derek gaines
Whatever Is Left of It
April 1st (aka April Fool’s Day) marks 13 months since independent venues have been shut down across the country due to COVID-19, including comedy clubs and comedy theaters. While musicians adapted nimbly and found ways to thrive publicly with livestreams, comedy went underground. Backrooms, basements, rooftops, alleyways and even apartments and backyards became the new home for standup comedy in urban cities across North America. If you knew, you knew, and even that didn’t guarantee you entry. To document the past year, comedian/actor Derek Gaines (The King of Staten Island, The Last O.G.) wrote an ode to comedy at a time most cities had banned it or made it illegal to perform publicly. Gaines says the constant hiding and paranoia about performing is why he wanted to name the video he cre...
