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Drinking With Ian

A A A Comments By Pat O'Brien Wednesday, Nov 26 2008

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This local cable-access show has gained a cult following here in Minneapolis, and the program lives up to its name. A mix of sketch comedy, variety, and talk show, DWI also has a resident bartender, Ollie Stench, who alternately abuses the audience and plies it with potent shots during each episode (usually three are filmed in one night). The result is a boisterous crowd, always eager to hoot and holler at whatever host Ian Rans has up his sleeve. There is a super-secret musical guest for each episode, and past interviewees have included everyone from the North Star Roller Girls to a 911 operator who wrote a book about her experiences. Everything is executed with tongue firmly in cheek and shot glass firmly in hand. The end result has the look and feel of a late-night TV show that erupted out of a house party in your parents' basement, and that certainly seems to be the intention. There are no bells and whistles (the guest couch is a bench seat from a Dodge caravan), and the jokes and sketches have to prop up the show instead of vice versa, which is so common with late-night shows these days. A good time is guaranteed--but make sure to bring cab fare.
Fri., Nov. 28, 8 p.m., 2008

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