Closed Scooter Shop Now Open Mic Spot

I never thought in a million light-years that I would see Mike Frankovich, former owner of Noho Scooters on Vineland Ave., do an eerily apt impression of Mickey Mouse in a porno. But I did, and you can too: welcome to Frankovich's semi-underground open mic night, hosted in the storefront of now-mostly-defunct NoHo Scooters.

The night will persist as a weekly affair until the building is leased or the community gains enough fervor to warrant a bigger space, Frankovich said. During last week's show, he said the only prospective bidders for the building were marijuana dispensaries, and that no serious deals were in the works. 

For Frankovich, this is a childhood dream come true. “I've always wanted to do [stand-up comedy] ever since I was a kid. I probably started a little less than a year ago,” he told me two Friday nights ago while we were waiting for people to show up for the event. Only one person did, and the show was canceled that night.  

The following week yielded a much livelier turn out. There were about 10 people total, including me. Wedged snugly in between forsaken mopeds and their matching helmets, it felt like quite a lot. Everyone in the audience was a comedian except for myself and one other gentleman. The leitmotifs exercised in their sets were typical of the L.A. stand-up comedy scene: bawdy jokes about sex, sexual orientation, sexuality and race.

Frankovich, who compares his style to Rodney Dangerfield, kicked off the night with jokes about his marital life and the makeshift-ness of the comedy night itself – a theme continued throughout the night by some of the other comics.

“We may or may not be switching nights because we like to confuse people,” Frankovich half joked.   Or perhaps it wasn't a joke at all. The three shows I attended fell on three different days of the week-- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Although Frankovich has only been on the comedy beat for a year or so, he has performed at renowned venues like The Comedy Store in Hollywood and Flappers in Burbank.

Jason Rennebu, a veteran of the L.A. comedy circuit who runs an open mic night at Rock Paper in Hollywood and helped Frankovich create the open mic event at Noho Scooters, showed up and did a longer set, relishing in the freedom of the casual atmosphere.

“How much time do I have left?” Rennebu quipped, “45 minutes?”

According to Frankovich, this is exactly the kind of vibe he is trying to cultivate. “It would be good to have it where people come in and make it more like a friendly environment and give people constructive criticism. You know, more than like a typical open mic night where it's more like a club environment,” Frankovich said. “This is more like a friendly get together, so to speak.”

Some of the less experienced performers in the crowd seemed privy to Frankovich's vision. Bo, one of the comics, asked the audience if they had any tips or feedback after his set. Others were less enthusiastic about the lax format. I heard one guy in the audience whisper, “Is this a workshop or something?”

At the end of the night, I decided to experiment in self-conscious gonzo journalism and take to the stage. Even in the midst of the prevailing informal feel, it was still incredibly nerve wracking. I delivered my bit a mile a minute and afterwards my hands were shaking; I can't even remember if people laughed. My empathy and awe for ambitious comedians instantly shimmied up a couple of notches.  

The open mic night, while a little rough around the edges, has promise-- particularly as a venue that caters to comics not quite ready to hack it in what Frankovich described as “competitive” open mics at bigger clubs. 

For more information about the open mic including its schedule, go to www.facebook.com/LaughingPlaceComedy