At the beginning of his comedy career, Godfrey C. Danchimah, Jr. felt his name was a bit of a mouthful for open mic nights around town. So, for the sake of simplification (and memorability), he decided to shorten it. Thus was born the comedian known as Godfrey.
In 1995, after a few years of building up his comedy chops at local Chicago comedy clubs, Godfrey took on a job as warm-up comedian for the show "Cosby," which was no small task for a young performer.
January has that "NOW WHAT!?" desperation to it. The holiday mania is over and there's a depressing slow creep toward spring. Keep the kids busy dreaming, doing and basking in that New-Year feeling with some activities.
Michael Kosta may currently reside in L.A., but Michigan will always hold a special place in his heart. He grew up in Ann Arbor, served as the assistant men's Tennis coach at University of Michiagn and flaunts his Michigan Emmy on the cover of his live comedy album, Champion. He even got Michigan love at Grand Rapids' first Laughfest: Kosta won $10,000 in a stand-up comedy competition at Dr. Grins.
Before Kosta made a name for himself in the comedy world he played professional tennis, won four Big Ten championships and published a book, 101 Tips for Winning More Tennis Matches. While he was the assistant coach at University of Michigan he would perform at comedy clubs on the side, often for only twenty or thirty dollars a night.
Brian Regan doesn't have to lace his comedy with obscenities to be funny. In fact, to do so would be counterintuitive. "I have no problem with blue comedy from a fan perspective," Regan said. "But it's not natural for me as a performer."
Matt Braunger has been all over the place. He grew up in Portland, Ore., studied theater at Manhattanville College in New York, did improv and stand-up in Chicago, and finally, moved to Los Angeles to solidify his career in comedy.
Braunger has had a solid career in standup for a few years now, with appearances on "The Late Show with David Letterman," a Comedy Central hour-long special and his digital album Soak Up the Night. But even with all of this standup success, Braunger is still probably most often recognized for his acting career.
In an age of technology and digital communication, people accustomed to the printed word must adapt quickly in order to survive. This September, Schuler Books celebrates 30 years of business – a true testament of the flexibility of the bookstore to change along with the times.
At a time when bookstores are going out of business (the most notable being the bookstore chain, Borders, closing their last stores almost one year ago), Schuler is using this month to celebrate the store’s success with its Grand Rapids and Lansing-area communities.
For 57-year-old Harley-Davidson authority Edward Winterhalder, the biker lifestyle isn’t just a hobby; he’s been immersed in the culture since he was 19. In the last seven years, he has authored or contributed to nine books on the subject and helmed or appeared in a dozen TV projects devoted to Harleys.
“When I came home from the Army in November of ‘74, I got my first Harley,” Winterhalder said. “Since then, I have only been without one for no more than six months. I’ve been riding Harleys for almost 40 years now. It gets in your blood.”
Gary Gulman is really, really tall. Six feet, six inches to be exact. This may be true, but there’s another striking characteristic people instantly notice about Gulman: He is really, really funny.
Gulman used to work as an accountant, probably one of the last professions one would expect an aspiring comedian to attain, which is probably why after a few years he quit.
If you want to make it in fashion, your first instinct is probably to move to Chicago, New York City or Los Angeles. The Rooftop Couture Fashion Show, a Grand Rapids show developed by model Renee Jonkman and journalist Crystal Hilliard, may ensure that you do not have to.
Rob Little was working as a computer programmer at IBM when he decided to transition his career into stand-up comedian. He sent out a company-wide email that read, "If you aren't happy here, quit your job and follow your dream," and then tried to follow through with the statement.
Poetry has not exactly always been at the heart of American consciousness. It’s often thought of as an art form for lonely, depressed individuals or pretentious hipsters in East Village coffee shops. However, Azizi Jasper (or simply, “Z” to most who know him), is a Grand Rapids-based poet, activist and man about town.
If you ever listened to Duran Duran’s latest hit on your boom box, inquired about the whereabouts of “the beef” or watched anything on Betamax, chances are you’ll dig this event. Stella’s Lounge is hosting an all-day Grand Rapids bar crawl in which teams race to complete 10 challenges, record the evidence on their smartphones and compete to become Grand Mega Champions (complete with a totally tubular trophy).
He's not a stand-up comic, but sometimes he tells jokes. Nor is he a musician, but sometimes he plays rock music in front of people.
Not an actor, but he pretends to be someone he isn't. Hal Sparks is an artist, an emissary of human emotion, and these are some things that he does.
Ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek wasn't always the mile-conquering fitness expert he is now. In fact, the winner of ultraRunning's top honors and advocate for veganism used to be a hunting, fishing Minnesotan carnivore, who hated running.
"[Running] was kind of like punishment; we would have to run laps in gym class and at soccer and basketball practice," Jurek said. "While I was involved with Nordic skiing in high school, I ran because I wanted to get in shape for ski season, but it wasn't something I enjoyed."
