. It was either really well done versions of familiar things or exotic food that…

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​Midwest Love From Charlie Berens

February 24th, 2022

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

Charlie Berens is a man of many hats. The creator of the “Manitowoc Minute” is a newsman, comedian, writer and musician. We had the opportunity to speak with the Wisconsin native about his new book “The Midwest Survival Guide: How We Talk, Love, Work, Drink, and Eat . . . Everything with Ranch,” about why the Midwest is best and even a bit of dating advice.

High Plains Reader: So, you know, I was really excited to hear that you're coming to…

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Comedian in the Cellar:The Return of Adam Quesnell

February 26th, 2020

photo by CC Photo Arts

by Kris Gruber
perriex1@gmail.com

Adam Quesnell's last show at The Cellar beneath the Front Street Taproom in Fargo was in early September of 2018. He was embarking on a seminal move from Minneapolis to LA. As always, his comedy was razor sharp, perfectly timed, both nuanced and broad. Local comedy fans can check him out, along with Trevor Anderson and Drew Hehir, on February 28 and 29th.

High Plains Reader spoke to Adam about moving to LA, and his return North.

HIGH PLAINS READER: You are…

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Fargo Audiences Come to Papa

February 27th, 2019

Tom Papa

Stand-up comedy is traditionally a one-way exchange. Outside of the odd question addressed to a random audience member, the limit of the spectators’ contribution to the conversation is their laughter at the comedy stylings being broadcast in their direction. A talented comedian, however, can seem conversational even within the traditional confines of the stand-up genre.

Take Tom Papa, for example. With an impish grin on his face and a mischievous lilt in his voice, Papa regales…

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​Taking the Edge off with Maria Bamford

February 20th, 2019

Maria Bamford - photograph by Robyn Von Swank

The first exposure I had to Maria Bamford’s work was on Adult Swim’s comedy sketch show “Tim and Eric’s Awesome Show Great Job”. She was informing the audience about how to properly remove cat hair from their clothes with a lint roller before collapsing into an emotional breakdown about her feelings of inadequacy. 

“It turns out I’m very skilled at fake emotional breakdowns,” Bamford said. She has a timid voice, is high-strung, yet bubbling with kindness.

In a career…

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Pepitone Peps Up The Cellar

October 17th, 2018

Those who have been reading my articles for a while may remember when I interviewed Zachary Tooker about the Level Two Comedy Club at the Radisson in Fargo. While the club may have unfortunately closed, Tooker has not ceased booking comedic talent for the city of Fargo. His latest contribution is bringing a personal favorite comedian of his to the Cellar at Front Street Taproom, Eddie Pepitone.

Pepitone is not only one of Tooker’s personal favorites, but a “cult favorite” as…

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California calls to Quesnell

September 5th, 2018

Adam Quesnell photograph by CC Photo Arts

In the approximately three years I’ve been writing for the High Plains Reader it seems I’ve always circled back to comedian Adam Quesnell. First, I wrote about his farewell show before he set out from Fargo and the comedy scene that he had a hand in creating to Minneapolis. Later on, I wrote about his live recording of his second album, “Despair II: Social Justice Warlord”. And now, I find myself writing about him again as he prepares for an upcoming show at the Cellar in the…

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​A Cool Forty Below in Fargo’s Comedy Scene

August 29th, 2018

Nathan Fulsebakke - photograph by Jenny Lou Russi

Not only does the Fargo-Moorhead area have a vibrant music scene, but a burgeoning comedy scene as well. I have had the pleasure of providing coverage for some exciting moments in the Fargo comedy world in the last few years and made some new friends along the way. One of the longer running developments in the Fargo comedy scene is the so-called “Forty Below Comedy Show,” recently I had the privilege of interviewing three of the people involved: Nathan Fulsebakke, Joe…

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